# Dopers on Jeopardy! THE List **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** reality-or-game-show\ **Created:** [November 18, 2004, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-on-jeopardy-the-list/275535 "2004-11-18T20:39:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 17
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-on-jeopardy-the-list/275535/321 "2015-03-10T17:11:01Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > The guy who beat me (who was an arrogant asshole, the only person in the entire group of people in the green room whom I didn’t like) ran the category on “German Composers”. Classical music is one of my biggest downfalls. That killed me. As I said earlier, the two people who beat me were both very, very nice. I can’t think of anything bad to say about any of the other contestants I met that day. Timing was my downfall. A few weeks ago, I was forced to watch the episode again, and it APPEARED to me that, on the whole, I was getting the all the difficult questions that nobody else knew… but that I was always too late or too early on the questions that more than one of us knew. Luck wasn’t an issue. The breaks totally evened out for us. Each of us got a Daily Double and answered it correctly. All three of us knew the final answer. We were all plenty smart enough to win, and there weren’t any categories that I thought gave any one of us an edge. ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-on-jeopardy-the-list/275535/322 "2015-03-10T18:29:32Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Maybe Labdad and Nuveen and I can commiserate- we all did well, and STILL lost. Oh I can definitely commiserate, because I could have won! I just didn’t bet enough in Final Jeopardy. The category was “Business Firsts,” which can be awfully esoteric. I had $19,000 and the champ had $19,400. I only bet $500 in final, the logic being that’s enough to put me in the lead if the champ gets it wrong and bets nothing. Champ bet $2,600. The answer was “On July 20, 1903 this company delivered its first product, purchased by a respected Detroiter.” The question, of course, was Ford. All three of us got it right. Trouble was, the third place player only had $3,200 going into final. I could have bet $12,599 and still be a dollar ahead of her if she doubled her score. Why, oh why didn’t I bet $11,000 to make it an even $30,000 if I’d won? :smack: There was just too much adrenaline pumping through me at the time I made the wager to do complicated math! Timing was an issue for me as well. I counted thirteen questions I knew but couldn’t buzz in on. ---
**Author:** ![Nuveena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a587f6/32.png) [@Nuveena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nuveena)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-on-jeopardy-the-list/275535/323 "2015-03-10T21:32:54Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > Thanks for replying, but my question was garbled. As usual. > It was during Double Jeopardy, the clue was > \*“Peter the Great’s 51st birthday party included mandatory drinking of this from a barrel; Peter died at 52” > \* > Alvin correctly said _“Vodka”_ and possibly another word, which was instantly followed by an abrupt cut to audience-already-laughing. I’m wondering if we missed anything good. > > Again, thanks for responding, and congrats on a very well played game. We liked your style. Okay, I watched this again and I’m not positive, but I didn’t see a cut. It looks like Alex was chuckling at the idea of the clue (mandatory drinking from a barrel of vodka at his 51st birthday and dying at 52) and the audience laughing because Alex laughed. I can’t be sure because my head was full of bees at the time. 😛 Thanks for the compliment. ---
**Author:** ![Nuveena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a587f6/32.png) [@Nuveena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nuveena)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-on-jeopardy-the-list/275535/324 "2015-03-10T21:45:51Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Maybe Labdad and Nuveen and I can commiserate- we all did well, and STILL lost. > > I’m not sure which feels worse- to get blown out or to play your best and still come up short. Getting blown out is humiliating, but when you’re CLOSE, you drive yourself nuts second guessing the way you played. In the weeks after my appearance, I was constantly thinking, " DAMN, I should have bet more on the Daily Double… and why did I take that one dumb guess… and was I always a micro-second too fast ringing in or a micro-second too slow (I’m still not sure)?" Absolutely. I have a little bit of second guessing regarding betting more on the Daily Double. I just kinda winged it. But mainly, it’s Final Jeopardy. I feel like I panicked. If I would have slowed down, I would have stopped on Alaska instead of blowing right by it. But I had 50 states to get through in, what, 30 seconds? What if it was Iowa? If I had to miss it, I would have rather had a question I didn’t know at all…like Thursday’s: **Presidential Medal of Freedom Winners** She was called a “Trailblazer for American’s daughters” when she won in 2012, a century after founding an organization. Juliette Gordon Lowe (founder of the Girl Scouts) Other than that, if I had to lose, I think I would have wanted to lose in the exact way I did. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-on-jeopardy-the-list/275535/325 "2015-03-12T15:56:54Z")
> [@Nuveena](#): > > **Presidential Medal of Freedom Winners** > She was called a “Trailblazer for American’s daughters” when she won in 2012, a century after founding an organization. Huh. I was 99% certain of the organization, and 0% on the name. I wonder if they would have accepted “whatsername, the founder of the GSA” as an answer. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-on-jeopardy-the-list/275535/326 "2015-03-12T16:06:53Z")
> [@Nuveena](#): > > Absolutely. I have a little bit of second guessing regarding betting more on the Daily Double. I just kinda winged it. But mainly, it’s Final Jeopardy. I feel like I panicked. If I would have slowed down, I would have stopped on Alaska instead of blowing right by it. But I had 50 states to get through in, what, 30 seconds? What if it was Iowa? If I had to miss it, I would have rather had a question I didn’t know at all…like Thursday’s: > > **Presidential Medal of Freedom Winners** > She was called a “Trailblazer for American’s daughters” when she won in 2012, a century after founding an organization. > > Juliette Gordon Lowe (founder of the Girl Scouts) > > Other than that, if I had to lose, I think I would have wanted to lose in the exact way I did. In my case, we were all close at the end. It really came down to who got that last Daily Double. The last two clues on the board were the 800 and 1000 clues in “Caves.” Whoever got the 800 answer would get that final Daily Double. I’m sure whichever of us rang in first for that 800 clue would have been right, would have gotten the Daily Double right, and would have gone into Final Jeopardy with a small lead. Our Final category was Great Novels. I forget the exact phrasing, but when I saw the line about the heath and the moors, I knew immediately it was _ **Wuthering Heights** _… but my heart sank, because I was pretty sure the other two would know it, too. I needed a super hard one that only I knew, but got only a modestly hard one we all knew. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-on-jeopardy-the-list/275535/327 "2015-03-12T17:59:08Z")
> [@Nuveena](#): > > Okay, I watched this again and I’m not positive, but I didn’t see a cut. It looks like Alex was chuckling at the idea of the clue (mandatory drinking from a barrel of vodka at his 51st birthday and dying at 52) and the audience laughing because Alex laughed. I can’t be sure because my head was full of bees at the time. 😛 > > Thanks for the compliment. And thank you for replying again. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-on-jeopardy-the-list/275535/328 "2015-03-12T18:03:43Z")
> [@Nuveena](#): > > Other than that, if I had to lose, I think I would have wanted to lose in the exact way I did. It ain’t whether you win or lose, it’s how good you looked playing the game. ---
**Author:** ![Nuveena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a587f6/32.png) [@Nuveena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nuveena)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-on-jeopardy-the-list/275535/329 "2015-03-12T21:44:19Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > Huh. I was 99% certain of the organization, and 0% on the name. I wonder if they would have accepted “whatsername, the founder of the GSA” as an answer. Ha! They would not, because that’s exactly what the third-place player did. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2016, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-on-jeopardy-the-list/275535/330 "2016-02-07T08:33:01Z")
I’ve just learned in [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=783238) that **Hey Hey Paula** was on in 1989. List updated accordingly. We’re up to an even 40. Anyone else? ```auto Doper Year wins place final score notes 1. 5-4-fighting 2000 0 3rd 2. 5 time champ 2001 5 $50,703 3. annieclaus 1967 0 2nd 4. astorian 2013 0 3rd $23,000 5. BethCro 2009 0 3rd $100 6. Blanx 2001 0 2nd 7. Captain Lance Murdoch 1997 2 8. Colibri 1974 9. Commasense 1991 1 2nd $7,201 10. ElvisL1ves 1996 0 2nd 11. Fretful Porpentine 2010 1 3rd $27,201 12. GilaB 2010 1 2nd $3,000 13. Hippy Hollow 2003 1 2nd $16,500 14. h.sapiens 1994 5 $62,000 semi-finals of tournament 15. Hey Hey Paula 1989 0 2nd tied for 2nd 16. Hooleehootoo 1999 0 3rd 17. jsc1953 1988 0 3rd 18. KingSpades 2011 6 2nd $100,054 19. KittenKat 2010 0 2nd $5,998 20. Labdad 2006 0 2nd $19,500 21. Mama Tiger 1994 0 3rd lost to a five-time champ 22. MilTan 2010 0 2nd 23. Monstera deliciosa 1993 0 2nd 24. Mr. Moto 2000 0 2nd 25. Nice Pete 2004 1 2nd $31,100 26. Nuveen 2015 0 2nd $14,400 27. pinkfreud 2008 0 2nd 28. Richardb 1984 29. Rick Kitchen 1988 0 2nd 30. Seaborgium 2009 5 2nd $84,870 plus 3rd place in TOC, $50,000 31. Serenata67 2004 0 2nd $5,000 College Tournament 32. The Man Who 2003 1 $50,000 Myron Myers, in one show 33. Tracy Lord 2004 0 2nd $5,000 2 Teen Jeopardy! shows 34. tumbleddown 2005 0 3rd 35. TWDuke 1995 2 $30,000 36. Twickster 1994 3 2nd $46,000 37. Walloon 1997 1 2nd $4,100 38. want2know 1989 0 3rd 39. Voyager 1997 0 2nd 40. Zsofia 2012 0 2nd $10,000 ``` ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2017, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-on-jeopardy-the-list/275535/331 "2017-02-08T21:57:49Z")
Adding our newly outed 1991 contestant, **Cayuga.** Does anyone else belong on the list? ```auto Doper Year wins place final score notes 1. 5-4-fighting 2000 0 3rd 2. 5 time champ 2001 5 $50,703 3. annieclaus 1967 0 2nd 4. astorian 2013 0 3rd $23,000 5. BethCro 2009 0 3rd $100 6. Blanx 2001 0 2nd 7. Captain Lance Murdoch 1997 2 8. Cayuga 1991 0 3rd "a huge tv set" 9. Colibri 1974 10. Commasense 1991 1 2nd $7,201 11. ElvisL1ves 1996 0 2nd 12. Fretful Porpentine 2010 1 3rd $27,201 13. GilaB 2010 1 2nd $3,000 14. Hippy Hollow 2003 1 2nd $16,500 15. h.sapiens 1994 5 $62,000 semi-finals of tournament 16. Hey Hey Paula 1989 0 2nd tied for 2nd 17. Hooleehootoo 1999 0 3rd 18. jsc1953 1988 0 3rd 19. KingSpades 2011 6 2nd $100,054 20. KittenKat 2010 0 2nd $5,998 21. Labdad 2006 0 2nd $19,500 22. Mama Tiger 1994 0 3rd lost to a five-time champ 23. MilTan 2010 0 2nd 24. Monstera deliciosa 1993 0 2nd 25. Mr. Moto 2000 0 2nd 26. Nice Pete 2004 1 2nd $31,100 27. Nuveen 2015 0 2nd $14,400 28. pinkfreud 2008 0 2nd 29. Richardb 1984 30. Rick Kitchen 1988 0 2nd 31. Seaborgium 2009 5 2nd $84,870 plus 3rd place in TOC, $50,000 32. Serenata67 2004 0 2nd $5,000 College Tournament 33. The Man Who 2003 1 $50,000 Myron Myers, in one show 34. Tracy Lord 2004 0 2nd $5,000 2 Teen Jeopardy! shows 35. tumbleddown 2005 0 3rd 36. TWDuke 1995 2 $30,000 36. Twickster 1994 3 2nd $46,000 37. Walloon 1997 1 2nd $4,100 38. want2know 1989 0 3rd 40. Voyager 1997 0 2nd 41. Zsofia 2012 0 2nd $10,000 ``` ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2017, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-on-jeopardy-the-list/275535/332 "2017-02-08T22:35:02Z")
With over 40 Jeopardy! Dopers, I got the urge to run some stats on our data. Note that we don’t have every data point for every contestant, so this is not perfectly accurate. N=41 Average number of games won: 0.9 Number of Dopers with 0 wins: 25 (61%) Number of Dopers with 1 win: 7 (17%) Number of Dopers with 2 wins: 2 (5%) Number of Dopers with 3 wins: 1 (2.5%) Number of Dopers with 4 wins: 0 Number of Dopers with 5 wins: 3 (7%) Number of Dopers with 6 wins: 1 (2.5%) Number of Dopers with unknown number of wins: 2 (5%) $33,334: average total winnings before late 2001, when prizes doubled (n=6 out of 23) $29,715: Average total winnings, 2002 and later (n=15 out of 18) $30,749: Average total winnings, all dates (n=21 out of 41) It’s very interesting that the average Doper won more \*before the prizes doubled \*in late 2001 than those after the increase. Of course, it’s a smaller sample, and is clearly not representative. My paltry one-day win of $7,201 in 1991 was probably much closer to the average for that era than 33 grand. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2018, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-on-jeopardy-the-list/275535/333 "2018-03-17T16:47:20Z")
It was suggested in another thread that I should check in here, since I’m about to join this elite company! I recorded my appearance on Jeopardy! in late February. June 27 is the scheduled air date. Hope everyone will be watching! I’ll try to remember to bump this thread, or start a new one, as the air date gets closer. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2018, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-on-jeopardy-the-list/275535/334 "2018-03-17T17:50:51Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > $33,334: average total winnings before late 2001, when prizes doubled (n=6 out of 23) > $29,715: Average total winnings, 2002 and later (n=15 out of 18) > $30,749: Average total winnings, all dates (n=21 out of 41) > > It’s very interesting that the average Doper won more \*before the prizes doubled \*in late 2001 than those after the increase. Of course, it’s a smaller sample, and is clearly not representative. My paltry one-day win of $7,201 in 1991 was probably much closer to the average for that era than 33 grand. This might be a bit late, but how did you count winnings before 2001? Back then the second and third place winners got prizes, not cash. I got a week in a resort 60 miles from me and $100 a day for food there. Depending on what they counted the room rate as, it could easily be more than the $2,000 I’d have gotten today. I had no transportation costs, but if I had it could have easily added another $1,000 or so for the two of us. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2018, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-on-jeopardy-the-list/275535/335 "2018-03-18T20:36:42Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > It was suggested in another thread that I should check in here, since I’m about to join this elite company! I recorded my appearance on Jeopardy! in late February. June 27 is the scheduled air date. Hope everyone will be watching! > > I’ll try to remember to bump this thread, or start a new one, as the air date gets closer. Congrats! Once your show has aired, bump the thread or send me a PM and I’ll update the table with your info. > [@Voyager](#): > > This might be a bit late, but how did you count winnings before 2001? Back then the second and third place winners got prizes, not cash. I got a week in a resort 60 miles from me and $100 a day for food there. Depending on what they counted the room rate as, it could easily be more than the $2,000 I’d have gotten today. I had no transportation costs, but if I had it could have easily added another $1,000 or so for the two of us. You’re right, but I have no way to include the value of non-cash prizes, so all I counted was the cash prizes as reported by the contestants and listed in the table. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2018, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-on-jeopardy-the-list/275535/336 "2018-06-25T19:52:47Z")
I hope it’s okay to bump this thread. I wanted to remind everyone that my appearance on Jeopardy! will air this Wednesday, June 27. I hope you all will be able to watch. I’ll be at the far right-hand position, wearing a red shirt and tie. It feels official now–my picture is in the “This Week’s Contestants” section on [jeopardy.com](http://jeopardy.com), and my “Hometown Howdy” is in the video reel. I’m getting strangely nervous, even though it was all over and done with months ago! ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2018, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-on-jeopardy-the-list/275535/337 "2018-06-25T21:26:41Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > I hope it’s okay to bump this thread. I wanted to remind everyone that my appearance on Jeopardy! will air this Wednesday, June 27. I hope you all will be able to watch. I’ll be at the far right-hand position, wearing a red shirt and tie. > > It feels official now–my picture is in the “This Week’s Contestants” section on [jeopardy.com](http://jeopardy.com), and my “Hometown Howdy” is in the video reel. I’m getting strangely nervous, even though it was all over and done with months ago! A librarian? I would never have guessed! I thought you just liked Star Trek. 🙂 What is the lag between filming and airing? ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2018, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-on-jeopardy-the-list/275535/338 "2018-06-26T02:18:40Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > A librarian? I would never have guessed! I thought you just liked Star Trek. 🙂 > > What is the lag between filming and airing? Both! The lag time was actually fairly long; I was surprised at just how long. We recorded in February. I don’t recall the exact date, but I know that the Olympics were going on, because I watched some of the skiing in the hotel that evening. It’s been a challenge keeping quiet about the outcome for so long! ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2018, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-on-jeopardy-the-list/275535/339 "2018-06-26T03:34:57Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > Ok, I’ll toss out a couple of questions: > > What did you spend the money on? > What did you do between tapings/while waiting to tape? Your questions should be phrased as answers. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2018, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-on-jeopardy-the-list/275535/340 "2018-06-26T22:43:55Z")
They don’t let you watch the games ahead of you, right? You have no idea of the champion or anything until you walk out there? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-on-jeopardy-the-list/275535.md?page=16) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-on-jeopardy-the-list/275535.md?page=18)