# I am amazed that NO ONE has leaked Ken Jennings results. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 10, 2004, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-amazed-that-no-one-has-leaked-ken-jennings-results/254496 "2004-07-10T23:03:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kid\_Gilligan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kid\_Gilligan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kid_Gilligan)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2004, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-amazed-that-no-one-has-leaked-ken-jennings-results/254496/1 "2004-07-10T23:03:16Z")
Isn’t Jeopardy filmed in front of a studio audience? Do they bury the studio audience under the Burbank studios like the Pharoahs did with the workers who built the Pyramids. If he has already lost, someone not employed by the network must know, but I can’t find any leaks. If keeping things this secret really is possible, maybe JFK or Elvis really are alive. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Zamboni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@The\_Great\_Zamboni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Zamboni)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2004, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-amazed-that-no-one-has-leaked-ken-jennings-results/254496/2 "2004-07-10T23:25:22Z")
The studio audience certainly wasn’t bound and gagged and threatened with death if they told (I hope). I’m sure a few have blabbed, but overall there is probably an amount of respect for the secret and the results. It’s only a TV show. The employees of the game show and the studio probably understand this as well. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-amazed-that-no-one-has-leaked-ken-jennings-results/254496/3 "2004-07-11T00:02:33Z")
Well, it was pretaped in February, and there have been news articles that he is no longer playing. As for the audience who saw him lost, they wouldn’t have _known_ they were seeing anything other than yesterday’s champion losing… ---
**Author:** ![cheddarsnax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@cheddarsnax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cheddarsnax)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-amazed-that-no-one-has-leaked-ken-jennings-results/254496/4 "2004-07-11T00:11:51Z")
> [@Barbarian](#): > > Well, it was pretaped in February, and there have been news articles that he is no longer playing. As for the audience who saw him lost, they wouldn’t have _known_ they were seeing anything other than yesterday’s champion losing… But don’t they announce how many days he has been on, and his total winnings, at the start of each show? I imagine the audience does hear that. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-amazed-that-no-one-has-leaked-ken-jennings-results/254496/5 "2004-07-11T00:32:31Z")
> [@Barbarian](#): > > Well, it was pretaped in February, and there have been news articles that he is no longer playing. Did he lose or did they just finish taping the season? On second though, I’m not even sure if I want to know. It would kind of ruin the excitement of watching every day… ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-amazed-that-no-one-has-leaked-ken-jennings-results/254496/6 "2004-07-11T00:59:47Z")
Maybe it’s like the news that John Edwards was selected as the Democratic running mate, which was a big secret but was posted on an aviation message board the night before the public announcement. The news is probably out there somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Nightwatch\_Trailer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9dc877/32.png) [@Nightwatch\_Trailer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightwatch_Trailer)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-amazed-that-no-one-has-leaked-ken-jennings-results/254496/7 "2004-07-11T04:04:51Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > Did he lose or did they just finish taping the season? > > On second though, I’m not even sure if I want to know. It would kind of ruin the excitement of watching every day… There was a newspaper article saying that he (and apparently everyone else) wouldn’t comment on whether he finished out the season, or if he lost outright. Ooh! I can provide a [cite](http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/living/9114525.htm)! I’m excited. > [@](#): > > The shows airing now were taped in February, and Jennings is home in Utah, but he is sworn to secrecy about whether his winning streak continued through the end of the season, or whether he will come back when the fall season starts. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-amazed-that-no-one-has-leaked-ken-jennings-results/254496/8 "2004-07-11T17:50:21Z")
> [@cheddarsnax](#): > > But don’t they announce how many days he has been on, and his total winnings, at the start of each show? I imagine the audience does hear that. Yes, the audience does hear that. And of course Alex comments on every show about Ken’s record-breaking streak; I assume he will also express amazement and a sigh of relief on the air when the streak ends. The audience _would_ certainly know “they were seeing anything other than yesterday’s champion losing.” ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-amazed-that-no-one-has-leaked-ken-jennings-results/254496/9 "2004-07-11T17:59:44Z")
> [@Kid\_Gilligan](#): > > Do they bury the studio audience under the Burbank studios _Jeopardy!_ is taped at the Sony Pictures Studios (former MGM) in Culver City. _Wheel of Fortune_ is taped in the adjoining soundstage. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-amazed-that-no-one-has-leaked-ken-jennings-results/254496/10 "2004-07-11T18:06:19Z")
[According to this message board](http://forums.macrumors.com/archive/index.php/t-76751), Ken will still be winning in September. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-amazed-that-no-one-has-leaked-ken-jennings-results/254496/11 "2004-07-11T18:21:12Z")
It’s simple. Suppose somebody leaks that he loses on the July 17 show. The studio then immediately deliberately leaks (through separate channels) that he lost on the August 3rd show, that he lost on the July 12 show, that he’s still playing, that he lost on the July 22 show, that… Etc. Please note, by the way, that I (like apparently everyone else) have no idea when he actually does/will lose. I’m just using those dates as a hypothetical example. ---
**Author:** ![fessie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@fessie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fessie)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-amazed-that-no-one-has-leaked-ken-jennings-results/254496/12 "2004-07-11T20:19:20Z")
??? Simple??? Now I’m confused as all heck.😉 _portentious hrrmph_ Back when I was on _Who Wants to Be a Millionaire_ (the daytime version, with Meredith Viera) they made the contestants sign all sorts of affidavits but obviously could only ask that the audience respect secrecy and keep mum about the outcomes. Which they pretty much did - I was present for two days of taping and probably watched a dozen episodes being played as we waited in the green room in the basement. One of them was Kevin whose-last-name-I-don’t-recall, their first $1 million winner. **That** was exciting, we were all playing along & shouting & cheering. And the producers just asked the audience members not to mention what they’d seen. The episode taped at the beginning of December & they aired it during the February sweeps & I don’t think the word got out ahead of time. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2004, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-amazed-that-no-one-has-leaked-ken-jennings-results/254496/13 "2004-07-12T05:59:21Z")
> [@Walloon](#): > > Yes, the audience does hear that. And of course Alex comments on every show about Ken’s record-breaking streak; I assume he will also express amazement and a sigh of relief on the air when the streak ends. The audience _would_ certainly know “they were seeing anything other than yesterday’s champion losing.” I haven’t been in a Jeopardy audience, but I have attended many other show tapings. It would be very easy for the producers to leave the audience guessing should they so desire-- and for Alex not to mention his streak during any given show if he happens to be anywhere close to having some competition. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2004, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-amazed-that-no-one-has-leaked-ken-jennings-results/254496/14 "2004-07-12T06:25:52Z")
In case you haven’t noticed, at the start of every _Jeopardy!_ show the number of days the returning champion has won, and his total winnings, are both announced and written on screen. And how would anyone know if Ken “happens to be anywhere close to having some competition” until the game ends? ---
**Author:** ![Mystery\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f14d63/32.png) [@Mystery\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mystery_Dog)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2004, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-amazed-that-no-one-has-leaked-ken-jennings-results/254496/15 "2004-07-12T13:49:35Z")
I’ve been lurking lately on the official Jeopardy message board, where the administrators occasionally delete spoiler information. I can’t find the thread now, but a while back I saw some cryptic references indicating that Ken’s exact number of victories had been posted and then quickly deleted. So the information has been leaked, but it’s not there now. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2004, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-amazed-that-no-one-has-leaked-ken-jennings-results/254496/16 "2004-07-12T14:52:09Z")
While the audience at home can see Ken’s numbers, the studio audience cannot, unless they are close enough to a monitor-- and the shot used (ie. the close-up of yesterday’s winner) could easily be done when the audience is not present and edited in later. As for not mentioning the streak, a decision could be made that if any competitor is within $1000 of Ken to keep mum about the streak, _if the producers don’t want the audience to know about the uber-champ losing_. Which is all I’m saying-- if they wanted the audience to remain ignorant, it could be easily be done. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2004, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-amazed-that-no-one-has-leaked-ken-jennings-results/254496/17 "2004-07-13T03:29:12Z")
The simplest explanation is that he was still winning thru the end of the season. There is no reason for the audience to be told “This is the last taping of the season.” So none of them would be in a position to definitely say so. However, that still leaves money totals and such for leaking. OTOH, the simplest explanation is best for Physics, and this isn’t Physics. Drudge should know, but apparently doesn’t. Definitely a sign of complete failure there. ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2004, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-amazed-that-no-one-has-leaked-ken-jennings-results/254496/18 "2004-07-13T03:48:27Z")
> [@Barbarian](#): > > While the audience at home can see Ken’s numbers, the studio audience cannot, unless they are close enough to a monitor-- and the shot used (ie. the close-up of yesterday’s winner) could easily be done when the audience is not present and edited in later. Unless they’ve changed how they tape this, doing this would be a departure from normal procedure – in 1994, when **Mama Tiger** was on, the audience was brought in at the beginning of the day, and several shows were taped in a row (there was a break in there somewhere, but I don’t remember, maybe after three shows) while we were sitting there. It was all done in real time, except that the contestants were given all the time they wanted to figure out their final bets. They’d have to do some rather drastic changes to their normal procedures to pull this off. They probably just begged people not to tell. They must have begged really effectively! ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2004, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-amazed-that-no-one-has-leaked-ken-jennings-results/254496/19 "2004-07-13T05:14:12Z")
> [@Barbarian](#): > > While the audience at home can see Ken’s numbers, the studio audience cannot, unless they are close enough to a monitor-- and the shot used (ie. the close-up of yesterday’s winner) could easily be done when the audience is not present and edited in later. Former _Jeopardy!_ champion here. There are several monitors overhead for the studio audience to watch. The studio audience does see and hear the returning champion’s numbers. > [@](#): > > As for not mentioning the streak, a decision could be made that if any competitor is within $1000 of Ken to keep mum about the streak, _if the producers don’t want the audience to know about the uber-champ losing_. Simple logic should tell you that because the returning champ’s numbers are given at the _beginning_ of the show, this would be impossible. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2004, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-amazed-that-no-one-has-leaked-ken-jennings-results/254496/20 "2004-07-13T05:39:56Z")
And simple logic says that if the producers decide to announce the total winnings during post-production instead of at the beginning, the audience won’t know 😉 I don’t really care one way or the other. I just figure that if they wanted to keep Ken’s loss a secret, there are many ways to do so. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-amazed-that-no-one-has-leaked-ken-jennings-results/254496.md?page=2)