# Jeopardy 5/1/08

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-5-1-08/447687>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [May 1, 2008, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-5-1-08/447687 "2008-05-01T23:31:26Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\
**Post date:** [May 3, 2008, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-5-1-08/447687/21 "2008-05-03T02:09:30Z")

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[QUOTE=jayjay]  
Really? Maybe they stopped…I think _Jeopardy_ writer Harry Eisenberg in his 1997 book (or was it Bob Harris in “Prisoner of Trebekistan”?) mentioned that they did that.  
[/QUOTE]  
It was Bob Harris in “Prisoner of Trebekistan.” Suprisingly good book.

As for the guy today shaking like a leaf, I think it’s totally understandable. Imagine what the poor guy went through:  
[ul]  
[li]You’re a contestant on _Jeopardy!_ (which, for us nerds, is pretty much the Super Bowl).[/li][li]You’ve got 150% of the second-place contestant’s score going into final Jeopardy. Holy shit! It might happen! **You** might actually be a _Jeopardy!_ champion![/li][li]The final question is revealed. You have a pretty good guess! It’s not Simón Bolívar, because of the “two worlds” thing, so it must be Lafayette! This is it! You’re going to win on _Jeopardy!_[/li][li]…And then as you start writing down the answer, _your pen doesn’t work_.[/li][/ul]  
It had to be a nightmarish experience; of course he was shaking. I thought it was kind of touching, to see someone show that kind of naked emotion on the show.

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