# Jeopardy! Season 42. It is what it is **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** reality-or-game-show\ **Created:** [August 10, 2025, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905 "2025-08-10T14:25:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2026, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/201 "2026-02-21T20:37:55Z")
How many of you are like me and so conditioned by decades of Jeopardy! that you automatically answer any trivia question _in the form of a question_? You can tell the J! fans on trivia night at the pub very easily. ---
**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:** [February 21, 2026, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/202 "2026-02-21T20:40:44Z")
I definitely do that and have to struggle not to answer in the form of a question. ---
**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:** [February 21, 2026, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/203 "2026-02-21T21:37:53Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > How many of you are like me and so conditioned by decades of Jeopardy! that you automatically answer any trivia question _in the form of a question_? Not me at all. When I play along, I just say the answer. Sometimes I even pronounce it correctly.🙂 But never with a question. Waste of time for TV, especially when the contestants are fast, and if we mumbled “Whaaaaaaaaaat’s…Jane Eyre.” we’d miss the TV answer(question). Speaking of, it sure was nice when Matt lost. ---
**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:** [February 21, 2026, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/204 "2026-02-21T21:40:43Z")
I’m just glad that their string of tournaments is over. They used to just have the Tournament of Champions, but then they added the Masters Tournament, the Second Chance Tournament and the Invitational Tournament. (I wasn’t bothered by the College Tournament or the Seniors Tournament, though the Teen Tournament was a little much.) ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2026, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/205 "2026-02-21T22:31:13Z")
I really enjoyed the Invitational Tournament. I feel like the level of play was even more impressive than the ToC. In Friday’s game, Andrew He bet big on a DD, and answered “What is _The Bridge Over the River Kwai_?” Ken ruled him correct, and I was sure the judges were going to reverse the decision after the commercial break, because the title of the movie is _The Bridge **On** the River Kwai_. The clue was about the source novel, however, on which the preposition is indeed “Over.” I had no idea. _That’s_ how smart these people are. That bet won Andrew the tournament. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2026, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/206 "2026-02-21T22:46:18Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > How many of you are like me and so conditioned by decades of Jeopardy! that you automatically answer any trivia question _in the form of a question_? On the old Comedy Central game show _Win Ben Stein’s Money_, they used to make contestants wear a dunce cap if they answered in the form of a question. Which many of them did. ---
**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:** [February 21, 2026, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/207 "2026-02-21T22:52:22Z")
I also thought he was incorrect. ---
**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:** [February 21, 2026, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/208 "2026-02-21T23:01:36Z")
“Bradley Cooper managed to direct “Maestro” while spending hours each day in makeup to portray this conductor.” We really thought they should have asked for clarification, even without, but especially because, we thought Roger pronounced Leonard’s last name like Elmer’s. ---
**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:** [February 22, 2026, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/209 "2026-02-22T04:12:07Z")
I thought the same, looked it up afterward, and was also impressed. > [@Wheelz](#): > > In Friday’s game, Andrew He bet big on a DD, and answered “What is _The Bridge Over the River Kwai_?” Ken ruled him correct, and I was sure the judges were going to reverse the decision after the commercial break, because the title of the movie is _The Bridge **On** the River Kwai_. > The clue was about the source novel, however, on which the preposition is indeed “Over.” I had no idea. _That’s_ how smart these people are. > That bet won Andrew the tournament. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2026, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/210 "2026-02-24T04:38:45Z")
There was something I haven’t seen before, at least that I remember. Someone got a DD _what is the brightest star_, and he was ruled correct with _Canus Major_. But after the break Ken ruled that Canus Major was the constellation, the star is Sirius. Then Ken said that he should have asked for clarification, so they took away the money won, but didn’t deduct for having a wrong response. That was generous of them. (At least he didn’t answer _Polaris_ like one of the other contestants did). Has that happened before? ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2026, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/211 "2026-02-24T11:26:02Z")
> [@JohnGalt](#): > > Has that happened before? I saw the same thing and, like you, I cannot recall that ever happening before. ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2026, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/212 "2026-02-24T14:00:03Z")
A surprisingly big goof by Ken and the Judges, mixing up a constellation and a star. I say Judges because their job is to catch these before the score is updated and the game moves on to the next question. If they had caught it, we would have seen an edit and a re-take of Ken’s response. ---
**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:** [February 24, 2026, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/213 "2026-02-24T14:25:30Z")
Well, the star’s name is alpha canis major. It’s not like he was wrong, just incomplete. And if we’re splitting technical hairs, it’s actually Sirius A. ---
**Author:** ![gregorio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/fbc32d/32.png) [@gregorio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gregorio)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2026, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/214 "2026-02-24T14:57:00Z")
Well now Ken owes us $1600. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2026, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/215 "2026-02-24T15:08:54Z")
Purely my impression, but I’ve noticed a few years ago Ken would just be quiet when he wanted the player to clarify/be more specific, so they’d have to figure out to amend their answer. Now he asks. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2026, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/216 "2026-02-25T12:53:15Z")
Anyone else surprised they accepted “psych evaluation” instead of making him expand both words? ---
**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:** [February 25, 2026, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/217 "2026-02-25T13:23:54Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > Anyone else surprised Yup! Especially after “canis major”. They seem to have become totally arbitrary in what they accept and what requires clarification. Did they hire ex-NBA refs to be the judges? ---
**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:** [March 9, 2026, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/218 "2026-03-09T15:20:49Z")
Pronunciations is hard! Or, I am a reader! Most recent new episode, the question was “What is Wannsee?”\* I said “One see”, but Ken said something akin to VAHN zee mit un akzent, and I’m like, “what? What did he say? Oh, That’s how it’s pronounced!” TIL. \*triple stumper. I may not be able to _say_ it, but at least I _know_ it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2026, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/219 "2026-03-09T15:26:26Z")
Yeah, I think there was a mention recently of George Sand, and Ken pronounced it George Sahnd. Well, who knew? Not I! ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2026, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/220 "2026-03-09T15:55:27Z")
W. E. B. Du Bois seems to be the one that most people screw up. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905.md?page=12)