# 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:** 19
**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:** [April 21, 2026, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/361 "2026-04-21T18:09:47Z")
I got it too, at the last second. I remembered it from a Dan Jenkins novel. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2026, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/362 "2026-04-21T18:32:08Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Well, I think now he’s there to set records. I know his games against the rabble are boring, but I keep thinking about the Masters and Champion tournaments. They are going to be insanely good games. Personally, I don’t find Jamie’s personality boring, I think he’s very subtle and has a dry sense of humor, but he seems like a pretty good guy. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2026, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/363 "2026-04-21T22:18:49Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > I knew the answer to FJ yesterday, and it was a triple-stumper. > > I really don’t have any idea where I learned that name. Perhaps high school German class? If you’re familiar with Cole Porter, that could be the source. He used the name of the mountain in the song “Wunderbar” which appears in _Kiss Me, Kate_. (That’s what I thought of.) ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2026, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/364 "2026-04-21T23:58:38Z")
At least the games are getting closer lately. But it’s astonishing how Jamie’s opponents can never get DD correct. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2026, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/365 "2026-04-22T13:09:43Z")
Yesterday’s was close, Jamie was in second place at final jeopardy. ---
**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:** [April 22, 2026, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/366 "2026-04-22T13:14:59Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > Jamie was in second place at final jeopardy. To which game/date are you referring? ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2026, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/367 "2026-04-22T13:28:49Z")
Yesterday’s, April 21st. ETA: or did he fall into second after the other player got final correct? ---
**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:** [April 22, 2026, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/368 "2026-04-22T13:28:52Z")
In yesterdays game (the one with Max Ernst) it seemed that Jamie wasn’t nearly as quick on the button as in previous games - that’s been his strength, buzzing in before anyone else could. I can’t believe he didn’t know the answers to the ones he got beat on, so I wonder if fatigue has been setting in - if j-archive is correct he’s now on his 4th day in a row of taping, with 5 games in each of the 3 previous days (Feb 23, 24, 25, 26) ---
**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:** [April 22, 2026, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/369 "2026-04-22T13:30:27Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > Yesterday’s, April 21st. ETA: or did he fall into second after the other player got final correct Yeah, he was briefly in second because it wasn’t a runaway. ---
**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:** [April 22, 2026, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/370 "2026-04-22T13:34:40Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > he was briefly in second because it wasn’t a runaway Correct. He led going into FJ, then was in second until his FJ answer was revealed. Closest game in quite some time. The middle contestant was a decent player, but she got derailed twice by DDs. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2026, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/371 "2026-04-22T13:45:41Z")
The taping schedule is absolutely brutal. I imagine that by the fifth episode of the day, you must be just exhausted and then you have to come back and do it again. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2026, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/372 "2026-04-22T14:46:33Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > I wonder if fatigue has been setting in - if j-archive is correct he’s now on his 4th day in a row of taping, with 5 games in each of the 3 previous days (Feb 23, 24, 25, 26) I wonder what’s with that taping schedule. When I was on the show, back in 2018, they only taped on two days each week. I don’t know when, or why, they went to taping every day, but it would have to be exhausting. ---
**Author:** ![Steven\_Maven](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steven_maven/32/3272_2.png) [@Steven\_Maven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steven_Maven)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2026, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/373 "2026-04-22T15:04:28Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > > [@madmonk28](#): > > > > Jamie was in second place at final jeopardy. > > To which game/date are you referring? YES! Everyone please give an air date, not just “today.” ---
**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:** [April 22, 2026, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/374 "2026-04-22T15:16:33Z")
It looks like they took the week of Feb 16 off, due to President’s Day? The previous game before Feb 23 was the 12th, so maybe they did a double the following week to catch up. ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2026, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/375 "2026-04-23T14:50:16Z")
On the 4/22 episode one of the non-Jamie contestants responded with “Who are the Wrights brother?” and was ruled correct. I thought the judges might overrule it because it _sounded_ so wrong, but then I realized he was probably correct as soon as he said “Who are the Wrights?” Right? ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2026, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/376 "2026-04-23T15:14:39Z")
Maybe Ken thought the contestant was calling him “brother.” ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2026, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/377 "2026-04-23T15:32:22Z")
I heard a slight pause after “Wrights.” It sounded to me like he had said “Who are the Wrights?”, and then when Ken didn’t respond one way or the other, added “Brother.” Ken may have been checking with the judges during that pause to determine if “the Wrights” was acceptable. ---
**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:** [April 23, 2026, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/378 "2026-04-23T16:04:55Z")
> [@Stephe96](#): > > non-Jamie contestants We call them NPCs. 🙂 [![](https://images.nintendolife.com/screenshots/46620/large.jpg) ](https://images.nintendolife.com/screenshots/46620/large.jpg) ---
**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:** [April 23, 2026, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/379 "2026-04-23T16:21:24Z")
Looking at the [Leaderboard of Legends](https://www.jeopardy.com/track/leaderboard-of-legends), he’s at number five for both consecutive games won and highest regular season winnings. James Holzhauer is at number four for consecutive games won at 32, so Jamie Ding is close to exceeding that at 29 games but Amy Schneider is at 1.382 million for regular season winnings, so Jamie has a lot further to go to move up in that category. And I’d like the single-game winnings list not to be all James Holzhauer for top ten. ---
**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:** [April 23, 2026, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/380 "2026-04-23T16:28:13Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > And I’d like the single-game winnings list not to be all James Holzhauer for top ten. No argument there, but that is really difficult. You have to both have a huge amount of money and a late round true (or nearly) DD and be willing and confident enough to bet big in FJ. Holzhauer was unique in his willingness to lose the game on a bad wager. He just seemed to never fail (until he did). We shall not look upon his like again. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905.md?page=18) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905.md?page=20)