Man where are they dredging up these dumb Jeoprady players these days?

Cafe Society
#1

Three contestants missed this final Jeopardy question? WTH? :eek:
The date along is a give away. What was a major civil rights event in 1957?

Or consider the Presidents who left office since 57? There’s only nine. Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush 1, Clinton, Bush 2. It’s highly likely it was one of the last three or four. The only Liberal is Clinton. What happened in Arkansas late 1950’s? uh a Civil Rights case? :wink:

Simple as pie. It would have been harder during the regular round because there’s no time to think about it. But they have a little time to think for the Final question.

Integration of Central High in Little Rock. A landmark civil rights case..


1957 Even led to the creation of A Natl. Historic Site
in This City, Signed into Law by a Pres.
Whose Library is now there too.

#2

That does raise the question.

Did they create a A Natl. Historic Site where Wallace stood in the door to block the black students at the Univ of Alabama?
I’ve never heard if they did or not. Just looked it up and that was in June 63. Six years after Central High.

#3

The clue just says “1957 event”, not that it had anything to do with civil rights.

#4

That date stands out so starkly that I instantly thought of civil rights.

We had the 101st Airborne in the Streets of Little Rock. You don’t forget that.

I was born a few years later but reading about it later really resonated with me. That was the second time the US sent troops into Little Rock. The first was during the civil war when Little Rock was occupied by the Union Army for several years. My next door neighbor used to go over to their old campsite metal detecting. Found a lot of stuff over the years. It’s near the old VA hospital in Little Rock.

#5

Would you be open to the possibility that it doesn’t stand out quite so starkly to those of us who aren’t from Little Rock?

#6

Perhaps. But it is one of the more important events in Civil Rights History. It’s at least in the top four. Brown v Board of Education being number 1. That set the legal precedent for school desegregation.

Hard to imagine three Jeopardy Contestants that unaware of civil rights history. They’re usually pretty smart and well educated people.

Anyhow, it’s pretty rare for all three contestants to blow a Jeopardy Final round question.

#7

Some people interpreted the question as saying that the President who made the historic site was contemporary to 1957. Maybe that threw them too.

I thought this would be about the third place bet. I bet (heh) that most contestants don’t even consider that aspect of the game, though.

#8

Ten. Eisenhower left office in 1961.

#9

Without looking it up, what year was Brown v. Board of Education?

I admit I didn’t know it, or the year of the desegregation of Central High. I tend to think of the landmark civil right dates as being mostly in the '60s.

Perspective counts for a lot. If the clue was about the 1962 World’s Fair that date would have jumped out at me instantly.

It’s not that rare for all three contestants to get it wrong. The rare part was that they all bet everything they had and there won’t be a returning champion.

#10

Yea, the question was a little hard to parse. It took me a few to figure out what was being asked.

Also, it was probably easier for people watching at home since we knew it aired on MLK day, and that in combo with the 1957 date suggest a civil rights related event. The actual show was presumably filmed a while ago, and the contestants probably would have had a harder time making the connection.

#11
  1. I didn’t look it up.

If the OP refers to yesterday’s episode of Jeopardy, the fact that it was MLK Day should have been a big hint to smart contestants.

#12

But do the contestants know when the show is scheduled to air?
I fairly quickly got to Civil Rights, but it took me a little longer than the allotted time to come up with Little Rock, just a smidge (Alex hadn’t started revealing the contestant’s guesses). It shouldn’t have taken me that - except that I briefly thought of Atlanta and my thought process digressed into what it could have been here instead of dismissing that thought because I knew it wasn’t right.

#13

Good point. Some Dopers have been contestants and would know. My understanding is that they film all five shows on one day. I’m guessing the contestants would be told when they would air, so they can get friends and family to watch.

#14

Some things you know or you don’t. Yes, it’s a big deal, but it happened before any of the contestants were born. And yes, it could be deduced, but it’s tough to do that in less than 30 seconds under the stress of the game.

But I truly don’t understand how all three of them didn’t think to hold a little money back, instead of betting it all. IIRC there have been many games won with $100 or less. You would think anyone interested enough in the game to take the test would have figured that out long ago.

#15

That was an unusual game, I thought. but OP, I think playing Jeopardy! is much more difficult than it looks. And sometimes you just blank.

#16

I thought that question was ungodly easy. Presidential Library in a state capital in the South with a major event 3 years after Brown. Little Rock is the obvious answer. Last night it took me about 3 seconds to figure it out.

What made this group dumb is that the 3rd place contestant didn’t wager all but a buck. The other two had to guard against each other, but she was out of it even if she got it right. So hedge, dammit!

#17

Ah, yet another “I’m amazed that nobody got the final jeopardy that I knew.” Not long ago, it was a guy who was miffed that nobody got the Terry Pratchett question. I figured it was civil rights related, but couldn’t come up with Little Rock.

As for betting, why did third place wager any money? Her only chance was that the other two got it wrong and bet everything. That both would bet everything was very likely, as they were tied for the lead.

#18

I immediately thought of Eisenhower and wondered what else happened in '57 other than the start of the Space Age.

#19

Jeopardy! Rule No. 1: Always leave at least $1 when you’re betting in Final Jeopardy!

#20

When I thought of Eisenhower, I also thought of Abilene. Little Rock never even occurred to me.