# Merv Griffin announces that something "amazing" is going to happen... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 18, 2004, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/merv-griffin-announces-that-something-amazing-is-going-to-happen/245842 "2004-05-18T20:42:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 18
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2004, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/merv-griffin-announces-that-something-amazing-is-going-to-happen/245842/341 "2004-07-17T00:06:17Z")
This actually got me to watch Jeopardy again (at least once). I used to watch it with my Dad years ago, and after he died I still don’t feel quite comfortable watching it. But I had to see this guy. And damn, what a smackdown. It was ridiculous how much this guy knows. (I won’t say which episode, so it’s not a spoiler.) But this might be: How many adult men know the name of the 2nd Nancy Drew book? How the fuck? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2004, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/merv-griffin-announces-that-something-amazing-is-going-to-happen/245842/342 "2004-07-17T00:09:17Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > How many adult men know the name of the 2nd Nancy Drew book? How the fuck? Related Simpsons quote: There was a bit where Lisa found the unpublished Nancy Drew book, “The Case of the Clue in the Clock”. Lisa: “So many swears.” ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2004, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/merv-griffin-announces-that-something-amazing-is-going-to-happen/245842/343 "2004-07-17T04:09:07Z")
Yesterday Alex said something about Ken not having the Jeopardy total winnings record. Is that right? How would that be possible? I figure maybe some guy cleaned up in the Tournament of Champions… either way, Ken will pass him with another win or two. ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2004, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/merv-griffin-announces-that-something-amazing-is-going-to-happen/245842/344 "2004-07-17T04:12:50Z")
> [@](#): > > Yesterday Alex said something about Ken not having the Jeopardy total winnings record. Is that right? How would that be possible? I figure maybe some guy cleaned up in the Tournament of Champions… either way, Ken will pass him with another win or two. Wasn’t there a tournament a whlie back where the winner received 1 million? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2004, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/merv-griffin-announces-that-something-amazing-is-going-to-happen/245842/345 "2004-07-17T04:18:59Z")
Alex wasn’t exactly sure what the figure was, but he said it was something like $1,135,000 or $1,155,000. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2004, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/merv-griffin-announces-that-something-amazing-is-going-to-happen/245842/346 "2004-07-17T04:40:04Z")
“So many swears”? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2004, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/merv-griffin-announces-that-something-amazing-is-going-to-happen/245842/347 "2004-07-17T04:42:31Z")
> [@Walloon](#): > > “So many swears”? 😕 'Twas a joke on The Simpsons, after all. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2004, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/merv-griffin-announces-that-something-amazing-is-going-to-happen/245842/348 "2004-07-17T09:58:35Z")
Not only did he know Nancy Drew; he said he _likes_ Nancy Drew. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2004, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/merv-griffin-announces-that-something-amazing-is-going-to-happen/245842/349 "2004-07-17T10:36:18Z")
By the way, props to BobLibDem for [his post](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=4875969&postcount=40) on page one of this thread when we all were still speculating: > [@BobLibDem](#): > > Maybe someone wins \> $1,000,000. Or gets the highest possible Jeopardy total. Actually, I was sort of hoping Wheel of Fortune would be the show and that the amazing thing would be a prize on the wheel marked “Vanna”. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2004, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/merv-griffin-announces-that-something-amazing-is-going-to-happen/245842/350 "2004-07-17T12:46:02Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > Related Simpsons quote: > > There was a bit where Lisa found the unpublished Nancy Drew book, “The Case of the Clue in the Clock”. > Lisa: “So many swears.” Which proves my theory: “Germans love David Hass…” Um, I mean my other theory, “There is no situation left on Earth that cannot trigger a reference to a Simpsons quote.” ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2004, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/merv-griffin-announces-that-something-amazing-is-going-to-happen/245842/351 "2004-07-17T12:56:18Z")
Ken Jennings ABC news’s “Person of the Week.” He should be. The amount of publicity he has brought to Jeopardy! is priceless. He seems to be a simple guy who has a broad range of interests; i.e. everything. A New Jersey woman won $4,000,000 on an Atlantic City slot machine called “Jeopardy!” And yes, the newscaster made a Ken Jennings reference in the story. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2004, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/merv-griffin-announces-that-something-amazing-is-going-to-happen/245842/352 "2004-07-17T13:11:08Z")
> [@Walloon](#): > > “So many swears”? 😕 In the episode, Lisa is holding the book and on the cover you see a piece of paper sticking out of the clock. Apparently, Nancy searched the whole house over only to find the clue in a very obvious place and was none too pleased. ---
**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 17, 2004, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/merv-griffin-announces-that-something-amazing-is-going-to-happen/245842/353 "2004-07-17T17:03:54Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > Which proves my theory: “Germans love David Hass…” Um, I mean my other theory, “There is no situation left on Earth that cannot trigger a reference to a Simpsons quote.” To complete this absurd circle, KenBrain will probably appear as a guest voice on The Simpsons now. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2004, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/merv-griffin-announces-that-something-amazing-is-going-to-happen/245842/354 "2004-07-17T17:19:02Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > By the way, props to BobLibDem for [his post](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=4875969&postcount=40) on page one of this thread when we all were still speculating: It really wasn’t me. My ouija board went to 1 and then wouldn’t get off the zeros. ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2004, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/merv-griffin-announces-that-something-amazing-is-going-to-happen/245842/355 "2004-07-17T17:47:19Z")
I haven’t seen Jeopardy in years, but it’d be amazing if Merv changed the rules and let all 3 players keep the money from their final total. People would bet more in final Jeopardy - Outcomes would be different. I’m surprised that a past contestant has never challenged the fact they ended up in 2nd place with $18,400 losing by $1 and left the show with some crappy consolation prize. I bet there could be a legal challenge: [There is a dollar sign in front of the score](http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.cpcug.org/user/somerset/jeopardy/endfj.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.cpcug.org/user/somerset/jeopardy/jeopardy.html&h=473&w=640&sz=52&tbnid=QGAioJQHx7MJ:&tbnh=99&tbnw=133&start=12&prev=/images%3Fq%3Djeopardy%2Bwinner%26svnum%3D100%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26safe%3Doff). Will we ever see a ‘30+Time Champ’ screen name on the boards some day? ---
**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 17, 2004, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/merv-griffin-announces-that-something-amazing-is-going-to-happen/245842/356 "2004-07-17T17:53:35Z")
> [@JohnBckWLD](#): > > Will we ever see a ‘30+Time Champ’ screen name on the boards some day? I hope not. His (assuming it’s Ken) post count would shoot to 1,000 in three days, and he would replace **Cecil** as The Master because he would claim to know more. Ken would then have to be banned for taking over. And every post would end with an annoyingly cheery 🙂 . ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2004, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/merv-griffin-announces-that-something-amazing-is-going-to-happen/245842/357 "2004-07-17T18:32:13Z")
Maybe Ken is Cecil’s son. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2004, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/merv-griffin-announces-that-something-amazing-is-going-to-happen/245842/358 "2004-07-17T18:56:47Z")
> [@JohnBckWLD](#): > > I haven’t seen Jeopardy in years, but it’d be amazing if Merv changed the rules and let all 3 players keep the money from their final total. People would bet more in final Jeopardy Actually, they’d be more likely to bet less, if it ever leaves the realm of strategic betting. In fact, unless it’s a hotly contested game, I can guarantee you that there’d be a whole lot more bets of $0. As it is now, there’s no reason not to bet everything if you’re in third, or often in second - you get the same money whether you have $0 or $15,000 on the board, so why not bet everything and hope you can move ahead of the guy ahead of you? If, however, contestants keep their final totals (even if there’s a minimum prize), there’s no incentive for them to bet what has essentially become their own money, unless the totals are close enough that the betting is going to effect who wins, in which case their bets aren’t going to be any different, because it’s strategic. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2004, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/merv-griffin-announces-that-something-amazing-is-going-to-happen/245842/359 "2004-07-17T19:15:44Z")
> [@The Great Zamboni](#): > > > [@JohnBckWLD](#): > > > > Will we ever see a ‘30+Time Champ’ screen name on the boards some day? > > I hope not. His (assuming it’s Ken) post count would shoot to 1,000 in three days, and he would replace **Cecil** as The Master because he would claim to know more. Ken would then have to be banned for taking over. I thought he’s already here, under the name of **quod erat demonstrandum** or something. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2004, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/merv-griffin-announces-that-something-amazing-is-going-to-happen/245842/360 "2004-07-17T20:41:59Z")
> [@JohnBckWLD](#): > > I’m surprised that a past contestant has never challenged the fact they ended up in 2nd place with $18,400 losing by $1 and left the show with some crappy consolation prize. I bet there could be a legal challenge: [There is a dollar sign in front of the score](http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.cpcug.org/user/somerset/jeopardy/endfj.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.cpcug.org/user/somerset/jeopardy/jeopardy.html&h=473&w=640&sz=52&tbnid=QGAioJQHx7MJ:&tbnh=99&tbnw=133&start=12&prev=/images%3Fq%3Djeopardy%2Bwinner%26svnum%3D100%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26safe%3Doff). Ah, but don’t forget, the same symbol – the $ sign, an S with a vertical line through it – is also used for Canadian Dollars, Mexican Pesos, and probably several other forms of lesser-valued currency around the world. If he won the suit, he might only get 18,400 Turkish Lira. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/merv-griffin-announces-that-something-amazing-is-going-to-happen/245842.md?page=17) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/merv-griffin-announces-that-something-amazing-is-going-to-happen/245842.md?page=19)