# The (almost) tie tonight in Jeopardy **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 16, 2003, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-almost-tie-tonight-in-jeopardy/148901 "2003-01-16T03:15:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![MSU\_1978](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@MSU\_1978](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MSU_1978)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-almost-tie-tonight-in-jeopardy/148901/21 "2003-01-16T16:41:26Z")
Point made. By the way, I believe this is a syndicated show and it’s Merv Griffin who has to fork it over. I always thought the rule that the runners up don’t keep the cash was unfair. The guy who finishes second with $20,000 deserves more than the guy who finishes second with $5,000. So to correct their unfair rules, I would play the game to allow for a tie. If I’m wrong to call that sportsmanlike, fine. It may not be more sportsmanlike, but my way is nicer. ---
**Author:** ![muttrox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a8b319/32.png) [@muttrox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muttrox)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-almost-tie-tonight-in-jeopardy/148901/22 "2003-01-16T16:45:41Z")
“If I’m wrong to call that sportsmanlike, fine. It may not be more sportsmanlike, but my way is nicer.” Exactly. We’d all agree with that. (Except it’s not nicer to Merv or whoever…) Re: runner ups getting nothing – that’s just the rules. The rules are what they are, I don’t see how they can be considered fair or unfair. Note that it would be a completely differnet game if you got to keep the money. If I was in second, I wouldn’t bet most of the time. I’d rather keep my sure $20,000 than take a chance on losing it all. (P.S. What about they contestants who finish with less than zero dollars? Would they have to pony up the money? Now that would be great TV!) ---
**Author:** ![malaka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecc23a/32.png) [@malaka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malaka)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-almost-tie-tonight-in-jeopardy/148901/23 "2003-01-16T16:46:50Z")
I’m pretty sure Jeopardy is syndicated and can appear on any station. Anyway, I met Alex Trebek in Columbus several months ago. Amiable guy. ---
**Author:** ![malaka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecc23a/32.png) [@malaka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malaka)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-almost-tie-tonight-in-jeopardy/148901/24 "2003-01-16T16:47:52Z")
Whoops. yeah, its syndicated, but KingWorld is a division of CBS enterprises. [http://www.kingworld.com/program-jeopardy.htm](http://www.kingworld.com/program-jeopardy.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-almost-tie-tonight-in-jeopardy/148901/25 "2003-01-16T16:48:47Z")
I have not seen Jeopardy! recently (since Alex shaved his mustache, which is about the same time my local station changed the time slot) but I recall several instances where there was a tie and one player was playing for their fifth win and there was no issue. The one guy gets the to be a five time champ and the other guy gets to come back tomorrow. I also recall seeing a show where there was a 3-way tie going into Final Jeopardy!, and the show ended in a 2-way tie, would have been a 3-way if #3 hadn’t missed the question (answer?). I believe a 3-way tie at the end of the show would have been a first. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-almost-tie-tonight-in-jeopardy/148901/26 "2003-01-16T16:55:07Z")
**MSU** Not to beat a dead horse but: Suppose we go into the final round and the scores MSU 10,000 Zebra 9,900 and X-Ray 9,800 How much do you bet? ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-almost-tie-tonight-in-jeopardy/148901/27 "2003-01-16T17:06:20Z")
If everyone is that close, doesn’t it make sense to just bet it all regardless of your place? Show some guts! If not, I suppose MSU should beat 9801, so his/her total would be 19801 and would beat out Zebra’s max of 19800. ---
**Author:** ![MSU\_1978](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@MSU\_1978](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MSU_1978)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-almost-tie-tonight-in-jeopardy/148901/28 "2003-01-16T17:19:05Z")
Zebra, in that case I’d bet $9800. Let you tie me if he can. Too bad for xray, unless we both blow it. He should wager nothing, in case we both miss. ---
**Author:** ![buzzz\_kill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/439d5e/32.png) [@buzzz\_kill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buzzz_kill)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-almost-tie-tonight-in-jeopardy/148901/29 "2003-01-16T20:23:55Z")
# What a bunch of whissies! Half Wimps / Half Pussies! X-ray vision is 100% absolutely correct! You play to win no matter what the circumstances are! Please don’t pass on your inferior sets of genes! If you do plan on reproducing, then please move to Iraq! ---
**Author:** ![buzzz\_kill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/439d5e/32.png) [@buzzz\_kill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buzzz_kill)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-almost-tie-tonight-in-jeopardy/148901/30 "2003-01-16T20:34:38Z")
**Fact:** The contestants on Jeopardy aren’t as smart as they seem to be! Prior to playing the game, each contestant is given a predetermined amount of time to go over the list of questions and answers! ============ Reflexes are what are really being tested on this silly show! **Believe it or cop a squat!** ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-almost-tie-tonight-in-jeopardy/148901/31 "2003-01-16T20:42:55Z")
I skimmed through a book that was on a friend’s coffee table years ago, and I remember reading the contestants are given the answers before the show, not the questions. ---
**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-almost-tie-tonight-in-jeopardy/148901/32 "2003-01-16T20:46:24Z")
Sounds like hogwash to me, but we have several Jeopardy champs on the boards who should be able to clarify this. **5 time champ**? **The Man Who**? Where are you? Zev Steinhardt ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-almost-tie-tonight-in-jeopardy/148901/33 "2003-01-16T21:04:36Z")
There are over a [dozen](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=149900&highlight=Jeopardy) SDMB members who are better equiped to counter Buzzz\_kill’s claim. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-almost-tie-tonight-in-jeopardy/148901/34 "2003-01-16T21:27:55Z")
…or my memory could be playing tricks on me. According to [this](http://www.maturin.org/wanyden/jeopardy3.html) the contestants aren’t even given the categories. ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-almost-tie-tonight-in-jeopardy/148901/35 "2003-01-17T01:47:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by buzzz\_kill \* > \*\* **Believe it or cop a squat!** \*\* 1. Along with your immediate prior post, you are acting in a way not proper for GQ. In particular, given that you are in error, telling your fellow members to “Believe it or cop a squat!” is against our rules and makes you look almost impossibly stupid. 2. Those little equal signs you put in your posts? Don’t put in more than about 10 in a row to prevent screen-scrolling. Thank you for your cooperation in both these matters. ---
**Author:** ![richardb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/96bed5/32.png) [@richardb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/richardb)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-almost-tie-tonight-in-jeopardy/148901/36 "2003-01-17T03:17:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by buzzz\_kill \* > \*\ ***Fact:** > The contestants on Jeopardy aren’t as smart as they seem to be! > Prior to playing the game, each contestant is given a predetermined amount of time to go over the list of questions and answers! > ============ Reflexes are what are really being tested on this silly show! > **Believe it or cop a squat!** \*\* It’s probably silly for me to actually “dignify” this statement by responding, but on the chance that you somehow really believe this nonsense, I’ll provide some first hand testimony. I was on the show in 1984 (the second week the current version of the show taped) and my friend was on the first week. Neither of us were given any questions or answers in advance, and as **x-ray vision** pointed out, we were not even given the categories. Lest you think the procedures dramatically changed after the first two weeks of taping, several years later another friend of mine went on the show (I had agreed to help prepare him to get on the show and help him prepare for the game as a “coach” in return for 10% of his winnings). I don’t remember the exact year at the moment, but it was somewhere around 1990. He went on to become a 5 time undefeated champion, winning over $80,000. He was **NEVER** given any of the questions or answers or categories or anything else other that the rules ahead of time. Ever. That being said, **buzzz\_kill** does make an appropriate and correct point: > [@](#): > > Reflexes are what are really being tested on this silly show! I may not agree that it is a “silly” show, but that aside reflexes are certainly what are being tested. Of course, that does not mean that **buzzz\_kill** ’s assumption is correct, that “The contestants on Jeopardy aren’t as smart as they seem to be!”. On the contrary, the opposite is true: The contestants are ALL very smart, and most contestants know MOST of the answers! When they all know many of the answers, the one who gets to buzz in first is the one who gets the points! While we were “training” my friend by playing at-home Jeopardy! games and such, our catch-phrase soon became “The Buzzer Is GOD” because it is not enough to know the right answer, you have to be able to buzz in first if you are to win. ---
**Author:** ![missbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-almost-tie-tonight-in-jeopardy/148901/37 "2003-01-17T16:42:17Z")
I also know someone who has been on Jeopardy and they are NOT given the questions, answers, categories, or anything else prior to the show. I am not sure from where the people who believe this are getting their information, but it is incorrect. ---
**Author:** ![buzzz\_kill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/439d5e/32.png) [@buzzz\_kill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buzzz_kill)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-almost-tie-tonight-in-jeopardy/148901/38 "2003-01-17T23:12:30Z")
They lied to you!! A freind of my uncles bosses cousin told my friend Billy, so there!! I absolutly get off on pissing you dorks off!! Ha Ha!! ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-almost-tie-tonight-in-jeopardy/148901/39 "2003-01-18T05:22:54Z")
This is like seeing a car crash right as it happens … ---
**Author:** ![richardb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/96bed5/32.png) [@richardb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/richardb)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-almost-tie-tonight-in-jeopardy/148901/40 "2003-01-18T10:35:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by buzzz\_kill \* > \*\*I absolutly get off on pissing you dorks off!! > Ha Ha!! \*\* Those dang kids… Why I oughta… I’ll take “Dorks” for $500, Alex! (Actually, if I could remember the name of the bully kid in The Simpsons and his trademark “Ha Ha” line, I might be able to make a funny reference to **buzzz\_kill** ’s line, but since I can’t (and because I am way too lazy to look it up) I’ll just stick with my lame attempts at humor above.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-almost-tie-tonight-in-jeopardy/148901.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-almost-tie-tonight-in-jeopardy/148901.md?page=3)