# The Jeopardy thread \[was James Holzhauer\]\[contains spoilers\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** reality-or-game-show\ **Created:** [April 17, 2019, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696 "2019-04-17T21:53:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 103
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2021, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2041 "2021-04-28T18:47:54Z")
Interestingly, my wife had been saying all week that she didn’t like the guy. I asked what was it about him, and she couldn’t put her finger on it, except he had that “good ol’ boy” look. Now we know her “feminine intuition” was more accurate than we knew. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2021, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2042 "2021-04-28T18:53:04Z")
Unrelated, except that it happened in one of Donohue’s shows, was Jeopardy’s huge gaffe in presenting a clue to which a possible answer was “gypsies,” which is now a term that is considered offensive and inappropriate. ---
**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 28, 2021, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2043 "2021-04-28T19:32:24Z")
That evidence seems awfully weak, IMHO. He had flashed 1 & 2 the nights before to show his previous victories and the 3 hand symbol he did is at most similar to the white power one. To be specific, he folded his index finger & thumb against each other, not formed them into a circle. And he’s hardly a good-ol boy. He’s extremely stereotypical Boston Irish. Who lives in Winthrop MA, one of the bluest towns in one of the bluest state. I don’t see taking down his FB page any sort of sign of guilt either. Maybe it was just getting clobbered with crap from either/both sides that he didn’t want to deal with, so he took it down ---
**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:** [April 28, 2021, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2044 "2021-04-28T19:32:57Z")
I just thought the guy was kind of douchey. I’m not sure he’s a white supremacist douche though. I also hollered out “gypsies” because I couldn’t come up with “Roma”. I knew it wasn’t the right word, but since we were alone in the living room, I went for it. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2021, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2045 "2021-04-28T21:05:51Z")
On the Jeopardy Contestants FB group, people argued that if he really hadn’t intended it to be a white power sign, he would have been apologizing profusely, claiming he had no idea, etc. I don’t know if this screen grab will be visible to everyone, because the link is from a private FB group. [https://scontent.fatl1-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/180074902\_10102362851872777\_7796216057894989171\_n.jpg?\_nc\_cat=104&ccb=1-3&\_nc\_sid=dbeb18&\_nc\_ohc=d26eckzKveMAX-aa-Z1&\_nc\_ht=scontent.fatl1-2.fna&oh=5d80f908b24f970b4950e09fd7bccf80&oe=60ADE0B6](https://scontent.fatl1-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/180074902_10102362851872777_7796216057894989171_n.jpg?_nc_cat=104&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=dbeb18&_nc_ohc=d26eckzKveMAX-aa-Z1&_nc_ht=scontent.fatl1-2.fna&oh=5d80f908b24f970b4950e09fd7bccf80&oe=60ADE0B6) ---
**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 28, 2021, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2046 "2021-04-28T21:22:21Z")
Or maybe he’s just a guy who can’t believe he’s being accused of being a white supremacist, and doesn’t care to engage beyond what he wrote. You don’t have to apologize profusely for something you didn’t actually do, IMHO. What he wrote in the screen grab seems perfectly valid to me. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2021, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2047 "2021-04-28T21:34:57Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > Or maybe he’s just a guy who can’t believe he’s being accused of being a white supremacist, and doesn’t care to engage beyond what he wrote. You don’t have to apologize profusely for something you didn’t actually do, Yeah, without more, I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. I didn’t now that gesture had racist overtones. It would have been better PR to apologize for any misunderstanding, but not everyone thinks like a public relations consultant. What he wrote was fine. ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2021, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2048 "2021-04-28T22:04:30Z")
He reminds me of the fat greasy cop who grills Bogart and Bacall in To Have and Have Not. But that’s not much evidence. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2021, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2049 "2021-04-29T03:24:25Z")
_ **MEL GIBSON???** _ [Body seems unclear, is it a complete sentence?] ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2021, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2050 "2021-04-29T03:29:30Z")
He must have been thinking of The Passion of the Christ. I did not understand those FJ wagers tonight at all. The two women seemed to just pick random numbers to wager. ---
**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 29, 2021, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2051 "2021-04-29T03:35:56Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > I did not understand those FJ wagers tonight at all. The two women seemed to just pick random numbers to wager. Totally agree. I have no idea why the eventual champion picked that number. But it was a damn good game today. The guy in the middle had $200 going into DJ. Ended up with $13800. ---
**Author:** ![AppallingGael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9bd4f/32.png) [@AppallingGael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AppallingGael)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2021, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2052 "2021-04-29T08:39:02Z")
It was a can’t-have-everything situation for all three players. Dana bet enough to win if she’s right and both leaders stand pat, while still winning whenever both leaders bet all (certainly a plausible scenario) and miss. Leah of course will lose if Hari bets all and converts. On the other hand, betting all and being right still might mean only a 50/50 tiebreaker. Meanwhile, her bet means she probably beats Hari if Hari misses, and she still beats Dana should Dana stand pat. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2021, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2053 "2021-04-29T14:35:01Z")
I don’t think Mel Gibson was such a ridiculous answer. If you’re a younger person, Cecil B. DeMille probably doesn’t spring readily to mind, and who else is making Bible-based movies these days? It was wrong, but I can understand how he got there. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2021, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2054 "2021-04-30T16:29:51Z")
Did Thursday’s returning champ, in the interesting anecdote segment, say she was locked out of her house without her pants on, or did I mishear? ---
**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:** [April 30, 2021, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2055 "2021-04-30T18:06:43Z")
Well, yes, but she was walking the dog. 🤷‍♀️ ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2021, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2056 "2021-05-01T08:52:07Z")
She didn’t say, however, whether she was wearing underpants. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2021, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2057 "2021-05-01T15:40:46Z")
AC wasn’t that interested in her implied partial nudity for some reason. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2021, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2058 "2021-05-07T04:55:05Z")
The May 6 show was quite the cluster, wasn’t it? I can’t remember such a mis-matched set of contestants since the Holzhauer days. Or a show with as many triple-stumpers: [22 of the 61 clues](https://www.j-archive.com/showgame.php?game_id=7017) in the game! And they missed EASY ones, too. “A simple majority in Congress can kill debate with a ‘motion to’ this, also a piece of furniture.” One player answered “filibuster,” and the other two had nothing. WTF?!? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2021, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2059 "2021-05-07T09:35:11Z")
Yeah, toward the end it was just me screaming at the tv. Glad the champ had another win. I’d like to see her against two REAL contestants. ---
**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:** [May 7, 2021, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2060 "2021-05-07T13:22:28Z")
One of the categories in the first round was “Air Demonstration Squadrons”; having gone to quite a few airshows in my youth, I would have completely and utterly crushed that. Of course, the one clue that didn’t get revealed when time ran out was from that category. That always annoys me a bit. It dawned on me while watching last night that, despite watching _Jeopardy!_ for decades, I don’t actually know how long the Double Jeopardy round is. The first round probably varies. If the contestants give long answers during the interview segment then there’s less time to play the remainder of the round. The second round goes straight through from beginning to end. Does anyone know what the time limit is? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696.md?page=102) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696.md?page=104)