# 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:** 122
**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:** [July 30, 2021, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2423 "2021-07-30T21:00:43Z")
There’s never been a buzzer for regular questions. There are lights on the podium that count down the time remaining. If necessary, the judges rule whether the response was given in time. (The visible countdown lights were present at least by 1991, when I played.) There’s a buzzer for DJ clues, operated manually by the host, not on a timer. ---
**Author:** ![Twoflower](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/twoflower/32/22_2.png) [@Twoflower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Twoflower)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2021, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2424 "2021-07-30T22:01:47Z")
I wondered if I was imagining the existence of a buzzer. I guess I was giving the guest host the benefit of the doubt; he was clumsy enough handling the timing that it felt like something was missing. ---
**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:** [July 30, 2021, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2425 "2021-07-30T23:54:00Z")
> [@mjmartin](#): > > Is it just me, or does Burton get too excited when a contestant that is behind gets an answer right? Its more of a “YES!” than a “yes,” like a teacher that is surprised that the dunce student gets a correct answer. This feature of Burton’s performance isn’t working for me, either. To me it comes across as not only inauthentic, but rather insulting, too. I’m torn between that and Amodio’s “WHAT’S” responses as to which is more irritating. I’d also love to see a statistical analysis of Amodio’s success in getting Daily Doubles, as compared with other strong players. In today’s show there was nothing unusual to note, but on many of his other winning days he’s found them more quickly than I’ve ever seen anyone find them (even accounting for his dominance of the board). No, I’m not theorizing that there’s been cheating, but I DO suspect his results are statistically unlikely in comparison with the performance of other strong players. ---
**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:** [July 31, 2021, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2426 "2021-07-31T03:46:45Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > He’s getting weak opponents because the pool of candidates is weak. But he came from the same pool… ---
**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:** [July 31, 2021, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2427 "2021-07-31T04:24:30Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > I’d also love to see a statistical analysis of Amodio’s success in getting Daily Doubles, as compared with other strong players. In today’s show there was nothing unusual to note, but on many of his other winning days he’s found them more quickly than I’ve ever seen anyone find them (even accounting for his dominance of the board). > > No, I’m not theorizing that there’s been cheating, but I DO suspect his results are statistically unlikely in comparison with the performance of other strong players. He’s hunting for DDs, as many other players do. As shown [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/dataisbeautiful/comments/k08idu/jeopardy_daily_double_heatmap_oc/), the distribution of DDs is not random. They are much more likely to appear on the fourth row, and almost never show up in the first row. He obviously knows this, but so do most other savvy players these days. I think this plus his dominance of the board explains it sufficiently. But if you’d like to do the analysis, all the data are at [j-archive.com](http://j-archive.com). ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2021, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2428 "2021-07-31T04:50:13Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > > [@terentii](#): > > > > He’s getting weak opponents because the pool of candidates is weak. > > But he came from the same pool… He’s also a statistical anomaly. In any large pool of candidates, there has to be an outlier (i.e., one who’s better than the others). ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2021, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2429 "2021-07-31T14:40:23Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Except for his insistence on phrasing EVERY response with “What’s—.” I’m starting to hope that at the end of Friday’s episode, they announce that they’re canceling the show rather than let him do that any more. > > 🤬 > > I also hope that Yale refuses to accept his doctoral dissertation, and cancels the doctoral program for whatever field he’s pursuing. Jeez, tell us how you _really_ feel. I’ve gotten used to his “what’s” phrasing, actually. My feeling is that Matt is on the spectrum in some way. Possibly while preparing for the show, phrasing as a question was giving him trouble, so he developed the habit of simply saying “what’s” before answering, allowing him to focus on his response and not the phrasing of it. Pretty clever, actually. If the producers don’t like it (though I doubt they have a problem in this case) they should drop the whole “answer in the form of a question” gimmick altogether. ---
**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:** [July 31, 2021, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2430 "2021-07-31T14:58:57Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > I’d also love to see a statistical analysis of Amodio’s success in getting Daily Doubles, as compared with other strong players. In today’s show there was nothing unusual to note, but on many of his other winning days he’s found them more quickly than I’ve ever seen anyone find them (even accounting for his dominance of the board). > > No, I’m not theorizing that there’s been cheating, but I DO suspect his results are statistically unlikely in comparison with the performance of other strong players. Just curious, did you watch Holzhauer’s run? IIRC, he found the Daily Doubles way more often than his opponents. That will happen when one player correctly answers the majority of questions. ---
**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:** [July 31, 2021, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2431 "2021-07-31T16:41:02Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > I’d also love to see a statistical analysis of Amodio’s success in getting Daily Doubles, as compared with other strong players. In today’s show there was nothing unusual to note, but on many of his other winning days he’s found them more quickly than I’ve ever seen anyone find them (even accounting for his dominance of the board). > > No, I’m not theorizing that there’s been cheating, but I DO suspect his results are statistically unlikely in comparison with the performance of other strong players There’s no conspiracy here. If you answer many more questions than other contestants and start with the higher values clues, you’ll likely find most of the Daily Doubles. It’s as simple as that. James would also usually find most of them as well, that’s how he got such high totals. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2021, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2432 "2021-07-31T17:42:45Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > Yeah, I noticed that in his first show. It’s very annoying. I have this idea that he’s just > I wonder, has anyone in the history of Jeopardy! ever approached this by using something like “when” or “why”? It would be annoying, but I guess permissible? _In 1215, this document was signed at Runnymeade by King John._ _Is it the Magna Carta?_ Wonder how _that_ would fly… ---
**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:** [July 31, 2021, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2433 "2021-07-31T17:54:02Z")
I _think_ that sort of phrasing has worked in the past. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2021, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2434 "2021-07-31T18:12:50Z")
Sometimes contestants get by with just inflecting their response: “Magna Carta?” No interrogative, no verb. I’m always surprised when that happens. ---
**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:** [July 31, 2021, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2435 "2021-07-31T20:54:05Z")
I always find it interesting when the correct response is already a question, but the contestants still preface their response with “what is…” “This 1966 film earned Academy Awards for Elizabeth Taylor and Sandy Dennis.” ---
**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:** [July 31, 2021, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2436 "2021-07-31T21:32:09Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > “This 1966 film earned Academy Awards for Elizabeth Taylor and Sandy Dennis.” So if a contestant answers this with “Who’s afraid of Virginia Woolf?” You think that would be accepted as a correct answer? ---
**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:** [July 31, 2021, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2437 "2021-07-31T21:39:02Z")
Yes I think it would. ---
**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:** [July 31, 2021, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2438 "2021-07-31T21:50:35Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > You think that would be accepted as a correct answer? I’ve seen that sort of thing happen, although I can’t remember any specific examples. Alex would sometimes mention that it was phrased as a question. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2021, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2439 "2021-07-31T22:18:09Z")
Hypothetical scenario: CLUE: “This band recorded the rock opera _Tommy_” CONTESTANT: “Who?” Acceptable? ---
**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:** [July 31, 2021, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2440 "2021-07-31T22:44:52Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > Hypothetical scenario: > CLUE: “This band recorded the rock opera _Tommy_ ” > CONTESTANT: “Who?” Very funny! Building on your concept (if it’s the first round) HOST: Who what? CONTESTANT: Who’s Who? ---
**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:** [July 31, 2021, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2441 "2021-07-31T22:56:22Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I’ve seen that sort of thing happen, although I can’t remember any specific examples. Alex would sometimes mention that it was phrased as a question. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen this happen, but I will certainly be watching for it in the future! ---
**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:** [July 31, 2021, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2442 "2021-07-31T23:32:36Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > Just curious, did you watch Holzhauer’s run? IIRC, he found the Daily Doubles way more often than his opponents. That will happen when one player correctly answers the majority of questions. I didn’t say Amodio is finding the Daily Doubles “way more often.” I said it appeared to me that he is finding them more _quickly_. Obviously a dominating player is going to have more opportunities to find DDs and thus will find them more often. But that’s an entirely separate thing from how _quickly_ that player hits on a DD —especially as compared with other dominating players (which is what I was discussing). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696.md?page=121) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696.md?page=123)