# 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:** 149
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2021, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2964 "2021-10-08T00:20:30Z")
But wasn’t it Matt who guessed “Snape?” ---
**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:** [October 8, 2021, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2965 "2021-10-08T00:22:52Z")
He must not have been paying attention and was thrown off by the other contestant’s response. Not a good turn of events! 🤨 ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2021, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2966 "2021-10-08T00:25:05Z")
Matt guessed Snape first, so it wasn’t that crazy for the other contestant to guess Harry Potter. She probably figured Matt was on the right track. Not bad logic. But this shows the danger sometimes of starting with the tough clues first. Maybe the easier clues would’ve shown the theme of the category? ---
**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:** [October 8, 2021, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2967 "2021-10-08T00:29:41Z")
Are you sure he responded first? I would have to watch the episode again to be certain, but I think she did. That would make it even worse, since “Ministry of Truth” is a dead giveaway that the work in question was _ **1984** _. In that case, he must have _really_ been tired! 😔 ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2021, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2968 "2021-10-08T00:30:38Z")
I’m fairly certain Matt guessed first. I remember being surprised he missed a question. ---
**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:** [October 8, 2021, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2969 "2021-10-08T00:32:04Z")
… Especially so egregiously. Either way, _not_ a good turn of events. ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2021, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2970 "2021-10-08T00:34:10Z")
Yeah, I just watched and Matt guessed first. ---
**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:** [October 8, 2021, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2972 "2021-10-08T00:40:43Z")
Ew! 😖 Maybe he heard only “Ministry” and substituted “Magic” for “Truth.” Let’s send him an e-mail and ask him! 😁 ---
**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:** [October 8, 2021, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2973 "2021-10-08T02:53:24Z")
I have sailed around Long Island. Definitely an island, I don’t care what any court thinks it is. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2021, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2974 "2021-10-08T03:12:31Z")
Matt’s “Marley” answer was a wild swing for Scrooge. 😉 Matt’s feeling the pressure. ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2021, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2975 "2021-10-08T03:35:04Z")
But have you sailed around Coney Island? ---
**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:** [October 8, 2021, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2976 "2021-10-08T04:22:16Z")
Or Rhode Island? ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2021, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2977 "2021-10-08T05:27:29Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Matt’s feeling the pressure. He won so easily the other two contestants might as well have not been there. Some pressure. ---
**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:** [October 8, 2021, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2978 "2021-10-08T06:06:22Z")
Yeah, but to blow such easy topics as _ **1984** _ and _ **A Christmas Carol** _?!? 😮 Those aren’t exactly obscure works of literature! ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2021, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2979 "2021-10-08T06:11:42Z")
> [@K364](#): > > But have you sailed around Coney Island? I’ve sailed “around” it. Caught some of their famous whitefish. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2021, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2980 "2021-10-08T08:51:24Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Matt’s feeling the pressure. That’s my feeling. He was clearly unsure about a few things in last night’s game, and it showed. His “Snape” response was surprising. The middle guy was cool and confident, and that may have made Matt unsure as well–Middle Contestant knew he’d likely lose to Matt, but he played the game well, cooly and confidently. A few more contestants like that, and Matt may make an error that he cannot recover from. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2021, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2981 "2021-10-08T14:09:46Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > That’s my feeling. He was clearly unsure about a few things in last night’s game, and it showed. See, I watch a game like that and come away thinking he could win two hundred games in a row. Last night he blew Tyler (the middle guy) out of the water; the game was totally out of reach early in Double Jeopardy. **That’s what happened in a game in which he was not at his best.** A $50,000 night in which he annihilated the opposition was the result of a game _in which you perceived him as not playing well._ It’s as if an NBA team was playing a series of games against college teams, and one night they win 176-50 and you said “wow, they didn’t play all that well, they missed a couple of easy shots in the third quarter.” That’s not a sign they’re going to lose the next game. It’s a sign they’re NOT going to lose the next game. ---
**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:** [October 8, 2021, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2982 "2021-10-08T15:00:47Z")
> [@Arcite](#): > > I’ve noticed Matt does, more than the average contestant, have a tendency to mispronounce foreign names and words, which is an indicator that a person picked them up through cursory, superficial reading and doesn’t necessarily actually know much about the subject. He proved that last night, and that he’s never been to Saint-Tropez. Now that’s he rich, perhaps he’ll plan a vacation on the French Riviera. ---
**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:** [October 8, 2021, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2983 "2021-10-08T15:13:12Z")
Maybe he’s just never bothered learning a foreign language, other than the two years of one required to get into most colleges. (At least that was the situation when I was in high school.) ---
**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:** [October 8, 2021, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2984 "2021-10-08T15:17:18Z")
I’m all for that. I actually picked a college based party on the fact there was no foreign language requirement for admission. But I know how to pronounce some foreign words (like Saint-Tropez) because I’ve heard them spoken, not because I tried and failed to learn French. Side note: I think he knows Latin. He seemed to get one the Latin questions by figuring it out rather than recalling it from memory. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696.md?page=148) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696.md?page=150)