# 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:** 60
**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:** [June 5, 2020, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1181 "2020-06-05T14:12:41Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > Today’s show was absolutely WILD. > > Maggie really impressed me… FYI, it’s Meggie, with an E. (My wife took a class with her last year.) Also, for the record… …she would have been up “only” $15,200, not $30,000, if she hadn’t gotten the DD wrong. She had $7,600 at the time, and bet it all. I, too, was surprised that none of them got FJ right. Like **terenti** , all it took for me was “1935” and “motorcycle accident.” I don’t know about the rest of you, but I usually find the little mime scenes some contestants do for their opening intro shot (all of them did one last night) contrived, cutesy, and annoying. > [@SlackerInc](#): > > [I’ve ranked over 1500 movies on Flickchart](https://www.flickchart.com/slackerinc), but I didn’t finish that one because I watched about 30 minutes’ worth and got bored of it. Good cinematography though! (I was watching on Blu-ray on a 70" 4K TV in a dark room.) Off-topic, but this is why movie theaters are here to stay. You obviously have a good home viewing setup, but I guarantee you that if you had seen it in 70mm film on a big screen in a good theater with an audience, you would have found it a completely different, and I dare say, more compelling, experience. It is a \*great \*film, but it \*has \*to be seen on a giant screen. As long as great filmmakers keep making films to be seen on big screens, no home theater is going to provide the same experience as a real theater. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2020, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1182 "2020-06-05T15:06:40Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Anyone who thinks today’s FJ was difficult can’t go to the movies much. There’s a whole discussion on r/Jeopardy about this. They do a daily poll about the FJ. A third of the users were completely confident and got it wrong. 2/3rds didn’t have a clue. There was very little “I guessed and got it right.” It’s something you either know or you don’t. I think among the “great” movies, it doesn’t have quite the same cultural status as the others like Casablanca or Gone with the Wind. It’s in a weird spot of being fairly old, but not THAT old. It’s never on TV, it’s never streaming, you really have to search for it. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2020, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1183 "2020-06-05T15:13:03Z")
“1935” and “motorcycle accident” isn’t doing anything for me. What was the clue (and, spoilered, the answer)? ---
**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:** [June 5, 2020, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1184 "2020-06-05T15:19:40Z")
“On this man’s death in a 1935 motorcycle accident, Churchill said, his ‘pace of life was faster & more intense than the ordinary.’” TE Lawrence, aka “Lawrence of Arabia.” ---
**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:** [June 5, 2020, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1185 "2020-06-05T15:25:44Z")
The category was “NOTABLE BRITS,” and the responses were “Chamberlain” (Will), “Astin-Martin” [_sic_] (Meggie), and “Davidson” (Ben). Surprising, to say the least! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2020, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1186 "2020-06-05T15:28:25Z")
Notable Brits “On this man’s death in a 1935 motorcycle accident, Churchill said, his “pace of life was faster and more intense than the ordinary” Who was Lawrence of Arabia? ---
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2020, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1187 "2020-06-05T15:29:31Z")
Ninja’d! ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2020, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1188 "2020-06-05T15:31:37Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > The category was “NOTABLE BRITS,” and the responses were “Chamberlain” (Will), “Astin-Martin” [_sic_] (Meggie), and “Davidson” (Ben). > > Surprising, to say the least! :eek: I guessed “Martin” thinking it had something to do with cars/racing. Chamberlain was an obviously wrong guess (and Will knew that), but frankly, a pretty good strategy for “British person talked about by Churchill” is to guess Chamberlain. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2020, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1189 "2020-06-05T17:08:01Z")
Yup, I wouldn’t have had any idea about that one. Best case, my reveal would have been > [@](#): > > Who is > … ? > $0 ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2020, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1190 "2020-06-05T18:21:19Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > I’ve never seen the whole movie either, but I sure know that opening scene. It’s very famous. > > I also read about Lawrence of Arabia when I was in fifth grade. So a little historical knowledge helps too. > > [https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51vQMJd3MBL.\_SX349\_BO1,204,203,200\_.jpg](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51vQMJd3MBL._SX349_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg) I had no idea for Final Jeopardy. _Lawrence of Arabia_ is one of those films I’ve heard a lot about, and feel like I should see, but I never have. It’s so long that you really have to make a commitment! The famous scene that I’m familiar with is not Lawrence’s motorcycle crash, it’s Omar Sharif appearing out of the desert. ---
**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:** [June 5, 2020, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1191 "2020-06-05T19:54:19Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > The famous scene that I’m familiar with is not Lawrence’s motorcycle crash, it’s Omar Sharif appearing out of the desert. My favorite scene is the one where Lawrence turns the Arabs loose on the wrecked Turkish train. I remember reading about the indicent in Jablonski’s book. ---
**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:** [June 5, 2020, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1192 "2020-06-05T20:08:06Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > There’s a whole discussion on r/Jeopardy about this. They do a daily poll about the FJ. A third of the users were completely confident and got it wrong. 2/3rds didn’t have a clue. There was very little “I guessed and got it right.” It’s something you either know or you don’t. > > I think among the “great” movies, it doesn’t have quite the same cultural status as the others like Casablanca or Gone with the Wind. It’s in a weird spot of being fairly old, but not THAT old. It’s never on TV, it’s never streaming, you really have to search for it. Interesting. What did the third who were confident but got it wrong think the answer was? I have seen the movie on television, but not all that often. Considering how many awards it won, I’m surprised it hasn’t been shown more. But yeah, committing to four hours (or more) on the small screen does take an effort. > **[Lawrence of Arabia (film)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_of_Arabia_(film))** > > Lawrence of Arabia is a 1962 epic biographical adventure drama film based on the life of T. E. Lawrence and his 1926 book Seven Pillars of Wisdom (also known as Revolt in the Desert). It was directed by David Lean and produced by Sam Spiegel through his British company Horizon Pictures and distributed by Columbia Pictures. The film stars Peter O'Toole as Lawrence with Alec Guinness playing Prince Faisal. The film also stars Jack Hawkins, Anthony Quinn, Omar Sharif, Anthony Quayle, Claude Rains... David Lean was one of the giants of the film industry at the time, but I get the feeling he’s kind of faded into the background now. Historical epics are also somewhat out of vogue, I think. ---
**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:** [June 5, 2020, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1193 "2020-06-05T20:14:12Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > “Chamberlain” really wasn’t a very good guess. And Arthur Davidson (I’m assuming that’s who Ben meant) wasn’t even British: [Arthur Davidson - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Davidson_)(motorcycling( ---
**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:** [June 5, 2020, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1194 "2020-06-05T20:26:19Z")
I smile at the mental image of “Good old Neville” racing around England on a Brough Superior. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2020, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1195 "2020-06-05T20:51:01Z")
I am not at all impressed by this crop of teachers. None of them has been very knowledgeable. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2020, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1196 "2020-06-05T21:45:55Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > I am not at all impressed by this crop of teachers. None of them has been very knowledgeable. Average Finals Coryat in the last 5 teacher’s tournaments: 2020: 14366.67 2019: 13933.33 2018: 12466.67 2017: 14600 2016: 12400 ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2020, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1197 "2020-06-05T21:47:13Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Interesting. What did the third who were confident but got it wrong think the answer was? Sorry, I meant a third were confident and got it right. As in, almost all the people who got it right were confident they knew the answer. Almost no guesses. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2020, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1198 "2020-06-05T23:04:29Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > I’ve never seen the whole movie either, but I sure know that opening scene. It’s very famous. Whoops, I guess I must have seen the motorcyle scene if it’s right at the beginning. I just hadn’t absorbed it. > [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > Average Finals Coryat in the last 5 teacher’s tournaments: > 2020: 14366.67 > 2019: 13933.33 > 2018: 12466.67 > 2017: 14600 > 2016: 12400 Nice cite. That confirms my sense that these teachers were pretty sharp overall. I think it’s just that they had some odd blind spots on questions that seemed easier than a lot of the ones they did know. Off-topic cinema discussion: [spoiler] > [@commasense](#): > > Off-topic, but this is why movie theaters are here to stay. You obviously have a good home viewing setup, but I guarantee you that if you had seen it in 70mm film on a big screen in a good theater with an audience, you would have found it a completely different, and I dare say, more compelling, experience. It is a \*great \*film, but it \*has \*to be seen on a giant screen. As long as great filmmakers keep making films to be seen on big screens, no home theater is going to provide the same experience as a real theater. I see lots of films in both ways, and I just don’t agree about “completely different experience”. It’s definitely a better experience in the theater, which is why I still go (along with being able to see it sooner), but not “completely different”. I’d say, having seen some films like the Blade Runner sequel and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood both in the theater and at home, the difference between the theater, and sitting close to my 70" 4K screen in a dark room with subwoofer and Dolby surround, is about equivalent to the difference between my newer TV and my older, 40" 1020p HD set. Not to mention, for a long movie, having to make calculations about whether to eat popcorn and then slake my thirst, vs. having to go to the bathroom and miss part of the movie (which I really hate to do).[/spoiler] ---
**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:** [June 5, 2020, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1199 "2020-06-05T23:16:29Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > And Arthur Davidson (I’m assuming that’s who Ben meant) wasn’t even British: This link works: > **[Arthur Davidson (motorcycling)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Davidson_(motorcycling))** > > Arthur Davidson Sr. (February 11, 1881 – December 30, 1950) was an American businessman. He was one of the four founders of Harley-Davidson. > Davidson was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to William C. Davidson (1846–1923), who was born and grew up in Angus, Scotland, and Margaret Adams McFarlane (1843–1933) of Scottish descent from the small Scottish settlement of Cambridge, Wisconsin; they raised five children together: Janet May, William A., Walter, Arthur and Elizabeth. Arthur's grandfather Alex... ---
**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:** [June 6, 2020, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1200 "2020-06-06T00:14:23Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > …I don’t know about the rest of you, but I usually find the little mime scenes some contestants do for their opening intro shot (all of them did one last night) contrived, cutesy, and annoying. I agree; the mugging does nothing for me. But I guess some people must like it. > [@commasense](#): > > It is a \*great \*film, but it \*has \*to be seen on a giant screen. … I’m going to disagree with you on this one, even though _L of A_ is an amazing sight on the big screen. Few could deny that the Super Panavision 70 was masterfully used on this one. But the movie’s screenplay (by Robert Bolt and Michael Wilson) is a classic. It is, in fact, extraordinary. The same goes for the score, to my ears. On television you get both stellar features----so a TV viewing can be very satisfying to those who love the movie’s dialogue and music. /end sidetrack [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696.md?page=59) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696.md?page=61)