# 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:** 68
**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:** [September 17, 2020, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1341 "2020-09-17T20:44:23Z")
Curse the TSA’s sudden but inevitable betrayal! ---
**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:** [September 17, 2020, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1342 "2020-09-17T20:48:26Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > She did get off to a fast start, and answered quite a few clues correctly. Ah, I missed the first few minutes of the show, so I guess I missed that. ---
**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:** [September 17, 2020, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1343 "2020-09-17T21:47:08Z")
She went 7-3 on the first round, and was in the lead going into Double Jeopardy. She went 5-4 in the second round, but in her misses were a $3k DJ clue and two $2ks , which is how she went negative. And honestly, she was no more talkative than a Tournament of Champions contestant usually is. She was positively austere compared to the typical Celebrity Jeopardy player. ---
**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:** [September 17, 2020, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1344 "2020-09-17T22:02:29Z")
It’s not how much she said, but the inanity of what she did say. ---
**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:** [September 18, 2020, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1345 "2020-09-18T01:14:05Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > You make me feel like a curmudgeon for chafing against it. But it just doesn’t fit the Jeopardy tone, IMO. And Jeopardy is above all a TV show, a piece of entertainment. As **kaylasdad** said upthread, it’s better suited for “Wheel”. (And her intellect, frankly, also seemed better suited for that competition.) This old grouch agrees with you. She was obnoxious. ---
**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:** [September 18, 2020, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1346 "2020-09-18T01:26:43Z")
“Horrified Onlooker”: story checks out! 😄 ---
**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:** [September 18, 2020, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1347 "2020-09-18T23:04:48Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > And honestly, she was no more talkative than a Tournament of Champions contestant usually is. She was positively austere compared to the typical Celebrity Jeopardy player. To me the issue wasn’t that she was chatty, but that she didn’t confine the chattiness to her own turns. She broke into other people’s turns to urge them to bet more, etc. The impression is of someone trying to take over the game (though I realize that wasn’t literally what she was doing). It’s sort of an “it’s all about ME” attitude. Cheerfulness and bubbliness are fine; but what she was doing is pretty annoying. ---
**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:** [September 18, 2020, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1348 "2020-09-18T23:08:59Z")
Good point, a fair distinction. We saw a little of that from James, but in much more judicious doses. Today, I was surprised that all three contestants were stumped (including one incorrect response) by the Gray Panthers “ageism” clue. I haven’t specifically heard about their agenda, but it just seemed like a very obvious extrapolation from their name. ---
**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:** [September 19, 2020, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1349 "2020-09-19T00:47:49Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > We saw a little of that from James, but in much more judicious doses. True, he did let loose a bit in the tournaments. (Not so sure that he did it in his first appearance, though, which might be a fairer comparison). ---
**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:** [September 19, 2020, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1350 "2020-09-19T00:48:21Z")
Agreed. ---
**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:** [September 19, 2020, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1351 "2020-09-19T02:57:10Z")
> [@N9IWP](#): > > (9/16) Kelly is too bubbly, but I love her dinosaur dress. > Brian > [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Fetch me my dart guy, boy; I think I can bring her down from here. > [@SlackerInc](#): > > LOL! She is/was\* a bit hard to take. Very small doses. My wife and I disagree with you guys. We thought she was a hoot, and a breath of fresh air among ordinary dull contestants. We were disappointed that she didn’t get to FJ much less win. We would have been happy to see more of her. ---
**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:** [September 19, 2020, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1352 "2020-09-19T04:42:58Z")
De gustibus! ---
**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:** [September 24, 2020, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1353 "2020-09-24T17:47:39Z")
Two weeks into the new season, and every contestant is from the greater LA area. Oh they try to hide it. Maybe people in the east coast don’t know where Simi Valley is, or can tell the difference between Montclair and Claremont. But they are all “LA”. Is there a national travel prohibition, do contestants not want to travel, or is it a show-specific choice? ---
**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:** [September 24, 2020, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1354 "2020-09-24T18:51:01Z")
I believe a great many people are unwilling to travel to California, and _ **Jeopardy!** _ wouldn’t want to take responsibility for them getting sick anyway. ---
**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:** [September 24, 2020, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1355 "2020-09-24T19:17:45Z")
There’s also the fact that California has been on a “mandatory self-quarantine upon arrival” list in some states (my daughter returned to Brooklyn this week after a trip home, and was relieved that California had recently been taken off). Contestants might not want the hassle of complying with homecoming restrictions. Alex announced that the pre-shutdown champ had chosen to not return to the state at this time. ---
**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:** [September 25, 2020, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1356 "2020-09-25T16:58:06Z")
They’re not trying to hide it. Didn’t Alex say in the first episode that the reason the champ couldn’t return at that time was because of travel restrictions? ---
**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:** [September 26, 2020, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1357 "2020-09-26T03:41:46Z")
I have not been watching closely, but so far I have not spotted Ken Jennings. I thought he was going to be all over this new season, almost cohosting. ---
**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:** [September 26, 2020, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1358 "2020-09-26T03:53:20Z")
He did a short bit at the start of Monday’s show just to say he was now working on the production staff. ---
**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:** [September 26, 2020, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1359 "2020-09-26T04:08:33Z")
Right. His [official title](https://www.jeopardy.com/about/cast/full-staff) is “consulting producer”. ---
**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:** [September 26, 2020, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1360 "2020-09-26T05:33:49Z")
Huh, okay. Not what I was expecting. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696.md?page=67) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696.md?page=69)