# 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:** 74
**Author:** ![gregorio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/fbc32d/32.png) [@gregorio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gregorio)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1461 "2020-10-21T15:02:35Z")
How are the average winnings for the season so far? I know the last champion was super low (around $8000 a game iirc) and she didn’t even make it into final yesterday. But it seems the final winning scores have been close to what they always are, around $20,000. I haven’t looked any of this up, just casual observation. ---
**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 21, 2020, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1462 "2020-10-21T15:33:25Z")
I think they had a wrong question on Monday’s game. The clue: A zoom lens is aka variable this type The given (and accepted) question was “What is focus?” But it isn’t! Unless it is a specific fixed-focus lens, every lens is variable focus. But zoom lenses change _focal length_. As bad Jeopardy! questions go, that was very wrong. ---
**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 21, 2020, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1463 "2020-10-21T15:48:18Z")
Here is the Archive entry for last night’s game. The guy who won (Carlos) wasn’t doing well until the middle of the second round (he got a Daily Double), and then lost half his money in FJ: > **[J! Archive - Show #8262, aired 2020-10-20](https://j-archive.com/showgame.php?game_id=6848)** > > An archive of Jeopardy! clues and players for Show #8262. The previous (three-day) champion ended her run at $24,808. That’s an average of $8,269.33 per game—not all that great. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1464 "2020-10-21T16:04:55Z")
I didn’t see last night’s game (gubernatorial debate was on), but the totals do seem to be low. When I was on the show in 2018, they told us that the average winning amount was about $20,000 per game. I’m not sure what it is since coming back from the hiatus. ---
**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:** [October 21, 2020, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1465 "2020-10-21T17:25:42Z")
I was going to post about that one, too. I’m really surprised they didn’t correct that in the game. Big mistake. ---
**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 21, 2020, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1466 "2020-10-21T20:36:11Z")
I wonder if they would have accepted “focal length”, given as how they didn’t correct their error. ---
**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 21, 2020, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1467 "2020-10-21T22:54:04Z")
Note that the champion finished $3600 in the red, and the woman on the right ended up at zero. That’s about par for the course nowadays. ---
**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:** [October 22, 2020, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1468 "2020-10-22T00:51:02Z")
How about the contestant who guessed “platypus” for an animal resembling a porcupine. That was a forehead slapper even for this season’s subpar games. ---
**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 22, 2020, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1469 "2020-10-22T01:03:37Z")
I wasn’t surprised when Carlos did dismally on tonight’s show, but I was impressed when the woman came from behind to win the game. ---
**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 22, 2020, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1470 "2020-10-22T07:57:57Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > I didn’t see last night’s game (gubernatorial debate was on), but the totals do seem to be low. When I was on the show in 2018, they told us that the average winning amount was about $20,000 per game. I’m not sure what it is since coming back from the hiatus. Answer me a question, please. I don’t really expect to ever be on the show, but if it happens, I have a dream baller move\* to make. The sitch: I enter FJ with a lead over my opponents. As is my wont, I bet my entire pot. When the answer is shown, I know the correct response. I’d like to announce it to my opponents during our thirty seconds, so we all can get it right (even though I know I’m gonna win). Would this be permitted by the panjandrums who run the game? TIA \*That is, a baller move that is my dream to make. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2020, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1471 "2020-10-22T12:28:34Z")
That situation never came up in the contestant briefing, but I should imagine it would be highly frowned upon. Ever since the game show scandals of the 1950s, there are very strict laws about the conduct of game shows. That sort of thing would probably be considered collusion between contestants, which would likely get you kicked off the show at the very least. You sign all sorts of contracts and things before you ever get on stage, and they could probably find something in there to nail you with for pulling something like that. I am, of course, not a lawyer, although I have appeared in a community theater production of “Legally Blonde.” ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2020, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1472 "2020-10-28T02:58:26Z")
The category is “The 13 Colonies” and someone picks “Kentucky”? ---
**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 28, 2020, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1473 "2020-10-28T03:34:20Z")
That was the impression one got when watching the old _ **Daniel Boone** _ series. ---
**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 28, 2020, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1474 "2020-10-28T05:02:47Z")
And in today’s (Tuesday) episode Alex picked the wrong contestant to start double jeopardy and no one corrected it. He did comment on it at FJ, but that should never have happened. ---
**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 28, 2020, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1475 "2020-10-28T09:58:15Z")
And why did they have to review the entire round, to determine that it didn’t matter. Especially not knowing which clue he would have chosen. ---
**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:** [October 28, 2020, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1476 "2020-10-28T13:23:43Z")
The alleged round reviewing was just an attempt at face saving. It’s pretty odd that no one caught the error. ---
**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:** [October 28, 2020, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1477 "2020-10-28T14:53:59Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > The category is “The 13 Colonies” and someone picks “Kentucky”? That was a pretty big whiff. Only thing I can think is that he go so focused on the clue that he completely forgot the category. ---
**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 28, 2020, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1478 "2020-10-28T15:04:54Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > That was a pretty big whiff. Only thing I can think is that he go so focused on the clue that he completely forgot the category. Yet the years in the clue were 1630 something to 1650 something (from memory, obviously). Way too early for Kentucky. I guessed Virginia for that reason. [I thought Delaware was the Constitution State. And I thought it was for being the first state to ratify. (it was, and that’s why it’s nickname is “the First State”)] ---
**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:** [October 28, 2020, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1479 "2020-10-28T16:01:02Z")
I guessed it had something to do with The Mayflower Compact so I went with Massachusetts. ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2020, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1480 "2020-10-28T16:13:11Z")
One thing that caused my pointy ears to prick up was accepting “Beta” as the response to the answer about the Sony videocassette. Since the category was “Words That Begin with a Greek Letter” rather than “Greek Letters,” I’m not sure that it should have been; but since Alex ruled it correct immediately, I imagine it was on his card as an alternate. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696.md?page=73) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696.md?page=75)