# 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:** 78
**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:** [November 18, 2020, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1541 "2020-11-18T02:40:04Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > I’ve heard the phrase “the nine Muses” more than once in my life, so I got it immediately. I blanked out in real time, but once Trebek gave that answer I slapped my forehead. ---
**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:** [November 18, 2020, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1542 "2020-11-18T02:48:19Z")
LONG TIME MYSTERY SOLVED On Monday 11/16/2020 there was a tie for second (or last) at the start of Double Jeopardy. Trebek said out loud their rule for who picks first. He said that it is the contestant at the podium closer to him. ---
**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:** [November 18, 2020, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1543 "2020-11-18T03:09:15Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > They could do what TCM did when main host Robert Osborne was ailing: have guest hosts, over quite a few months. > > I’d suggest that would be the case only if they don’t yet have a replacement lined up. And that could be true; there’s not really any clear front-runner in the public mind, I don’t think. Personally, I would really enjoy a series of Guest Hosts, each serving one week… on-the-air auditions, so to speak. _The Tonight Show_ also did this when Johnny Carson retired. Even if the producers have somebody in mind, that would help the public get used to them, instead of an instant “coronation.” ---
**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:** [November 18, 2020, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1544 "2020-11-18T06:13:19Z")
What did everyone think of this Final Jeopardy from last week? > [@](#): > > Vehicles in “2001: A Space Odyssey” featured this airline’s logo, but the company went bankrupt in 1991 I got it instantly, but I was curious how many other people would. ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2020, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1545 "2020-11-18T09:57:40Z")
I got it from the clue but didn’t remember from the movie. ---
**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:** [November 18, 2020, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1546 "2020-11-18T11:43:59Z")
The Pan Am logo on the spaceliner was one of the most memorable things about the movie. The film’s blatant product placement was heavily satirized in _ **MAD Magazine** _’s “201 Min. of a Space Idiocy.” ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2020, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1547 "2020-11-18T13:07:50Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I got it instantly, but I was curious how many other people would. I’ve never seen the movie. But, I got it, but had a second thought that it might be TWA. (which was not quite a the same iconic level, but well known enough that it could be in a movie and also started to fall apart at a similar time period.) But I would have stayed with my first assumption - because I think that the Pan Am logo is way more distinctive. ---
**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:** [November 18, 2020, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1548 "2020-11-18T23:56:45Z")
> [@Steven\_Maven](#): > > > [@Sherrerd](#): > > > > They could do what TCM did when main host Robert Osborne was ailing: have guest hosts, over quite a few months. > > > > I’d suggest that would be the case only if they don’t yet have a replacement lined up. And that could be true; there’s not really any clear front-runner in the public mind, I don’t think. > > Personally, I would really enjoy a series of Guest Hosts, each serving one week… on-the-air auditions, so to speak. _The Tonight Show_ also did this when Johnny Carson retired. Even if the producers have somebody in mind, that would help the public get used to them, instead of an instant “coronation.” I agree. One thing I suspect we’d all agree on: there will be no official announcements relating to new hosts before the airing of Alex Trebek’s final show. ---
**Author:** ![tim-n-va](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim-n-va/32/3001_2.png) [@tim-n-va](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim-n-va)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2020, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1549 "2020-11-19T00:12:26Z")
Unless they are going to take a break, they have to start filming before Trebek’s last episode airs. The upthread suggestion of guest hosts could save them making a decision. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2020, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1550 "2020-11-19T00:27:28Z")
They can take a break, but show older shows from the earlier days. This was done at least locally on a Saturday, a marathon. One episode was, I suspect, unique. All three contestants tied at the end, with $16000 dollars each. ---
**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:** [November 19, 2020, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1551 "2020-11-19T00:47:06Z")
I expect them to take a break. Perhaps a couple of months. ---
**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:** [November 20, 2020, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1552 "2020-11-20T00:56:34Z")
> [@tim-n-va](#): > > Unless they are going to take a break, they have to start filming before Trebek’s last episode airs. The upthread suggestion of guest hosts could save them making a decision. True, but as Baker and Dewey\_Finn suggested, it’s probable that they would choose to take a break. They might show, for example the GOAT tournament, which I think hasn’t yet been shown in the early-evening timeslot. It’s only four episodes-- though at one hour each that would make eight in the usual time-slot. And they could lead up to those eight with a week of historic episodes showcasing each of the three participants. Or something else. But I’d bet against the likelihood that they’d go from Alex on Friday, December 25th to New Host on Monday, December 28. ---
**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:** [November 20, 2020, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1553 "2020-11-20T02:42:51Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > Where the fuck did I get synagogue? Maybe you’ve got a lead on two extra Deadly Syns? I’ll see myself out. ---
**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:** [November 20, 2020, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1554 "2020-11-20T02:46:09Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > ISTR from when I was on (1991) that you had to bet at least $5 on DD. Any other players confirm? > [@Borborygmi](#): > > While not a player, I can [confirm from Jeopardy’s website](https://www.jeopardy.com/jbuzz/behind-scenes/5-jeopardy-rules-every-contestant-should-know#:~:text=4.,round%20is%20%245.). That strikes me as an odd amount to choose for the rule. Do they have to be whole-dollar amounts? Could you bet $5.05? ---
**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:** [November 20, 2020, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1555 "2020-11-20T02:50:05Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > They can take a break, but show older shows from the earlier days. This was done at least locally on a Saturday, a marathon. One episode was, I suspect, unique. All three contestants tied at the end, with $16000 dollars each. Of course, there was another three-way tie on Alex’s first show. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2020, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1556 "2020-11-20T06:40:13Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I have vague memories of Arthur Fleming hosting Jeopardy until 1975. IIRC The transition to Alex went smoothly. I don’t remember much changing except Alex was a lot younger than Fleming. The pacing of the show didn’t change Transition? The original version ended in 1975. There was a nine year gap until Alex started in 1984. ---
**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:** [November 20, 2020, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1557 "2020-11-20T15:53:39Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I don’t remember much changing except Alex was a lot younger than Fleming. Actually, both hosts were about the same age when they started hosting “Jeopardy!” Art (b. 5/1/1924) was 40 in 1964 when the original show started, and Alex (b. 7/22/1940) was 44 in 1984 when the new version began. Of course, Art was 51 when the early version ended in 1975, but that’s not that much older than Alex was nine years later. I suspect that fact that _you_ were younger back then may have shaped your perception of the relative ages of the hosts: Art was _much_ older than you, and Alex was, if not younger than you, much closer to your age. That was my perception. Another significant change is that in the original show the clues on the game board were printed on cards that were manually pulled by a stagehand behind the set. There were no video monitors. And as you can see from the picture, the cash amounts were 1/10th of the 1984 values, and 1/20th of the current values! [![](https://wondersinthedark.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/jeopard-5.jpg) ](https://wondersinthedark.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/jeopard-5.jpg) ---
**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:** [November 20, 2020, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1558 "2020-11-20T16:08:01Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > And as you can see from the picture, the cash amounts were 1/10th of the 1984 values, and 1/20th of the current values! I wonder if that has kept up with inflation. I remember watching _The Price is Right_ in the early '70s; if you had to guess the price of a car, it was almost always four digits and began with a 3. ---
**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:** [November 20, 2020, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1559 "2020-11-20T16:21:28Z")
I seem to remember that a contestant could ring in as soon as the clue was revealed, not having to wait until Art finished reading it. Also, a second contestant could ring in early as well, and would then get to try to answer correctly if the first contestant did not give the correct 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:** [November 20, 2020, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1560 "2020-11-20T18:16:52Z")
Art always seemed older than Alex to me, just because he sounded older. I remember his speech being very formal, while Alex’s was much lighter in tone. Watching Alex’s early episodes of _ **Jeopardy!** _ his speech is much more rapid than it later came to be and he sounds more like a typical game show host than Art. It took me a while to realize how erudite Alex really was. Alex also looked much more youthful than Art at the beginning, due partly to the change in men’s hairstyles between 1964 and 1984. Art never had facial hair either, so far as I can remember. He was always very clean shaven and well groomed. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696.md?page=77) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696.md?page=79)