# 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:** 92
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2021, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1821 "2021-02-18T05:12:39Z")
> [@N9IWP](#): > > Figure Skating – I remember watching it when they were needed – not exciting, but kind of interesting Same. More pointedly, I remember really liking that part - it made that part of the competition non-subjective. And some of the athletes that were much better at other parts (athleticism or artistry) really struggled with precision. ---
**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:** [February 18, 2021, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1822 "2021-02-18T06:00:26Z")
> [@N9IWP](#): > > Two easy ones for me > > Named for a game, this is Wisconsin’s largest city on Mississippi > > La Crosse – I work there (in non pandemic times) and can almost see it from my house I went through there many times in the '80s, taking the Trailways bus from STP to MKE. ( It was cheaper than Greyhound.) ---
**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:** [February 18, 2021, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1823 "2021-02-18T07:57:02Z")
I had absolutely no idea about FJ, barely understood the clue. But somehow, the correct response just randomly entered my head. That happens a lot. ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2021, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1824 "2021-02-18T13:00:06Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > If tonight’s #3 (Natalie) had bet nothing, she would have won with a very respectable $8,800. Interestingly, she won more money than the winner. I wonder how often that has happened. Of course, the winner gets to return. ---
**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:** [February 18, 2021, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1825 "2021-02-18T19:20:52Z")
You’re right! That didn’t occur to me. I think it would only be fair to guarantee the winner at least, say, $3,000, if their final score is lower than that. ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1826 "2021-02-19T01:00:19Z")
So, the other night, someone misspelled the answer to FJ and it was accepted (can’t remember which question). Then tonight, the answer was ‘William Jennings Bryan’ and one contestant’s answer was ‘William Jennings Bryant’ (with a t)… and it was deemed unacceptable.?? I don’t get this apparent double standard. ---
**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:** [February 19, 2021, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1827 "2021-02-19T01:03:12Z")
You can get away with misspelling a word so long as you don’t change the pronunciation. Anyway, “Bryant” wasn’t his name. It was Bryan. Wrong in any case. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1828 "2021-02-19T01:39:27Z")
If a misspelling changes the pronunciation significantly, it will not be ruled correct. They seem more likely to err toward ruling incorrect (Berry is not significantly different than Barry!). ---
**Author:** ![Skinnybones\_Lampshade](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skinnybones_lampshade/32/2872_2.png) [@Skinnybones\_Lampshade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skinnybones_Lampshade)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1829 "2021-02-19T04:01:43Z")
[quote=“Kamino\_Neko, post:1828, topic:832696”] (Berry is not significantly different than Barry!). [/quote] It depends on your accent. In my native Eastern Canadian, for example, berry and Barry (or merry and marry) would never be confused. The first syllable has a completely different vowel sound. “Merry Christmas” doesn’t sound like “Marry Christmas”. > Blockquote ---
**Author:** ![Skinnybones\_Lampshade](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skinnybones_lampshade/32/2872_2.png) [@Skinnybones\_Lampshade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skinnybones_Lampshade)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1830 "2021-02-19T04:03:02Z")
Sorry for the bad formatting above! ---
**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:** [February 19, 2021, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1831 "2021-02-19T19:01:45Z")
Would they take into consideration the hometown of the contestant? I’m from a location where Mary/marry/merry are all pronounced the same. So are Barry/berry. ---
**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:** [February 19, 2021, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1832 "2021-02-19T21:11:48Z")
I’m sure that they would. Bryant for Bryan is just wrong (although the contestant was certainly thinking of the correct person). They probably would have accepted Brian. ---
**Author:** ![Bayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bayaker/32/3454_2.png) [@Bayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2021, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1833 "2021-02-20T02:47:06Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Would they take into consideration the hometown of the contestant? I’m from a location where Mary/marry/merry are all pronounced the same. So are Barry/berry. _Barry_ and _berry_ are pronounced very differently for me, but for another example, in my dialect _berry_ and _bury_ are pronounced the same. I don’t think _Jeopardy!_ should accept my answer of _berry_ if the correct response is _bury_. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2021, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1834 "2021-02-20T03:01:26Z")
I just want to complain that Ken Jennings mispronounces zoology and zoological. Anyone else catch that? ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2021, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1835 "2021-02-20T16:10:25Z")
He mispronounced “Ocala” a couple weeks ago, but most people do if they aren’t from the area. ---
**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:** [February 20, 2021, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1836 "2021-02-20T16:55:47Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > I’m sure that they would. Bryant for Bryan is just wrong (although the contestant was certainly thinking of the correct person). They probably would have accepted Brian. That would have been hilarious if one contestant wrote “Brian” and they accepted it (“close enough, we don’t penalize for spelling in Final Jeopardy”) and the next one wrote “Bryant” and they didn’t (“Oh, sorry, we can’t accept that.”). ---
**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:** [February 21, 2021, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1837 "2021-02-21T16:13:54Z")
I thought that the adding of a letter at the end was the offense. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2021, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1838 "2021-02-21T19:18:46Z")
They would not. Or at least, they didn’t. Barry/Berry is a specific reference to an episode that aired toward the end of last year, near the end of Alex’s run. The Final Jeopardy clue dealt with the founder of Motown Records, whose name is Berry Gordy. One of the contestants wrote “Barry Gordy,” and it was not accepted. Despite the fact that many people would pronounce the names identically. There was some controversy about it at the time, I recall. It was a runaway game, so it wouldn’t have made any difference in the outcome anyway, but several people were a bit upset about it. Incidentally, according to wikipedia, the full Mary-marry-merry merger, in which all three words are pronounced identically, is found in a majority of American English speakers (57%). So going by the numbers, those of us who pronounce them all the same are right, and the rest of you are wrong. 😀 ---
**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:** [February 21, 2021, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1839 "2021-02-21T19:35:44Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > The Final Jeopardy clue dealt with the founder of Motown Records, whose name is Berry Gordy. One of the contestants wrote “Barry Gordy,” and it was not accepted. I didn’t remember that, so I looked it up. There was more than a bit of controversy: > **[’Jeopardy!’ Fans Are Upset About A Spelling Ruling On Final Jeopardy](https://uproxx.com/sports/jeopardy-fans-furious-final-jeopardy-spelling-ruling/)** > > The difference between "Barry" and "Berry" in a music question has haunted the show online for days. And somehow, ’Teen Wolf’ got involved. ---
**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:** [February 21, 2021, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/1840 "2021-02-21T19:48:54Z")
“Wiley Coyote” was definitely wrong. Not only is it pronounced differently from “Wile E Coyote,” it ruins the joke inherent in the name. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696.md?page=91) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696.md?page=93)