Yeah, he was trying to use the Matt Amodio strategy, but he’s no Matt Amodio.
Matt did not invent that strategy; it’s been used off-and-on for a while. It seems to have become the norm, lately. I wonder if a player might catch their opponents off-guard by just starting at the top of a category and working their way down.
This is correct, thanks in no small part to Jeopardy James. Although, to be fair, Holzhauer’s strategy was to seek the Daily Doubles, which is why he would first select all the $1000 clues in SJ. In DJ, he would bounce around the $1200, $1600 and $2000 clues looking for a DD.
It seems to me that the Daily Doubles have recently been appearing in the top two rows more often than they used to. I wonder if the powers-that-be at Jeopardy have changed where the DDs are to counter the Holzhauer/Amodio strategy and make it less viable.
It’s interesting that what appears to be a simple quiz show can generate so much debate about strategy, especially considering how long it’s been on. I guess it’s the sort of show that attracts contestants (and viewers) who would put some thought into it. I remember seeing players on Hollywood Squares who didn’t even seem to know how to play tic-tac-toe.
I would have thought placement of the Daily Doubles was completely random but somewhere in this thread, someone linked to an analysis of where they had appeared and it didn’t seem to be random.
Side note: Ever wonder why John doesn’t need a number? Well of course, that’s because he was the only one, but ever wonder why he was the only one? That’s because he is universally considered the worst king ever, and there will never be another one choosing the name John. I doubt anyone in the royal family have even named any of their sons John for a very long while now. He was their Richard Nixon and Donald Chump rolled into one and for more than just a four-year term or two.
Edward I (John’s grandson) named his first-born after his grandsire, but Prince John predeceased his father. As did Edward’s second son, Alphonso or Alfonso, named for his wife Eleanor’s half-brother. The line descending from King Alfonso of England might have produced some interesting names.
(At least to the Scots, Edward might well have been in the running for worst English king. But for entirely different reasons.)
Hosting must be a bit weird for Ken. He’s a fierce competitor and I’m sure evaluates the games. Knowing that he’d win most of them.
I’m still impressed how he faked everyone out. Claiming James Holzhauer is younger and faster on the buzzer. Then Ken kicks butt in the Champions Tournament.
Starting December 6 (and continuing through December 17) Jeopardy! is going to have a “professors tournament” with college professors as contestants.
England had some pretty awful other monarchs, but they didn’t last as long, as you allude to. That said, John’s awfulness has been perhaps overblown by the decision to make him the villain in Robin Hood.
The Phoenix market Saturday repeat game finally had “What’s…Amodio” as a contestant, but they didn’t start at the beginning. Instead, it was the “Roger Rabbit” game he almost lost.
He still won…again.
Early in tonight’s episode, one of the clues was about using brioche to make a breakfast dish with a country in its name. The “Question” was “What is French Toast?”
This morning my wife made Brioche French Toast for breakfast. 
Amy is a double-digit champion!
We’ve been seeing some formidable players lately. The next TOC should be fun.
Amy was extremely lucky to get the DD question about the largest AND westernmost Confederate State…obviously Texas. Convenient to get two major clues in one important question. That changed the whole game. She misses that question, then Pam likely has a huge lead going into FJ. I thought Pam outplayed Amy today, though she missed the FJ question.
I agree, but Amy is still a very impressive champion. Luck plays a part in any long winning streak. And that DD was only a part of a nice comeback in The DJ round. She’s good.
And she is now in the all-time top 10 in wins and top 5 in money winnings.
Tomorrow will be the last regular game. Amy will have to come back after the break. That’s assuming she wins Friday
I see the Professor Tournament runs Dec 6-17. I’m looking forward to watching.
Is there significance in the fact that Ken Jennings is “hosting Jeopardy” while Mayim is “the host of Jeopardy “?
Every time I see her head waggling snake oil commercial I like her less, and I never cared for her to begin with. Now I have to suffer two weeks of her 
I asked that question when they started using that expression in the first of Ken’s most recent run of shows. I assume that it signifies that Ken is not the permanent host, and that Mayim may be (at least) or will be.
But I came here tonight to ask my fellow Dopers whether they believe the “Professors Tournament” shouldn’t more properly be styled as the “Professors’ Tournament.” The producers did not add the apostrophe to the earlier Teachers or Seniors Tournaments (a fact I didn’t notice at the time), so at least they’re being consistent. But I think there should be an apostrophe. It is a plural possessive, like, for instance, “the boys’ baseball team,” an example from the link.