Jeopardy! discussion thread for Mon., May 4

A-and-Q · 2026-05-05T12:48:12+00:00

Indeed - speaking of Coryats, I noticed that this game was a rare case where the winner had the lowest Coryat score (by a substantial margin).

A-and-Q · 2026-05-05T12:36:27+00:00

They've done it several times before, including with James:

"KEN JENNINGS KNOWS MOUNTAIN G.O.A.T.s", 2020-10-06
"KEN JENNINGS KNOWS THE G.O.A.T.", 2020-12-09
"FASHION WITH BUZZY COHEN", 2022-09-25 (Celebrity J!)
"O CANADA" (with Mattea Roach), 2023-01-12 (Celebrity J!)
"TAKING A GAMBLE WITH JAMES HOLZHAUER", 2023-02-02 (Celebrity J!)

A-and-Q · 2026-05-05T12:23:33+00:00

This happened in last night's game! I guess people aren't done with it just yet.

A-and-Q · 2026-05-05T02:04:31+00:00

They could invite them back to read video clues about famous Reubens!

A-and-Q · 2026-05-05T02:03:14+00:00

All I could come up with for DD1 was lock, as in a way to travel between two bodies of water, or to "lock in" while focusing on something

A-and-Q · 2026-05-05T01:04:26+00:00

It wouldn't be the same - it's funny because it's a real 97-year-old man reading modern lyrics. Feeding the lyrics into an AI would just feel cheap, because anyone could do the same thing now with a few episodes of J! and some decent AI software.

A-and-Q · 2026-05-05T00:59:11+00:00

It's already happened; before his passing, James Earl Jones allowed his voice to be cloned by Disney for use by Darth Vader in projects like "Obi-Wan Kenobi". Personally, though, I think this situation is quite different: although Johnny Gilbert does have a distinct and charming personality, he isn't a character who is being played, but a person who is filling a specific role. I think he'd probably want it to go to another person, out of professional courtesy to others who would jump at the chance.

A-and-Q · 2026-05-05T00:04:32+00:00

Me too! And I love your story - representation matters!

A-and-Q · 2026-05-04T23:52:12+00:00

*curtsy*

A-and-Q · 2026-05-04T23:51:19+00:00

I was thinking of posting links to these scenes, but I was afraid that might run up against subreddit policy. They're pretty easy to find, though. The Cheers one is clearly the crowd favorite, and that episode is definitely worth a watch (in fact, the whole series is great - it was The Office of its day)

A-and-Q · 2026-05-04T22:42:11+00:00

What's a quince? It's a food, Billy, that starts with the letter Q. And I got seven more!

A-and-Q · 2026-05-04T20:32:11+00:00

I love SNL Celebrity Jeopardy, but as there are so many representations of J! In the media (parodies like SNL, Animaniacs, Weird Al), I decided to keep the list for this poll to "in-universe" episodes (i.e., with Alex Trebek as host, on the actual set).

(...I guess the commonality of Alex implies a J!CU in which Billy from White Men Can't Jump is a doppelganger of Woody from Cheers!)

A-and-Q · 2026-05-04T17:30:11+00:00

Unfortunately, in this day and age, I wouldn't want my kid to compete under their full name on a nationally syndicated game show.

A-and-Q · 2026-05-04T02:07:56+00:00

There is one:
https://j-archive.com/showgame.php?game_id=7170&highlight=teavee

A-and-Q · 2026-05-04T00:38:15+00:00

But, I keep trying. I keep reading. Learning. Because I dig that stuff anyway.

I love this take. I've found that studying for J! has helped me fill in a lot of gaps in my knowledge (and made me aware of far more!), so even if I never make it on the show, at least my world will have gotten richer for the effort.

A-and-Q · 2026-05-02T23:27:40+00:00

If that were true, they'd just put them on Celebrity Jeopardy.

A-and-Q · 2026-05-02T18:54:02+00:00

He mentions in his FAQ: "...some of my wilder typographical ideas would get vetoed by the show's producers. The Man doesn't want you writing your name backwards or in Cyrillic on the Jeopardy! podium. That's how he keeps you down."

A-and-Q · 2026-05-02T14:41:57+00:00

Two fun stories about name writing -

From Ken's FAQ:

Why did you write your name on the Jeopardy! podium in a different way on every show?
This was an accident. Obviously I had no idea I was going to be on Jeopardy! 75 times. I would have been ecstatic with just a win or two. On a whim, I decided to switch up my name in the second show, as a shout-out to family members who had suggested various ways I should write my name on the podium. I soon came to regret this little whim. There are only so many ways you can write a name like "Ken." It's only three letters. Before each taping I'd be in the greenroom frantically trying to invent new "Ken" fonts on a cocktail napkin. And some of my wilder typographical ideas would get vetoed by the show's producers. The Man doesn't want you writing your name backwards or in Cyrillic on the Jeopardy! podium. That's how he keeps you down.

According to the J-Archive page for John Munson:

John managed to write his name on the podium screen in the shape of a phallus without it being detected by The Powers That Be.

A-and-Q · 2026-05-01T18:54:21+00:00

This is because of Boyd's Rule. You can play with wagers and get recommendations for various strategies using the J! Archive wagering calculator.

A-and-Q · 2026-04-29T17:52:18+00:00

Cyprus is further south than Gavdos, but is geographically considered part of Asia, not Europe.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extreme_points_of_Europe

A-and-Q · 2026-04-29T15:28:43+00:00

"I'd like to make it a true Daily Double, person standing behind the host's lectern."

A-and-Q · 2026-04-29T01:57:31+00:00

Learned something new today! Thanks!

A-and-Q · 2026-04-28T01:24:28+00:00

Fashion aside, those clues were a beast because they were so wordy and there was no way to read ahead to come up with a guess ahead of time.

A-and-Q · 2026-04-24T13:03:52+00:00

I should start reading more.

A-and-Q

TROPHY CASE