Jeopardy! Greatest of All Time

[zoey1996]

Your Jeopardy! Greatest of All Time topic.

Ken Jennings, Brad Rutter and James Holzhauer -- the three biggest winners in the history of "Jeopardy!" -- will face off in a "primetime throwdown" in January on ABC. 

The first of at least 3 episodes will air on ABC at 8 Eastern time, beginning Tuesday January 7.  Additional episodes will be aired if no player has won three matches.

[lb60]

Yay, James!!

#sarcasmsunday

[opus]

I'm torn between either wanting to see Brad or Ken win, or hoping James wins so I can see @lb60's head explode.

[Roaster]

I'll watch, of course, although I suspect they are inflating expectations too much by calling it "Greatest of All Time".

The annual - sometimes biennial - Tournament of Champions are good and feel organic.  These special all-star shows feel gimmicky.

In any case, I am not rooting for any player over the others. They're all worthy and great players.

[Bastet]

I guess Team Brad just because the other two bug me.  But, then again, the other two only bug me after prolonged exposure.  So I'm really just rooting for good games, which I'm sure these will be.  James comes in with the age and recency advantage, Brad with the "my only loss was to a computer" confidence ... Ken's longevity streak isn't really a factor in a limited run like this.  So we'll see.  I'm not as excited by this as the show wants me to be.

[saber5055]

3 hours ago, Roaster said:

These special all-star shows feel gimmicky.

Blame every social media poster everywhere for making this happen, it's all fans of the show could talk about. It is gimmicky, but it translates into $$$ for the network, and will crush ratings plus blow up social media. Everyone wins, except people who don't want to watch.

Thanks for the thread, @zoey1996.

[lb60]

3 hours ago, opus said:

I'm torn between either wanting to see Brad or Ken win, or hoping James wins so I can see @lb60's head explode.

<sniffles>

Hurtful!

lol

[opus]

42 minutes ago, lb60 said:

<sniffles>

Hurtful!

lol

It was said with love ❤️

[Prevailing Wind]

Perhaps the producers wanted to indulge AT's boy-crush on James one more time...

[suebee12]

From James' twitter feed:

 

If your DVR is set to record regular-season #Jeopardy, it will record regular-season Jeopardy. If you set it to record “Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time” on ABC starting January 7, it will record #JeopardyGOAT.

Regular-season #Jeopardy episodes will continue to air at the normal time and channel in your local market. If you tune in at the normal time and channel, you will see a regular-season Jeopardy episode.

So make sure you set your DVR for the GOAT episodes!!!!

[opus]

Are these shows included in the FJ contest?

[illdoc]

1 hour ago, opus said:

Are these shows included in the FJ contest?

I believe we decided on "No", since we aren't sure if any of the archive/jeopardyfan/etc. sites would have these questions, so there would be no way to get FJ questions if you missed the show.

[opus]

22 minutes ago, illdoc said:

I believe we decided on "No", since we aren't sure if any of the archive/jeopardyfan/etc. sites would have these questions, so there would be no way to get FJ questions if you missed the show.

Any reason not to is fine by me. I know I'll be 0/whatever (it'll be 3-7 eps, right?)

(I wonder how they'll handle the hour format)

[saber5055]

1 hour ago, opus said:

Are these shows included in the FJ contest?

No to GOAT FJs being included in the contest since a regular episode will air the same day. I'm guessing many will comment here on TSs (good luck on that) and FJs they get though.

[M. Darcy]

The three guys were on GMA this morning.  They all seem to have a sense of humor about it - not that I don't think they aren't taking it seriously.

All I want is to see either Brad or Ken win.  Heh, though it would be nice to see Ken finally win against Brad. 

[SoMuchTV]

Oh wow. Just saw a clip on the ABC news of Brad back in the day (pre-wide screen tv). Then they showed him currently. Did he win an anti-aging charm, or are my eyes just getting fuzzy?

[dcalley]

On 1/4/2020 at 12:54 PM, opus said:

(I wonder how they'll handle the hour format)

I just found the answer to this on Vulture.com:

Quote

Each tournament episode will consist of a set of two back-to-back games, hence the hour-long running time. The player with the most combined winnings from these two games wins the “match.” The play will then continue on each successive night until either Jennings, Holzhauer, or Rutter wins three matches — that means the tournament could end as quickly as three days or last as long as seven.

Edited January 7, 2020 by dcalley

[Roaster]

ESPN reporting that gambling sites/sportsbooks were offering odds on this tournament, but stopped because they believe there has been a leak as to the winner.

[Roaster]

The Ringer analyzes the tournament.  They point out James is a "new-style" player who seeks DDs and bets big while Ken and Brad are old-style players who start at the top of the categories and work down.

They also address buzzer speed, noting that in his initial run Ken was first to ring in 61 percent of the time (in contrast to current champ Karen Farrell who is first only 40 percent.)

Also, I didn't know this, but executive producer Harry Friedman is retiring after this season (maybe he and Alex can go out together) and this special tournament is a "bookend" for him.

 

[JudyObscure]

As soon as I heard about it I thought of it as a gift for Alex.  He loves  all these big winners and gets excited about any tournament. 

I'm really looking forward to it but I don't have a favorite to win, I like all three;  Ken for being so good humored and promoting Jeopardy so well over the years, Brad for his quiet modesty, and James for being an exciting player and also a very nice guy.  

[Tabasco Cat]

If I was a betting man, I'd take James to sweep all of the games. This tournament blows away whatever that team abomination was last year. Go James!

[Bliss]

My first impression of this tournament is that it is going to spoil me permanently for regular games.

At the first break, Alex said exactly what I was thinking...

I love the pace, the energy and the skill of these men. Hopefully, the next one will be women!

[saber5055]

5 minutes ago, Bliss said:

My first impression of this tournament is that it is going to spoil me permanently for regular games.

At the first break, Alex said exactly what I was thinking...

I love the pace, the energy and the skill of these men. Hopefully, the next one will be women!

What the what? It hasn't started yet. Still one hour to go. No more, please, if you are getting it early somewhere.

[Roaster]

Right.  Do we have a rule on this forum about when we can discuss the episodes?  Maybe after 9 PM EST when it has shown in the Eastern and Central Time Zones?

[SoMuchTV]

Omg, I couldn’t “think” with that new music!

Regarding spoilers, wouldn’t this be like anything else that airs in prime time ET - people in other time zones would know not to look at the thread until they’ve seen it?

[zoey1996]

Let’s stay spoiler-free until after it’s aired in EST.  Comments that aren’t spoilers are OK.  Honor system.  How’s that?

[secnarf]

22 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

Omg, I couldn’t “think” with that new music!

Regarding spoilers, wouldn’t this be like anything else that airs in prime time ET - people in other time zones would know not to look at the thread until they’ve seen it?

Not a mod, but I would agree - is that not the general site policy for any show that airs in prime time? Jeopardy has been different as it airs in different markets at different times so a somewhat arbitrary time has been set, but for these tournaments I would think the regular policy applies.

I also couldn't think with the new "think" music!

[mtlchick]

James' "HA HA!" to Brad about Philadelphia had me rolling. 

I'm rooting for Ken Jen, but these 3 are not messing around.  Well except for Brad who keeps bombing out on the daily double.  

In any event, I'm thrilled this is happening and my prayers as always to Bitchin' Trebek. 

[dargosmydaddy]

I'm a James girl all the way, but that was awesome to watch!

[rubaco]

That. Was. Awesome. 

I'm totally Team Ken, so couldn't be happier. Regardless, what an intense, exciting and fun match to watch, and now I'm bummed that I'll have to miss part of tomorrow night's show due to an appointment.

[Roaster]

I am loving how hard these clues are!  That Before, During, and After category - I couldn't keep up with these contestants,

[Prevailing Wind]

I'm enjoying it!  No spoiler there!  Although, I am surprised that James isn't ringing in first more often.

[Katy M]

that was hard.  I got the first FJ right.  I actually thought that was ridiculously easy.  And I got one of the DDs that Brad missed.  Potemkin.  I couldn't get any of the before during and afters or triple rhyme times because it's just too much.

I don't really care who wins, but I didn't want James to win the first 3 games without the other two "old" guys getting a chance. So, Yay, Ken.

[dcalley]

Why is the think music so bad?! I had to mute it. I do like the special lighting, though.

[opus]

Respect to James for getting Mike Eruzione

[catrice2]

If someone knows the spoiler of who wins, can you DM me?  I am not going to be able to watch every day.  Besides, I don't care about knowing in advance it doesn't change my experience. 

Brad doesn't bother me so much.  Ken doesn't either, but I still don't want him to win.  

[Madding crowd]

I’m a James fan so I hope he can win this. Jennings has been back a lot, got to play against Watson and already made a name for himself. I do think all three are nice guys and I really enjoyed the first episode.

[Bliss]

7 minutes ago, mtlchick said:

James' "HA HA!" to Brad about Philadelphia had me rolling.

 

Agreed! I enjoy the camaraderie that James, Ken and Brad portray. Good demonstration of sportsmanship that I wish would spread like a (good) plague.

Also agreed about Bitchin Trebek! You're looking mighty dapper, Alex!

[SeanC]

That was awesome.

Did Brad say "Vronsky" in response to the Potemkin question?  Was he thinking of Anna Karenina?

[Katy M]

1 minute ago, SeanC said:

That was awesome.

Did Brad say "Vronsky" in response to the Potemkin question?  Was he thinking of Anna Karenina?

Yeah, he said vronsky. And Anna Karenina is all I can think of for that.  He may have forgotten the category, or just messed up.

[Trillium]

It was very impressive by all. Ken and Brad are definitely not as comfortable with the large wagers but they don’t have much of a choice, because James will bet big whenever he can. Very excited about the rest of the competition. 

[SoMuchTV]

20 minutes ago, zoey1996 said:

Let’s stay spoiler-free until after it’s aired in EST.  Comments that aren’t spoilers are OK.  Honor system.  How’s that?

Sorry I hope I wasn’t out of line. I was just commenting in real time as it was airing in ET. Didn’t have any advanced knowledge. That’s cool, right?  On some threads the mods lock it until the episode has aired. I thought if it wasn’t locked, real-time comments were fair game. 

[Paloma]

Really impressed, though not surprised, with how great this match was. But I am kind of surprised they were allowed to use "Bitchin'" in a clue (and that Alex was allowed to say it). 

[Bliss]

2 hours ago, saber5055 said:

What the what? It hasn't started yet. Still one hour to go. No more, please, if you are getting it early somewhere.

Sorry... it was one of those spontaneous posts. I knew I was early, and made it my intention to not write anything "spoilerish".

I'll keep silent until regular game time from now on.

[absnow54]

I can’t believe over two games James didn’t hit a single Double Jeopardy. Did Brad catch 5 out of the 6 (and choke on pretty much all of them)?

[Grundoon59]

I feel like whatever displeasure I caused the Jeopardy gods has lifted.  I have been proudly represented by John and Debbie Dingell all my life (even worked in his DC office one summer) and Brad got the answer right.  Huzzah!

Enjoyed the matches and the camaraderie. Should be a fun few nights.  It seems like it may all turn on who finds the daily doubles.

[Tabasco Cat]

So much for my prediction of James shutting out Jennings and Rutter. But I don't care because I really enjoyed this first match. I enjoyed it immensely. Brad blowing Daily Doubles, James not getting any, and Ken doing what he had to do.

I think there was only 1 question where no one came up with the correct answer, but I can't remember what it was now. Overall, all 3 were most impressive. Maybe not Brad but it's early yet.

Also not a fan of the Think music but I can live with that.

Edited January 8, 2020 by Tabasco Cat

[PaulaO]

What was the Potemkin clue?

[stonehaven]

I might miss a couple of nights...does anyone know if they'll be available on Hulu?

[dcalley]

7 minutes ago, Tabasco Cat said:

I think there was only 1 question where no one came up with the correct answer, but I can't remember what it was now.

Who Plutarch said slept with snakes, I think.

Spoiler

Olympias