What is...In the Media?

[HyeChaps]

I'm with Buzzy.

[Bastet]

Tom is right about all the advantages long-running champs have*, and I wouldn't care if they imposed a limit again, but I'm not calling for it and I don't think it will happen.  Ratings go up when there's a contestant on a hot streak, so no producer is going to preclude that opportunity.

*The only disadvantage they have is getting tired; using your brain that way for extended periods days in a row is tiring.  The CA bar exam is three days - three hours in the morning, lunch, then three hours in the afternoon for three days in a row.  When I got home that third night, I pretty much passed out.

[shapeshifter]

22 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Buzzy tweeted a link to an article he disagrees with, but― 

―I think the article makes a good case for at least bringing back the 5-win limit. Or maybe 10?
https://newsletters.theatlantic.com/peacefield/61d920d4540050002182e1d7/it-might-be-time-to-retire-jeopardy-2/

Amy's tweet regarding the Wednesday, January 12 game shoots a hole in The Atlantic newsletter claims of current contestants being super prepared:

 

[dcalley]

"Never watched Jeopardy" isn't entirely accurate (but @shapeshifter's point stands).

Quote

Interestingly, the 32-year-old Hogan didn't have a long-burning desire to appear on "Jeopardy!" or other quiz show. She said she's not a trivia junkie, doesn't seek out trivia contests in the area, had seen the show a few times but wasn't a regular watcher. Instead, it was a suggestion from her sister that started Hogan on the road to TV — a road she almost forgot she'd started — by taking the show's 50-question online quiz to see if she could qualify.

In June 2020, her sister was getting married, and Hogan took the opportunity to spend time with her family, who had become "Jeopardy!" fans, in northern Wisconsin.

"My sister got married during the early pandemic months," Hogan said. "Afterward, we spent a lot of time as a family, and we watched 'Jeopardy!' because that was their new habit. My sister told me I should (take the quiz)."

--Green Bay Press-Gazette

[SomeTameGazelle]

A nice writeup by Andrea Asuaje (challenger from Nov 29 episode):

https://www.wbur.org/cognoscenti/2022/01/14/jeopardy-winning-streak-amy-schneider-andrea-asuaje?linkId=148111246

[30 Helens]

From Amy’s Twitter thread:

Quote

Amy Schneider

@Jeopardamy

Jan 14

Before every game, Ken comes out and chats with the contestants a bit, trying to help them relax. He'd started telling a story about, near the end of his streak, contestants would arrive for taping, see he was still there, and get very disappointed and intimidated.

Amy Schneider

@Jeopardamy

Jan 14

But, he said, the person who eventually beat him was the one who was super friendly, and wanted to hang out with him. Then, with perfect deadpan timing, Clark turned to me and said "I want to hang out with you, Amy." It was maybe the funniest line anybody said during my whole run.

And this:

Quote

Which I really wanted to do, one thing that may or may not be coming across is just how much fun I was having during all this! The winning is nice, sure, but it was also just a rewarding experience to be so focused on one particular thing.

2:01 PM · Jan 14, 2022·Twitter Web App

I know these comments refer to a specific day, but I’m not liking the general past-tense tone of the whole thing. Especially in the last sentence above. 

[opus]

Jeopardy ratings soar amid Amy Schneider's winning streak

[illdoc]

thejeopardyfan has a sise-by-side statistical analysis of Ken, Matt, James, and Amy, based on their 34 (or, in James' case 33) day numbers (winnings, correct & incorrect responses, times first in, etc) https://thejeopardyfan.com/2022/01/chasing-ken-part-iii-an-amy-schneider-vs-matt-amodio-ken-jennings-and-james-holzhauer-statistical-comparison.html

[proserpina65]

On 1/13/2022 at 5:12 PM, shapeshifter said:

―I think the article makes a good case for at least bringing back the 5-win limit. Or maybe 10?
https://newsletters.theatlantic.com/peacefield/61d920d4540050002182e1d7/it-might-be-time-to-retire-jeopardy-2/

I wouldn't limit it to just 5 games, but I'd definitely endorse bringing back a limit.  I hate long winning streaks.

[chessiegal]

Considering ratings have increased because of Amy's streak, I don't see why they'd bring back limits.

[Bastet]

4 hours ago, chessiegal said:

Considering ratings have increased because of Amy's streak, I don't see why they'd bring back limits.

Exactly.  As they did with Matt's, and with James's.  I haven't looked any farther back than that, but that's already a consistent pattern no producer in their right mind is going to preclude the future possibility of by imposing a limit on the number of games a contestant can win.

The only reason they would is if the financials swing the opposite way - if contestants going on long runs and getting so comfortable they consistently rack up big bucks in lock games means that cumulative payout by the end of their run is so much larger than the total they'd have paid to various contestants over the same period it isn't worth it for the increased ad revenue made possible by the increased ratings.  And I don't see that ever happening.  This show is tremendously profitable for Sony.

[30 Helens]

In the TV Tattle section of this website, there is a link to a Wall Street Journal article about the current state of Jeopardy that I can’t read because it’s behind a paywall, but the summary includes this quote:

Quote

As for the hosting search, Jurgensen reports the fate of Mayim Bialik's Fox sitcom Call Me Kat will play a role in who hosts Jeopardy! full-time. But what could potentially happen is either Bialik or Jennings becoming full-time host. Whoever doesn't get the main job would host primetime specials andJeopardy! spinoffs. 

All I can say is, PLEASE watch “Call Me Kat”! Tell your family and friends! And enemies! 

Also: “Jeopardy spin-offs”??

[deemac]

6 hours ago, chessiegal said:

Considering ratings have increased because of Amy's streak, I don't see why they'd bring back limits.

I don't understand that.  I'm wanting to get my fill of Jeopardy before Mayim comes back and I find myself feeling like I'm in Groundhog Day.  I like Amy better than I liked James or Matt but I feel like  there's no suspense, especially once she gets a huge lead.  Yeah....she's great at the game but even someone very good at something can be boring when it's over and over and over again.

 

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, deemac said:

I don't understand that.

I suspect what happens is among the people who only sometimes watch the show, a good chunk of them hear/read media coverage of someone on a long streak racking up big bucks, and start tuning in regularly - to see them play, but also to "be there" when the run comes to an end.  Then they go back to being sporadic viewers.  Thus the ratings hike during streaks that get a lot of media attention.

[possibilities]

I don't watch for suspense. But I actually feel like there's MORE suspense during a long winning streak, because the outcome feels like a big deal more than when it's an ever-changing crop of contestants who I can barely remember from game to game.

I'm also super-impressed by the big $$ totals in runaways. 

[KAOS Agent]

I think too many long running contestants will start to hurt the show. Once it's not a novelty, it's not a draw and it does start to get boring. It's interesting to note that while ratings are up, they are nowhere near where they were when James was making his run and they are still down from last year.

I'm tired of Amy and the runaways. And not to take away from her because she is very good, but it's clear that the level of contestant is not as high as in the past due to COVID issues (travel concerns, lack of face to face interviews, etc.), so a lot of the time it's not even fun to watch since the other contestants look like deer in the headlights and then get slaughtered. It's much more fun to watch the champion have to fight to win. Every day I long for a competitor that will push her a little. 

 

[30 Helens]

I disagree that the caliber of player has dropped. We have seen many very bright people in recent games. And while there may be less in-person recruiting, I would expect that to impact personality level, if anything. Contestants still have to pass rigorous tests. 

There are many reasons contestants may look like deer in headlights against a long-running player:  1) The champ has a significant buzzer advantage due to weeks of practice. 2) The new players are aware of the streak and are likely intimidated (standard nerves x1000).  3) The champ may just be smarter overall. You don’t get to Amy’s level by being simply very bright. You are super, extra, unusually bright. That does not mean her opponents aren’t still smarter than the average bear.

I think most Jeopardy viewers fall into two camps: They watch for the gameplay and suspense, or they watch to challenge themselves and see how much they can answer. I agree with @possibilities that long streaks create their own kind of suspense (“how long can this go on?”), but I get where runaways can make individual games seem less competitive and therefore tedious to the first type of fan. I wouldn’t think a winning streak would matter to the second type of fan.

I fall somewhere between the two. I wish the games were closer in score to ratchet up the suspense, but I’m more invested in seeing how long Amy can pull this off. I also like answering the questions, and feeling good about myself when I have a good day. In this respect, the only bad thing about Amy is she frequently makes me feel like a dummy.

[proserpina65]

25 minutes ago, 30 Helens said:

I think most Jeopardy viewers fall into two camps: They watch for the gameplay and suspense, or they watch to challenge themselves and see how much they can answer.

I fall into the second camp, and I can do that easily enough on the archive site when I don't like a champion.

I get why TPTB like long winning streaks.  That doesn't mean I have to like it.

[rcc]

20 hours ago, 30 Helens said:

In the TV Tattle section of this website, there is a link to a Wall Street Journal article about the current state of Jeopardy that I can’t read because it’s behind a paywall, but the summary includes this quote:

All I can say is, PLEASE watch “Call Me Kat”! Tell your family and friends! And enemies! 

Also: “Jeopardy spin-offs”??

I will no longer watch if her show tanks and she is named full time host. Why not just give it to Ken. Ratings are high with him and he isn't arrogant unlike her. Hopefully her stupid show stays on.

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, 30 Helens said:

...There are many reasons contestants may look like deer in headlights against a long-running player:  1) The champ has a significant buzzer advantage due to weeks of practice....

I agree with your conclusions in the entire post, but doesn't a long-running champ in real time just have days or experience vs weeks because each week of 5 episodes is shot in one day?

Yesterday Ken said something about Amy having been on for X number of holidays running from Thanksgiving through MLK Day and wondered if she'd be with us for Valentines Day—–which is a cute and charming and clever comment for Ken to make, but it makes me feel like I need to fire up my flux capacitor to keep up with his remarks. 

I mean, wouldn't Amy have been on Jeopardy! for just 7 full days in order to win 35 games, which, assuming they shoot M-F, would be just a week and a couple of days?

Or am I way off base? Is it just 3 games per day, or...?

[chessiegal]

19 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

I agree with your conclusions in the entire post, but doesn't a long-running champ in real time just have days or experience vs weeks because each week of 5 episodes is shot in one day?

Yesterday Ken said something about Amy having been on for X number of holidays running from Thanksgiving through MLK Day and wondered if she'd be with us for Valentines Day—–which is a cute and charming and clever comment for Ken to make, but it makes me feel like I need to fire up my flux capacitor to keep up with his remarks. 

I mean, wouldn't Amy have been on Jeopardy! for just 7 full days in order to win 35 games, which, assuming they shoot M-F, would be just a week and a couple of days?

Or am I way off base? Is it just 3 games per day, or...?

This is what I've found. We have former contestants who can clarify.

Quote

Jeopardy! is recorded in advance at the Sony studios in Culver City, CA. While there may be exceptions, generally the show is recorded on Tuesday and Wednesday every other week. The first part of each day is some contestant prep and practice games, and then in the late morning and/or early afternoon of each day, five shows are taped back-to-back. There are occasional pauses to clarify or check an answer, coach a contestant that may be regularly buzzing in too early or too late, or to re-record the reading of a question (VERY rare - Alex Trebek is almost perfect at his job). The result is that five shows are recorded almost in the time it takes to air them. Then the next day another week is recorded and everyone goes home for two weeks — specifically the winner of the last game on Wednesday.

So, 5 shows a day for 2 days. That's 2 weeks of shows that are aired are shot in 2 days.

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

I mean, wouldn't Amy have been on Jeopardy! for just 7 full days in order to win 35 games,

The host always speaks of the time frame in terms of how it has appeared on air, not when and how long they've actually been in the studio.  

[Ailianna]

16 hours ago, KAOS Agent said:

I think too many long running contestants will start to hurt the show. Once it's not a novelty, it's not a draw and it does start to get boring. It's interesting to note that while ratings are up, they are nowhere near where they were when James was making his run and they are still down from last year.

I'm tired of Amy and the runaways. And not to take away from her because she is very good, but it's clear that the level of contestant is not as high as in the past due to COVID issues (travel concerns, lack of face to face interviews, etc.), so a lot of the time it's not even fun to watch since the other contestants look like deer in the headlights and then get slaughtered. It's much more fun to watch the champion have to fight to win. Every day I long for a competitor that will push her a little. 

 

Did you feel that way when James was steam rolling through his competitors?

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, Bastet said:

The host always speaks of the time frame in terms of how it has appeared on air, not when and how long they've actually been in the studio.  

Hence my need to conjure up a flux capacitor while watching the show. 😉

[30 Helens]

6 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

I mean, wouldn't Amy have been on Jeopardy! for just 7 full days in order to win 35 games, which, assuming they shoot M-F, would be just a week and a couple of days?

I concede your point, but I still think 35 games is a lot of buzzer practice.

(And if you ever have room in the flux capacitor, I too could use a ride! 🙂)

[KAOS Agent]

5 hours ago, Ailianna said:

Did you feel that way when James was steam rolling through his competitors?

James played a very different game from Amy, so it's hard to compare the two. Mr. All In actually made the games interesting because he did bet it all when he was way ahead and occasionally, he'd get it wrong and have to start all over. It meant that the games did have a chance of being competitive even if it appeared to be a runaway. Amy is much more conservative and plays the game the way I would, but it makes for a boring competition. FJ is a huge part of the game and runaways make it meaningless. I find runaways boring in general.

I don't remember watching every game James was in, but I know it wasn't must see TV. I also know that today I watched a flamingo get an endoscopy on Nat Geo rather than Jeopardy.

[Welshman in Ca]

6 hours ago, KAOS Agent said:

 

I don't remember watching every game James was in, but I know it wasn't must see TV. I also know that today I watched a flamingo get an endoscopy on Nat Geo rather than Jeopardy.

But at which zoo? I've seen a few on various channels what with reruns and different channels being under the same umbrella.

[catlover79]

On 1/19/2022 at 1:19 PM, proserpina65 said:

I wouldn't limit it to just 5 games, but I'd definitely endorse bringing back a limit.  I hate long winning streaks.

I do, too - especially when every game is a blowout. Nothing against Amy, Matt, etc., but I like actual competition in the game.

[Ailianna]

On 1/19/2022 at 8:00 PM, 30 Helens said:

In the TV Tattle section of this website, there is a link to a Wall Street Journal article about the current state of Jeopardy that I can’t read because it’s behind a paywall, but the summary includes this quote:

All I can say is, PLEASE watch “Call Me Kat”! Tell your family and friends! And enemies! 

You can put it on as background noise while doing chores or reading the news. That's what I'm doing.

[Conotocarious]

2 hours ago, catlover79 said:

I do, too - especially when every game is a blowout. Nothing against Amy, Matt, etc., but I like actual competition in the game.

I watch the game to see what I know. I don’t have any stake in what the players do unless its a long streak.

[shapeshifter]

How about a limit of 5 or 10 games (1-2 weeks in viewer time) with more regular TOCs, like every 3 months?
Maybe the TOCs could air at prime time with Mayim hosting while the regular shows continue to air at the usual evening times with Ken hosting.
Maybe once a year the TOC champs would have a competition.

Edited January 22, 2022 by shapeshifter

[Ailianna]

Every 3 months is only about 12 weeks, so even if every single champion qualified, you wouldn't have the 15 for a TOC. That's part of the reason they are so spread out and not regular, is waiting for enough qualifying players.

[shapeshifter]

6 minutes ago, Ailianna said:

Every 3 months is only about 12 weeks, so even if every single champion qualified, you wouldn't have the 15 for a TOC. That's part of the reason they are so spread out and not regular, is waiting for enough qualifying players.

I was thinking the frequencies and lengths of the TOCs could be flexible, based on the occurrences of qualifying champs.

[Ailianna]

I also enjoy feeling like a TOC is really high quality players with good game skills. I'd rather wait longer to have more really good players available.

[PBnJay]

I was thinking today that when Amy loses we'll be back to clues left on the board, dozens of TSs every game, and DD wagers of $1,000 considered bold and daring. I'm enjoying this good player while we have her. 

I'd be just as depressed if excellent players were once again forced to leave after five wins. Dreck tv.

[Mario500]

 

[30 Helens]

Fun article on the double life of Jeopardy champions:

https://www.theringer.com/tv/2022/1/24/22899973/amy-schneider-jeopardy-winning-streak-secret

[ProudMary]

1 hour ago, 30 Helens said:

Fun article on the double life of Jeopardy champions:

https://www.theringer.com/tv/2022/1/24/22899973/amy-schneider-jeopardy-winning-streak-secret

Great article. Glad you shared it. Some funny stuff in there. I've often wondered about how odd it must be, especially when your shows start airing. How does one stop themselves from disclosing something that may have happened in game #7, when only the first five games have aired? It has to be a tricky line to walk.

[Bastet]

It will be interesting to see whether Amy winds up making a career change after she has her J! check, given (from that Ringer article):

Quote

Schneider is introduced in each of her games as “an engineering manager from Oakland, California.” But this, in fact, is a lie—or at least became one early in her winning streak. “I actually after a bit stopped being a manager just because [Jeopardy!] was taking up so much of my time that I couldn’t give my team the attention they needed,” she says. She now has a different position at the company that doesn’t involve managing direct reports.

Schneider got into a routine of flying to L.A. on Sunday nights, then heading back home on Tuesday nights, then trying to cram a full week’s worth of work into the next three days. “It’s funny because my boss and the vice president, who are the two people who really knew that I was missing so much time—neither of them really watches Jeopardy! and had no real conception of what it meant that I had to keep going down,” she says. “I had to let them know that in a shocking development in the modern world, I was actually not going to have access to my phone for the taping days.”

Quote

“Like so many people during COVID, I had started thinking about—is this what I want to be doing with my life?” she says. “I’d felt like, well, it sounds nice, but I really like the financial security. But now that I’ve got that anyway, I’m really thinking about it.”

Edited January 25, 2022 by Bastet

[3 is enough]

So the shows airing now were taped in late November/early December?  

I am really amazed that there have been no leaks.  I guess no audience it helps, but all it would take is one employee slipping up while out with friends and it could spread like wildfire. 

I do remember that Ken's loss was leaked early in the morning the day the episode aired, and that was before social media.  I am pretty sure I heard about James too, but living in Vegas there was always a lot of buzz about him.  Matt's loss, however, was not leaked at far as I recall.

Edited January 26, 2022 by 3 is enough

[Prevailing Wind]

6 hours ago, 3 is enough said:

all it would take is one employee slipping up

I don't think anyone at J! would want to put their job at risk.

[shapeshifter]

7 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

I don't think anyone at J! would want to put their job at risk.

Still, some humans (who? moi?) are really bad at not accidentally blurting something.
Which makes this pretty amazing:

13 hours ago, 3 is enough said:

Matt's loss, however, was not leaked at far as I recall.

So, I guess, @Prevailing Wind, Jeopardy! must include a lot of redundancies for the trait of tight-lippedness in their hiring process.
Plus, don't they tend to keep employees for life? Or is it just that there are still a few old-timers around because of the age of the show?
Still, if even one entered the early stages of dementia, stuff could accidentally leak.
There must be a lot of camaraderie and loyalty amongst the crew and their families.

[HelenBaby]

On 1/20/2022 at 8:49 PM, Ailianna said:

Did you feel that way when James was steam rolling through his competitors?

Yes. I didn’t watch either Jim or Matt when they were on their streaks. I have watched most of Amy’s because she’s more likable but I’m still tired of her being on the show. I wasn’t watching when Ken went on his streak because I quit watching the show for about ten years. 

[SomeTameGazelle]

35 minutes ago, HelenBaby said:

I didn’t watch either Jim or Matt when they were on their streaks.

Does James Holzhauer ever go by Jim?  I have never seen him referred to as anything other than James. 

[Trey]

39 minutes ago, HelenBaby said:

I wasn’t watching when Ken went on his streak because I quit watching the show for about ten years. 

I watched Jeopardy! from the Art Fleming days but had quit watching for some years too and also missed Ken's streak.  I just got tired of so many questions being the same even if worded differently - I think the writers got lazy.  At that time there were other game shows (don't ask me their names because I forget) and they had questions the same as Jeopardy's, so I assumed one set of writers wrote for them all.  It got very boring.

That was pre-internet (at least for me) so there was no TWOP or Primetimer to snark on, which might have kept me watching.

Anyhow, I don't really mind the streaks. I think I liked Matt better than I like Amy but I like them all pretty well, even James.  They are just a novelty and even Amy's end will come eventually.  Maybe we're tired of streaks because we've had three relatively close together.

Edited January 26, 2022 by Trey

[SomeTameGazelle]

1 hour ago, Trey said:

Anyhow, I don't really mind the streaks. I think I liked Matt better than I like Amy but I like them all pretty well, even James. 

My mother adores James and I think she was disappointed when Matt passed his win record -- but James remains so far out in front regarding daily dollar values I think that's some consolation. 

I enjoy streaks in general but sometimes I start rooting against the champion sooner. I don't think I got to the point of rooting against Matt but even though I like Amy about 2 weeks ago I noticed I started hoping for an upset. YMMV.

[Prevailing Wind]

5 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

So, I guess, @Prevailing Wind, Jeopardy! must include a lot of redundancies for the trait of tight-lippedness in their hiring process.

I think the ones with loose lips no longer work there. And haven't since their first slip of the tongue.

[HelenBaby]

4 hours ago, SomeTameGazelle said:

Does James Holzhauer ever go by Jim?  I have never seen him referred to as anything other than James. 

I have no idea why I called him Jim. Lol

[Moose135]

6 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Plus, don't they tend to keep employees for life?

Kind of like the mob...

😆

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, Prevailing Wind said:

I think the ones with loose lips no longer work there. And haven't since their first slip of the tongue.

Also like The Mob.  
I see a pattern. 
🏴‍☠️😅