Dumbest Jeopardy Move Ever!!!

I know there are some of us on here who find ourselves scratching our heads occasionally over some of the wagering decisions that contestants make on Jeopardy. Well tonight's episode may have taken the cake in terms of bonehead moves.....

The returning champion hit the Daily Double on the very last question of Double Jeopardy. At the time, he had exactly $10,000 and the two challengers had $8,600 and $8,400. Ken Jennings even pointed out to him before he made his wager that he had a $1,400 lead and as I said it was the last question before Final Jeopardy.

I could not BELIEVE it when the guy said he would wager $2,000. How could he not realize the importance of being ahead going into Final Jeopardy and therefore make a wager that would guarantee that he would maintain a lead?

So he missed the question and because of that stupid wager he dropped from first place to third place, since he now only had $8,000. Miraculously he was the only one to get Final Jeopardy correct, so he still won in spite of himself and will be back tomorrow, but if he makes another move like that, he will not last much longer.

Yes it is perplexing at some of the wagering.

Many of the contestants are knowledgeable about "facts" but only a few are good at math, or even arithmetic! Many wager poorly and few are gamblers or risk takers.

Giving them the benefit of the doubt, I can imagine after 20 minutes, or even multiple games, of intense playing, wagering can be compromised by brain fatigue.

My partner is fairly knowledgeable but not so good at math and is always amazed at how the contestants, in Final Jeopardy, can wager accurately enough to win by $1.

I didn't find this contestant to be a savvy player despite being very knowledgeable.

I didn't see the Double Jeopardy portion of the game last night. We usually watch the first game and then have dinner. We will stop eating to watch the Final Jeopardy. When there is a contestant with multiple wins, or one we particularly like, we will either record the episode or pause the play and watch after we eat.

Logic fails some people. If I'm betting more than $1,399 in that situation, I might as well bet everything.

With that being said, supposing he bet $1,399 and won, he'd have $11,399. If he lost, he'd have $8,601. If I was the person in third place, I'd wager nothing on Final Jeopardy. Reason being: the first-placed contestant would have to bet more than the second-placed contestant was able to wager [$2,799 or $8,600] in order to win with a correct answer. The second-placed contestant would have to wager more than the third-placed contestant could beat [$8,201, to possibly win $16,801]. The person in third place can only win with incorrect guesses from the other two, so why wager anything? From a risk perspective, it would seem wise to bet nothing.

Is my logic incorrect?

You are on the right track. There are often times when you can tell that the third place person did the only thing they could do.........wager little or nothing and hope that the other two would cancel each other out. And sometimes it does work out that way.

By the way, the same guy got lucky again tonight. He was in second place heading into Final Jeopardy and was trailing by about $4-5,000. But he got the final question right and the person ahead of him did not, so he won his third game.

Likable enough fellow but so far he has been much more lucky than good.

Yeah, I watched it last night. From his general affect after winning, he seems to know that he's catching a few breaks. He's up to $72 grand, so God bless him.

Yesterday --

Final Jeopardy Answer: The name of a bridge in Leland, Mississippi honoring Jim Henson
Final Jeopardy Question: What is "The Rainbow Connection?"

They all got it.

Kermit the Frog & Debbie Harry -The Rainbow Connection

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lur0fvl6B1Y

Pretty easy one. Even if you had never heard of the bridge, which I had not, that was the only thing to come to mind due to the wording of the clue.

On an unrelated note, I read last night online that they are toying around with a new rule....one that will offer a cash bonus to a player any time they run a category. Still in the discussion stages, so we will see if it comes to pass.

Celebrity tournament starts Sunday night [[25th) in prime time with Mayim back as the host.

I never heard of the Rainbow Connection and would have missed that question.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jerry Oz

I never heard of the Rainbow Connection and would have missed that question.

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Neither have I! My partner, who is a generation younger than I, didn't guess correctly but he knew the song once the title was revealed.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by johnjeb

Neither have I! My partner, who is a generation younger than I, didn't guess correctly but he knew the song once the title was revealed.

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It was composed for "The Muppet Movie" by Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher in 1979.
It has been performed by the likes of Willie Nelson and Barbra Streisand. If you haven't heard it, I recommend that you go listen to it. :o

" It's a song of wistful longing that may feel familiar to anyone who's grown up in a small town. Who's dreamed about leaving that small town. Or been a dreamer quieting the doubters, longing for connection with others who see big, colorful visions."