Former Jeopardy! Champ Says Show Should Limit Consecutive Wins
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Former Jeopardy! Champ Says Show Should Limit Consecutive Wins: ‘Might as Well Move the Show to Vegas’
Is it time for Jeopardy! to change its format?
Former Jeopardy! champion Tom Nichols is the latest to say the trivia show needs to limit consecutive wins. In a conversation with Boston Public Radio, he shared how the game’s rules make it more difficult for new players to win, or make a name for themselves.
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“After about two or three wins, I think you’ve got such an advantage. You’ve been using the buzzer, — which is much more important than people realize; you’re a lot more comfortable in the studio; you understand the rhythm of the game,” Nichols explained.
“Newer people just walking in there don’t really have much of a chance, and that’s purely because the returning champions have mastered the mechanics of the game,” he claimed.
Amy Schneider Credit: courtesy jeopardy inc.
Nichols’ comments come as viewers have been watching Amy Schneider, the woman with the most consecutive game wins of all time, on a historic winning streak. So far, she’s won 38 games and $1,307,200, making her the 5th highest earner on Jeopardy! ever.
Nichols’ point outlined the old Jeopardy! rules, which made people “retire” from the game after five wins. “If you’ve done that for eight, nine, 10 games, there’s a reason they used to retire you,” he said. “But the ratings are up, and people want to treat it like a sport and professionalize it. You might as well move the show to Vegas.”
The former Jeopardy! contestant first appeared on the show in 1994. At the time, he won four games and lost his fifth, though he was invited back when the series confirmed he was actually right about an answer that Jeopardy! had determined to be wrong. Nichols went on to win the redo of his fifth game, according to the Jeopardy! archives.
Conversations on Twitter also echoed Nichols’ point. While many longtime viewers claim to find the current format tired, others questioned the timing of the complaints.
Does computer science make great ‘Jeopardy!’ champs?
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Succeeding as a contestant on “Jeopardy!” requires a breadth of knowledge that spans from ancient history to the latest pop culture. One might then think that the best contestants would be those who have studied a wide range of subjects, masters of none whose college years were defined by a grab bag of liberal arts courses.
There have undoubtedly been countless “Jeopardy!” champions with liberal arts degrees (Brad Rutter, Julia Collins and Matt Jackson come to mind), but it turns out that many of the show’s winningest champions, including current champ Amy Schneider of Oakland, weren’t collecting abstruse elective credits in college but rather studying a topic that rarely comes into play when standing on stage: computer science.
In addition to Schneider (who told SFGATE in November that she’d just switched back from a managerial position to writing code), the list of CS champions is long and distinguished.
Matt Amodio, who held the second-longest winning streak until Schneider surpassed him Monday night, is pursuing a Ph.D. in computer science from Yale University. Andrew He, a software engineer from San Francisco, won five straight games in November of 2021. Roger Craig, who held the highest single-day winnings for nearly 10 years, has a Ph.D. in comp sci from University of Delaware. The person who broke Craig’s record, James Holzhauer, didn’t study CS, but his mathematics degree is close enough to mention.
And of course, Ken Jennings, winner of 74 consecutive matches and current host of the show, worked as a software developer during his epic streak.
Though correlation doesn’t necessarily mean causation, it’s something that fans of the show have often observed
“It’s definitely something that I’ve noticed,” says Andy Saunders, who runs the website The Jeopardy Fan. “There’s two advantages. From the computing and analytics side of things, if you consider clues and responses to be bits of data, [computer engineers] are already used to processing large amounts of data. That can carry over in terms of the best way of betting, and where’s the Daily Double likely to be, that in itself is kind of an advantage a computer person would have when it comes to ‘Jeopardy!’”
“It’s also how an engineer’s brain works,” he continues. “Often, engineers are very curious about how things work the way they do in the world. That natural curiosity about the world is well-suited to learning and appreciating information in general.”
The way an engineering-minded brain always looks to understand the root of a problem might also give them an edge, since they’re not just remembering a discrete fact but have made a series of connections that increase likelihood of recall (this is also a key to remembering internet passwords).
Another person with some theories as to why computer scientists make such natural champions is J. P. Allen, a University of San Francisco professor who holds a Ph.D. in computer science and appeared in the “Jeopardy! Professors Tournament” in the fall.
“I don’t think it’s the content of computer science,” says Allen. “There’s not that much computer science content on ‘Jeopardy!’ And you saw Matt Amodio miss a question about the Turing Award, which is sort of the Nobel Prize of computer science, so it’s not about that CS knowledge.”
“The way they write the clues, it’s kind of a puzzle to solve. It’s not just fact recall necessarily. Because they give you a lot of little clues along the way. You can see it a lot more with Matt Amodio, but also with Amy, they buzz in and then they think they should get it, and you see them for a second or two solving the puzzle and figuring out the answer rather than just recalling it from their brain.”
Armando Fox, a CS professor at UC Berkeley who hasn’t yet been on “Jeopardy!” but who did compete on a similar trivia show in the 1990s called “Win Ben Stein’s Money,” agreed with Allen.
“CS tends to attract people who enjoy deep diving into a problem. They enjoy keeping a lot of different bits of information in their heads simultaneously as they navigate how to solve a hard problem,” Fox points out. “I think those same people also get sucked into things like reading. My colleagues in CS certainly have a reading range that’s incredibly wide, but it’s also deep. They find something they’re interested in and go at it with laser focus.”
Fox went on to describe the immense amount of reading required when researching computer science topics.
“You’re sort of building up this corpus of knowledge in your head, and at some point, you’re like, ‘Oh, those two pieces could go together in that way. Nobody thought of that.’ And that’s what I think computer science mostly is.”
Fox also astutely points out that the cataloging of information is one of the biggest practical applications of computer science (Google states that its company mission is to organize the world’s information). Additionally, Fox said he feels that computer scientists are always fighting against certain stereotypes of being single-minded or detached from popular culture, leading to an overcompensation.
“If you’re in a technical field, and you’re not culturally conversant with the highlights of history, of literature, of the fine arts, you’re seen as something of a Philistine. You’re one-dimensional, you’re great at computers or math, but you’re not well-versed.”
All three experts had fairly strong theories as to why computer science is such a valuable skill in a Jeopardy player’s toolbox, but it doesn’t mean that liberal arts don’t matter: The GOAT himself, Ken Jennings, holds both a computer science and English degree.
According to Allen, that’s part of what made Jennings, as well as Schneider (who has an extensive theater background), such dominant champs.
“Jeopardy is generalist trivia, not specialist trivia,” says Allen, “so the people who have mastered the two basic areas, on one hand, math and logic, the numbers, then on the other hand, something about the written language, since wordplay is such a big part of ‘Jeopardy!’ as well … I feel like it’s the killer combination.”
The highest-earning Jeopardy! winners of all time
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CULVER CITY, CA - JULY 14: Jeopardy host Alex Trebek, (L) poses contestant Ken Jennings after his earnings from his record breaking streak on the gameshow surpassed 1 million dollars July 14, 2004 in Culver City, California. (Photo by Jeopardy Productions via Getty Images)
On January 7, 2022, Jeopardy! contestant Amy Schneider became the fourth person in the game show’s history to surpass $1 million in regular season winnings—and the first woman to do so.
It’s hard enough to make it onto Jeopardy!, let alone win a game. But a small group of contestants has exceeded that goal many times over by taking home record-breaking prizes. Below, you can see which players made Jeopardy! history both in single episodes and their entire run.
Fans of the game show should recognize some names in the Jeopardy! Hall of Fame. Ken Jennings is at the top with the greatest cumulative winnings, excluding tournaments. He racked up $2,520,700 during his historic 74-game run in 2004.
Despite claiming numerous Jeopardy! superlatives, Jennings (who writes Mental Floss’ weekly Kennections quizzes) doesn’t appear on the list of highest single-game winnings. All 10 spots on the ranking are held by James Holzhauer, who smashed the program’s records with his bold betting strategy. In the episode that aired on April 17, 2019, he earned $131,127 in one game.
Unlike other game shows, it takes more than luck to become a Jeopardy! all-star. After reading the lists of the highest overall winnings and highest single-game winnings below, check out these secrets of past Jeopardy! contestants.
What is the most amount of money won on Jeopardy?
HIGHEST REGULAR-SEASON PLAY WINNINGS
Ken Jennings // $2,520,700
James Holzhauer // $2,462,216
Matt Amodio // $1,518,601
Amy Schneider // $1,019,600
Jason Zuffranieri // $532,496
David Madden // $430,400
Julia Collins // $428,100
Matt Jackson // $411,612
Austin Rogers // $411,000
Arthur Chu // $297,200
HIGHEST SINGLE GAME WINNINGS
James Holzhauer // $131,127
James Holzhauer // $130,022
James Holzhauer // $118,816
James Holzhauer // $110,914
James Holzhauer // $106,181
James Holzhauer // $101,682
James Holzhauer // $96,726
James Holzhauer // $90,812
James Holzhauer // $90,812
James Holzhauer // $89,229
A version of this story ran in 2021; it has been updated for 2022.
This article originally appeared on Mental Floss and is written by Michele Debczak.
‘Jeopardy!’ champ Amy Schneider on trans representation, next Tournament of Champions
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Amy Schneider, the winningest woman in “Jeopardy!” history, opened up to “Good Morning America” Monday about her experience on the quiz show.Schneider, who is currently tied with Matt Amodio with the second-longest winning streak in “Jeopardy!” history, spoke to George Stephanopoulos, who was a guest host in July 2021, about the best advice she received from host and fellow champ Ken Jennings, her buzzer technique and if she is looking forward to the next Tournament of Champions.Scroll down for Schneider’s Q&A with “GMA”:: You are in the zone. What’s the secret?: I’m not really sure about a lot of it; I never expected to do this well, but I think the main secret is just being curious and spending my life learning a lot of stuff.: You say you never expected this, but when you were young you were voted “most likely to be on ‘Jeopardy!’” Tell us about that.: Yeah, I mean, I was good in school. I got good grades, I won the spelling bee. So yeah, I definitely – I did expect to be on “Jeopardy!” and to do all right, just never expected to do it quite this well.: If you get past the record today, only Ken Jennings is ahead of you. Has he given you any advice?: He’s limited in what he can tell me just because he’s the host. He has to stay neutral and whatever. The advice he gives all of us before every game is just to relax and have fun and enjoy the moment. That’s definitely something I’ve been trying to do.: Trying?: Oh, I’ve been enjoying it. Let me be clear, yes.: But it’s so intense. Tell us about your buzzer technique.: I practiced at home with a ball-point pen but you don’t really know until you get there. The sort-of strategy I had in mind, the way I was planning to time it, like that first game, it wasn’t quite working as well as it needed to. For whatever reason I decided to throw that out and stop thinking about it and purely try to go on instinct and feel. From then on I’ve just been really good at the buzzer. I didn’t know if that would be the case and I’m pretty excited it has been.: Were you prepared for being so famous?: No, not really. There’s a bit of a gap between the taping and the airing, so I did have some time to like get used to the idea. I didn’t really know what it would be or how famous is “Jeopardy!” famous. So it’s been a lot, but it’s mostly been just really fun.: What’s been the best part of the experience?: I think that the best part for me has been being on TV, you know, as my true self, expressing myself and representing the entire community of trans people and … just being, you know, a smart, confident woman and doing something super normal like being on “Jeopardy!”: You’re doing it so well. Regardless of today’s outcome, you’ll be playing in the next Tournament of Champions. Bet you’re looking forward to that.: Oh, I’m definitely looking forward to it. I’m also a little bit intimidated by it. When I first started I wasn’t sure if I might be going up against Matt Amodio and I was really hoping I wouldn’t. And now it turns out I’m going to have to anyway. It’s going to be really challenging; a lot of strong players there, but it should be a lot of fun.: Well you’ve made your mark. Do you know what’s next for you?: I’m not sure, but I’m thinking about it. I’m like, you know, considering do I want to write a book? What other opportunities might be out there? I’m exploring that.: Everything has changed for you, hasn’t it?: It has.
Another ‘Jeopardy!’ win moves Amy Schneider into 2nd place behind Ken Jennings
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Amy Schneider was too legit to quit on Monday’s “Jeopardy!,” as she dominated her competition on the way to yet another historic win. This was her 39th consecutive win, which moved her ahead of Matt Amodio and into second place behind Ken Jennings’ record of 74 consecutive wins in 2004.
On the way to winning $1,319.800, Schneider has appeared unflappable. With no signs of slowing down, coming up with new stories to share during the contestant interviews may prove to be the most challenging part of the game.
For Schneider’s 39th game-time interview, she talked about a stuffed penguin who kept her company during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I was living alone at the time and when I realized that I was not going to have any social life for a while,” Schneider said. “I ordered a stuffed penguin, named her Penny, and then I would just post daily pictures on Instagram about our lives together.”
Video Transcript
- In “U Can’t Touch This,” he wrapped his thanks to the Lord for blessing me with a mind to rhyme and two hyped feet. Amy?
AMY SCHNEIDER: Who is M.C. Hammer.
- It’s hammer time, yes.
KYLIE MAR: Amy Schneider was too legit to quit on Monday’s “Jeopardy!” as she dominated her competition on the way to yet another historic win.
- A comfortable win and a 39 day total of $1,319,000. You now have the second-longest streak in “Jeopardy!” history. Let’s see how long it will go, folks.
KYLIE MAR: The win moves her ahead of 2021 phenom Matt Amodio and in second place behind Ken Jennings record of 74 consecutive wins in 2004. As wins winds increase, so does her support on social media, with one fan tweeting, “I don’t know about any of you guys, but in my household, “Jeopardy!” is now known as “The Amy Show.” With an impressive 39 wins and no signs of slowing down, coming up with new stories to tell during the contestant interviews may prove to be the most challenging part of the game.
AMY SCHNEIDER: I was living alone at the time, and when I realized that I was not going to have any social life for a while, I ordered a stuffed penguin, named her Penny, and then I would just post daily pictures on Instagram about our lives together.