[quote name=\'Chuck Sutton\' post=\'170771\' date=\'Nov 28 2007, 07:18 PM\']Using that logic (as flawed as it is) The correct answer would then be $566,393 as you would have to also need to save $1 on each of the last two daily double bets to assure you can come back.(saving the dollar on each bet costs you 7 in the end)[/quote]But you can't do that.
"What is the maximum amount of money a contestant can win on an episode of Jeopardy! under normal conditions (no extra categories or other bonuses)?"
"$566,400."
That guy from before can claim that 566399 is right until he bleeds strawberry ice cream from his rectum, but that doesn't make it so. And it's not preposterous, it's just a fact if you do the math. Does this sort of thing live off in the land of theory, hypothetical and make-believe? Of course. In 25 years, the closest anyone has gotten is 75000 out of that; a bit more than 13%. (I don't remember if anyone played a better game percentage-wise back in the Art days.) Sure, all of those random things have to fall into place, and one of those hasn't even been possible because of the DD layout. But that doesn't make the maximum amount any less factual.
But for what it is, it's hardly an interesting puzzle or anything. Anyone who knows the rules of the game and who can do careful math can arrive at the answer, as opposed to that thread from eons ago where someone asked what was the maximum prize on The 3 Ws.
And I'll say it again: I take great offense at being told that I'm somehow less of a game show fan just because the answer didn't instantly go to my head. I actually didn't make the connection until I divided the number in half.