Jeopardy! -- Why Bother Watching?

[gameshowguy2000]

[quote name=\'JasonA1\' date=\'Jun 18 2004, 11:59 AM\']

Also, the "camera placement issue" thing doesn't hold water if you know how the show is shot.

Additionally, the show doesn't even take close-ups of the individual windows anymore. It's simply a computer graphic representing a close-up of a monitor, so no more different than when the answer "flies up" - just with a fake TV screen border around it.

-Jason [/quote]
 Didn't the cameras used to zoom up to the monitors in the past?

When I first started watching the show, when the first clue was selected, the cameras just zoomed up to the monitor with said clue in it.

[chris319]

Didn't the cameras used to zoom up to the monitors in the past?

When I first started watching the show, when the first clue was selected, the cameras just zoomed up to the monitor with said clue in it.

That's a throwback to the olden days in New York when the answers were on art cards.

Anyhoo, nothing I've posted in this thread is intended to be a slam against Ken himself. The point of this thread is how predictable the game can be when match after match is lopsided in favor of one contestant.

[CarbonCpy]

I think part of my reason for watching would be how some contestants, knowing that they're up against Ken, and his veritable maven-ness, tend to go all screwball during Final J!.

Case in point, in this rather small JPEG:

http://www.badmentalhygiene.com/heh.jpg

[Dbacksfan12]

[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Jun 18 2004, 01:17 PM\'] I was just trying to come up with scenarios on how to beat Mr. Jennings.  Of course, Matt may have already figured that out.  Maybe they could put a rebus puzzle behind the board...... [/quote]
 Or maybe they could have a trio of swingers.

[MCArroyo1]

[quote name=\'JasonA1\' date=\'Jun 18 2004, 11:59 AM\'] Additionally, the show doesn't even take close-ups of the individual windows anymore. It's simply a computer graphic representing a close-up of a monitor, so no more different than when the answer "flies up" - just with a fake TV screen border around it. [/quote]
 I took a look at a recent episode, and when they had a "close-up" of a clue, I could see some of the lights on the set as if they were reflecting off the board.  If this is true, then there actually is a camera taking a close-up on the board in some occasions (just not when the "fly up" effect is being used).

Or I'm insane.

[Clay Zambo]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Jun 18 2004, 11:46 AM\'] Also, the "camera placement issue" thing doesn't hold water if you know how the show is shot. I've never been to a taping, but I would guess it's a three-camera affair, cross-shot: camera 1 on the left is the wide shot of the players podiums, camera 3 on the right shoots the board, and camera 2 rovers between individual player shots and Trebek. [/quote]
 The new J! book has some behind-the-scenes photos including one I found interesting.  It's taken from behind the wall downstage of the gameboard.  (This was from the dark wood set, but they may use something similar now.) Two panels from that wall are removable, with camerapersons shooting the contestants from behind them--one's a shot of all three, the other's for the player who rings in.  I don't recall a snapshot revealing how many more there were, but in the 360-degree view available at the Jeopardy site I counted six camera positions.  Admittedly, that's from a touring set (Ohio State), so they might well use more positions than the studio set does.

I feel like such a geek.

[starcade]

Jimmy Owen:  Yes he could.

[davemackey]

Okay. (this is like sports radio).

Ken Jennings vs. John Hatten. "Blockbusters" at ten paces. One head-to-head 4x4 game (like Ahmed's Round 3). Who wins?

[MCArroyo1]

I'd say Hatten.

Jennings has this incredible depth of knowledge, but "Blockbusters" usually doesn't require as much of that.  Rather, those who are quicker on the buzzer (and who at least know something) are more likely to win.  We know that Jennings is fast on the trigger, but so was Hatten, under tougher circumstances (he had to buzz in more quickly than Jennings would have to, since he could buzz before the question was finished).

So Hatten (at least back in 1980) would probably ring in more frequently than Jennings, thus giving him a better shot at winning.

Now if you consider Jennings against a 2004 Hatten with slower reflexes, the game might not tilt as much in John's favor.

[Don Howard]

[quote name=\'MCArroyo1\' date=\'Jun 19 2004, 11:30 PM\'] So Hatten (at least back in 1980) would probably ring in more frequently than Jennings, thus giving him a better shot at winning.

 [/quote]
And John Hatten played his last few games with the knowledge that his house had burned to the ground and still he was flawless.

[Gromit]

I've only seen the last three shows (never been a regular Jeopardy watcher for some reason), but I've been enjoying them immensely, for many of the reasons mentioned above. (HA! I knew that! You bozo!)

The thing that's been bothering me is the *other* contestants. They're trailing 12,000 to 3,000 or something like that. They get the Daily Double. What do they bet? 800 or some such ridiculous sum.

HELLO! The guy next to you is a 12 time champion, with 400 grand already in the bank, and he's waxing your ass. And you're playing it SAFE?! What, you think he's suddenly going to get nine or ten answers wrong in a row and come back to you? He's suddenly going to forget how to push the button?

These guys had one chance to win, and that was by going big on the daily double and at least getting close enough so that Final Jeopardy was relevant. They're playing to lose. Geeze.

[Frank15]

[quote name=\'Gromit\' date=\'Jun 20 2004, 03:11 AM\'] The thing that's been bothering me is the *other* contestants. They're trailing 12,000 to 3,000 or something like that. They get the Daily Double. What do they bet? 800 or some such ridiculous sum.

HELLO! The guy next to you is a 12 time champion, with 400 grand already in the bank, and he's waxing your ass. And you're playing it SAFE?! What, you think he's suddenly going to get nine or ten answers wrong in a row and come back to you? He's suddenly going to forget how to push the button? [/quote]
 That's bugged me too, actually.  Have these contestants seen Ken in action before?  Obviously, if they have, they should know that playing it safe is not a good move, but not being familiar enough with the show, I'm not sure how familiar they could be with Ken.

Of course, when he's on for 43 days, hopefully the contestants will realize by then that he's the same guy they've been seeing on TV for weeks, and get a little better with Daily Double betting .

[DrBear]

[quote name=\'Frank15\' date=\'Jun 20 2004, 03:07 AM\'] Of course, when he's on for 43 days, hopefully the contestants will realize by then that he's the same guy they've been seeing on TV for weeks, and get a little better with Daily Double betting . [/quote]
 You've only been here since late May, so here's a bit of information.

Our own genial host, Matt O. is on Monday, I believe. Matt told us several weeks ago he had taped his show, so for someone to get some idea of Jennings' reign of terror from watching it, then actually facing him, would take a few months ... even assuming they're taping now.

By which time Jennings will own Alex Trebek's house, if not Alex himself.

[JasonA1]

I took a look at a recent episode, and when they had a "close-up" of a clue, I could see some of the lights on the set as if they were reflecting off the board.

It's the same reflection (i.e. same graphic) for every close-up. Last I watched, there isn't even a real close-up of the FJ clue either which was kinda lame.

-Jason

[Ian Wallis]

There will be occasions when, for techincal reasons, the players are told before a round begins that one particular category must be played from top to bottom. (We had such a warning in my game Monday.) Even then, you could leave the category and come back to it later, but you had to go back to the next clue in order. Other than that, and even that doesn't happen in nearly every game, players are free to jump around as much as they like.

"Technical reasons" must be that the category is all visual, or something like that.  Whenever those categories pop up, I've noticed they're always taken in order.

Even though players are free to jump around as much as they like on the other categories, I was under the impression the contestant co-ordinators "encouraged" them to take the clues "in order", but it wasn't complusory.

Also, when a contestant controls a category and plays it in order, the camera usually cuts to a closeup of the monitor, so the camera must be shooting it and ready to be put on the air.  Whenever another contestant gains control, they go to a wide shot incase they pick another category.  

I've never been to a taping, but that's what I've noticed...