Author Topic: Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions (Read 9703 times)

zachhoran · « **Reply #30 on:** June 28, 2004, 07:49:21 PM »

[quote name=\'rmfromfla\' date=\'Jun 28 2004, 06:26 PM\'] Hey, it happened on "The Challengers" in 11/90 when Stan Newman
qualified for their fall TOC while still the defending champ in regular games;
he went on to win the TOC and two more shows before losing and taking
home total winnings of over $110,000+ [/quote]
How many TofC's did the show do in its 11 months of first-run life? It seems odd to do one two months after the show aired(though a tourney every two months was the norm for both $100K Pyramid runs)

Strikerz04 · « **Reply #31 on:** June 29, 2004, 01:19:52 AM »

[quote name=\'HairMetalLives\' date=\'Jun 28 2004, 11:33 AM\'] [quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Jun 28 2004, 08:55 AM\'] Would there be any merit to a handicap system in the tourney, where a player would start "in Jeopardy" based on his or her highest one day total? All players would start in the red and that would be an equilizer when competing against Ken or other big champs and prevent an early runaway. [/quote]
I can see it now!
Harlow, you're going to start today's match $1200 in the red. Tylthode, you will start today $1800 in the red. Ken Jennings -- our all time champion -- you will begin today's game $80,000 in the negatives.
[/quote]
And Ken Jennings, you win the match with $2 in the BLACK!!! CONGRATS!

well seriously, there are two things I should ask: one is when does season 20 end to begin with? We're going into July, and at the rate he's going, I don't think he'll be beaten by the end of the season. The second question is when exactly in September should the 2004 ToC begin?

Craig Karlberg · « **Reply #32 on:** June 29, 2004, 05:23:06 AM »

To answer Strikerz04's querry:

Jeopardy!'s current season ends Friday, July 23.

As far as the Season 21 premiere of September 6 goes, it's anybody's guess as to whether it starts with the T of C or regular game play(except Ken himself & he's sworn to secrecy on that end).

rmfromfla · « **Reply #33 on:** June 29, 2004, 08:24:51 AM »

Actually, "The Challengers" had two TOC's: November 90' (one week
with their nine biggest winners: Maggie Baker, Ben Douglas, Mark Ryder,
Chuck Locke, Larry Kaplan, Scott Peterson; finalists: Russell Giles, Gene
Murray, and winner Stan Newman)
February 91' (winners from end of last TOC to 2/91): Nathan Walpole,
Evan Allen, Warren Harrison, Ron Martel, Mort Kamins, Rick Rorepaugh,
and finalists Julie Spickler, Chris Shea; winner Lorin Burte (this group had
less cash to win since there was no escalating "Ultimate Challenge" that
the previous champs had...)
I have no idea if there was a third and final TOC to end the series since
"The Challengers" was cancelled here a month before it finally ended; the
big winner during this time period was Ed Lander, who won $47,930.

zachhoran · « **Reply #34 on:** June 29, 2004, 10:02:10 AM »

[quote name=\'rmfromfla\' date=\'Jun 29 2004, 07:24 AM\'] Actually, "The Challengers" had two TOC's: November 90' (one week
with their nine biggest winners: Maggie Baker, Ben Douglas, Mark Ryder,
Chuck Locke, Larry Kaplan, Scott Peterson; finalists: Russell Giles, Gene
Murray, and winner Stan Newman)
February 91' (winners from end of last TOC to 2/91): Nathan Walpole,
Evan Allen, Warren Harrison, Ron Martel, Mort Kamins, Rick Rorepaugh,
and finalists Julie Spickler, Chris Shea; winner Lorin Burte (this group had
less cash to win since there was no escalating "Ultimate Challenge" that
the previous champs had...)
I have no idea if there was a third and final TOC to end the series since
"The Challengers" was cancelled here a month before it finally ended; the
big winner during this time period was Ed Lander, who won $47,930. [/quote]
Wow, I thought I was the one who knew the most minutiae

Were you associated with this show in some capacity?

Philly only saw the first seven weeks of the Challengers' run, as on 10/22/90, WCAU, which was airing it at 7:30PM, returned Combs Feud to the time slot.

Carlo Panno, who worked on the Challengers, reported that the last several weeks of the show's run were repeated. Some weeks of shows didn't have the date reference on the monitor behind Dick's podium when it was known the show wouldn't be back for another season, and those weeks were rerun during the late Summer 1991. THe original plan was to have a 52-week season with no repeats(would have been the first syndicated game show to do so had it occurred), and have a stand-in host for Dick a few weeks a year.

rmfromfla · « **Reply #35 on:** June 29, 2004, 12:29:03 PM »

The station in my area carried "Challengers" at 3:30 PM with very few
disruptions; next on another station at 4 was "Quiz Kids Challenge" and then
where it always has been for the last 18 years, Jeopardy at 4:30.
The one week of shows I remember that had no dates was Teacher's
Week (that might have been taped before the regular games took place).
And one note about the contestants: most of them were ex-Jeopardy players/champs, beginning with Doak Fairey; the two players who went later
to Jeopardy and had success were Howard Robinson and Mort Kamins (plus
TOC winner Lorin Burte lost in 1998 to 5xer Lara Robillard...)

ChuckNet · « **Reply #36 on:** June 29, 2004, 12:55:11 PM »

Quote

February 91' (winners from end of last TOC to 2/91): Nathan Walpole,
Evan Allen, Warren Harrison, Ron Martel, Mort Kamins, Rick Rorepaugh,
and finalists Julie Spickler, Chris Shea; winner Lorin Burte (this group had
less cash to win since there was no escalating "Ultimate Challenge" that
the previous champs had...)

It should also be noted that Mort Kamins was $otC's all-time top winner just 7 yrs before that, which included a tournament win...until the $1M CoaL came along, it made him the 3rd biggest winner of all time.

Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")

zachhoran · « **Reply #37 on:** June 29, 2004, 06:55:39 PM »

[quote name=\'rmfromfla\' date=\'Jun 29 2004, 11:29 AM\']
And one note about the contestants: most of them were ex-Jeopardy players/champs, beginning with Doak Fairey; the two players who went later
to Jeopardy and had success were Howard Robinson and Mort Kamins (plus
TOC winner Lorin Burte lost in 1998 to 5xer Lara Robillard...) [/quote]
80s J! contestant coordinator Greg Muntean was the contestant maven on the CHallengers, so he probably used some of his J! rolodex to help recruit players.

Don Howard · « **Reply #38 on:** June 30, 2004, 06:00:07 PM »

[quote name=\'Craig Karlberg\' date=\'Jun 28 2004, 03:55 AM\'] Once that happens, then he becomes most likely the "#1 seed" going into the 2005 T of C. [/quote]
He'll be the only seed and the automatic winner because I don't believe that dude's ever going to lose.

Dbacksfan12 · « **Reply #39 on:** July 01, 2004, 01:24:36 AM »

[quote name=\'adamjk\' date=\'Jun 28 2004, 03:15 PM\'] I have an idea as to how Jeopardy could handle the situation with Ken should it come up. This is just my opinion mind you, but I would say let him play in the tourney, and if he wins, have him retire as champ right then and there, if he doesn't, then have him keep going as champ until beaten. What do you guys think? [/quote]
You might as well throw out the "unlimited days" rule then; because your saying that if he wins a specified game, he's done.

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