One Year to Train: Jeopardy or Millionaire?

[Jeremy Nelson]

You’re given the option to compete on Jeopardy or Millionaire one year from today. You don’t have to go to work and your living expenses are covered- studying is the only thing on your to-do list. For the sake of the argument, Millionaire uses the current Kimmel rules. Which show do you choose to compete on?

[Kevin Prather]

Tough choice.

Millionaire has the advantage that you're only playing against the house, not other players who may be just as well-studied as you. All the prep and studying in the world does little good when you show up to the studio and see Matt Amodio standing there.

However Millionaire can sink your whole game with one question. Jeopardy gives you the luxury of being allowed to not respond to certain clues, and even get some of them wrong.

I feel like a year of training could go farther on Millionaire than on Jeopardy. I said when my Millionaire episode aired that I hoped to be ready for Jeopardy in ten years' time. That was five years ago, and I can honestly say I am no closer than I was.

[Chuck Sutton]

You said current Millionaire rules,  so I am guaranteed $32,000.  I am taking that.

[SuperMatch93]

Jeopardy has so many more variables than Millionaire that I'd pick the latter, even without the guaranteed $32k from the Kimmel run. There's no chance of running into a superior player or being slow on the buzzer, and I can walk away at any time.

Edited to add: I auditioned for Millionaire in 2014 and got only one question wrong on the written test (I thought the bird on a VISA hologram was an eagle) but didn't interview well so I never made it on.

[TLEberle]

You said current Millionaire rules,  so I am guaranteed $32,000.  I am taking that.

There’s more to life than just fat stacks of cash.

[BrandonFG]

Millionaire.

Having played several J! simulators, one of my biggest frustrations is missing a clue I knew because I was literally a split-second too late for one reason or another (mistimed the buzz-in light, opponent was faster, etc.).

With a year of training, I imagine there's a good chance I make it to at least 32K. Even if I bail at 16K, I'm taking home about as much as I would as an average single day champ on J! If I make it to the third tier, now I'm prolly winning the same amount I would in five or so wins.

[WilliamPorygon]

You said current Millionaire rules,  so I am guaranteed $32,000.  I am taking that.

There’s more to lif3 than just fat stacks of cash.

Maybe so, but I could use $32K, and I am *not* a Jeopardy person to the point that if some clerical error resulted in me somehow actually qualifying for the show I'd just be happy to have money to play Final with.

[PYLdude]

You said current Millionaire rules,  so I am guaranteed $32,000.  I am taking that.

There’s more to lif3 than just fat stacks of cash.

Maybe so, but I could use $32K, and I am *not* a Jeopardy person to the point that if some clerical error resulted in me somehow actually qualifying for the show I'd just be happy to have money to play Final with.

I don’t think you read the lead post in this thread, then.

You’ve already made it on both; it’s up to you to decide which challenge you want to accept.

[Jeremy Nelson]

I guess a lot of what you may feel really does depend on how confident you feel in your abilities and buzzer speed, since Jeopardy has higher potential winnings, not to mention the national coverage that comes with winning for several days.