Unwritten Rules of Jeopardy

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twelvefootboy
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Re: Unwritten Rules of Jeopardy

Post by twelvefootboy »

alietr wrote: Tue May 30, 2017 9:07 am
PowerofHoodoo wrote: Mon May 29, 2017 2:45 pm My pet peeve is contestants who repeatedly choose clues in a video category early in the round. Clear the board, people!
Um, but if the board is going to be cleared, those clues would have to be chosen eventually, so it doesn't matter when they are chosen.
But it does seem to matter in real life? - at least for some video categories that are promotional in nature. Don't they extend the round as needed to clear video categories that are part of their promotion du jour?

Once the featured video clues are played, they keep regular Jeopardy time and regular clues get stiffed. When they do steal time to reveal the video clues because they are chosen last, then they steal from the DJ clock and we wind up with 6 unplayed clues in DJ,

The best I can tell, only TPTB knows when the LTAM warning will come. I liken it to a soccer game where a billion soccer fans don't know when their boring game will end because only the referee has the magic watch. (Yes, baseball is more boring, but at least you don't have to piss on your neighbors leg because you don't want to miss it when something happens).

This is a fun thread, thanks for starting it badgerfellow! I'm anxious to hear the other inputs from the veterans here.
Disclaimer - repeated exposure to author's musings may cause befuddlement.
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Re: Unwritten Rules of Jeopardy

Post by GoodStrategy »

Maven wrote: Tue May 30, 2017 10:58 amInterestingly, I recall the same article proclaiming another good playing rule to be that you save your favorite/wheelhouse categories for last. And I understand that from a Daily Double standpoint, but otherwise, I'm not sure I agree with that too...especially as one who would much rather clear out her favorites than have them left versus the non-preferred subjects if the board ends up unfortunately unfinished.
You could compromise and go for your wheelhouse category around the middle or middle-late part of the round - when you have more to wager on a DD than at the start but you don't risk the chance that it'd get unrevealed.
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Re: Unwritten Rules of Jeopardy

Post by twelvefootboy »

badgerfellow wrote: Sat May 27, 2017 4:31 pm I've recently been reading a book called "Watching Baseball Smarter", and one of the things that strikes me is how baseball has a lot of unwritten rules. Examples include stealing the catcher's signs or baserunners walking across the pitcher's mound after a foul ball. Both are technically allowed but can and will be seen with scorn by your opponents and lead to potentially bad consequences, such as a fastball near the head in the next at bat.

This got me thinking: does Jeopardy have similar unwritten rules?
Not to pivot to a baseball subject, but it is (at least was) perfectly OK for a runner on second to steal the signs. It is not OK for the batter to peek back to see the sign or the catcher setup, and of course cheating with TV cameras or spotters in Centerfield bleachers is a big no-no (Do the NE Patriots play baseball?).

I am grateful for the recent rules changes ending (mostly) home plate blocks by the catchers, and requiring infielders to TOUCH the bases on forceouts and TAG the runners on slides. The "neighborhood" play and "phantom" tag were embarrassments to the game and just enabled sloppy and lazy play by players AND umpires, and the higher the level of the game, the sloppier it got.
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Re: Unwritten Rules of Jeopardy

Post by morbeedo »

Don't wear black or white or any crazy stripes or patterns. I'm sure the contestant coordinators tell them what to wear, but many don't seem to follow this advice

Don't tell me how you met your wife/husband/partner (this is my rule)

Never apologize!

Don't ever glance left to look at the peanut gallery

Don't make cutesy faces or hand gestures when they're announcing you at the top of the show because YOU WILL LOSE!

No matter what the outcome, don't cry!
Last edited by morbeedo on Tue May 30, 2017 6:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Unwritten Rules of Jeopardy

Post by opusthepenguin »

morbeedo wrote: Tue May 30, 2017 11:35 am Don't make cutesy faces or hand gestures when they're announcing you at the top of the show because YOU WILL LOSE!
This is true. Jennifer Morrison and Stephanie Jass both did this. Both eventually lost. Case closed.
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Re: Unwritten Rules of Jeopardy

Post by MarkBarrett »

opusthepenguin wrote: Tue May 30, 2017 1:52 pm
morbeedo wrote: Tue May 30, 2017 11:35 am Don't make cutesy faces or hand gestures when they're announcing you at the top of the show because YOU WILL LOSE!
This is true. Jennifer Morrison and Stephanie Jass both did this. Both eventually lost. Case closed.
Does that mean Jennifer Morrow was on Once Upon a Time? ;)
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Re: Unwritten Rules of Jeopardy

Post by PowerofHoodoo »

alietr wrote: Tue May 30, 2017 9:07 am
PowerofHoodoo wrote: Mon May 29, 2017 2:45 pm My pet peeve is contestants who repeatedly choose clues in a video category early in the round. Clear the board, people!
Um, but if the board is going to be cleared, those clues would have to be chosen eventually, so it doesn't matter when they are chosen.
I was assuming the allotted playing time was the same whether or not there is a video category. If that's the case, playing slower video clues early on makes it more likely that a larger number of clues will go unplayed. I'd rather see two or three video clues go unrevealed than four or five others. If the round is extended in real time to accommodate videos, well and good.
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Re: Unwritten Rules of Jeopardy

Post by opusthepenguin »

MarkBarrett wrote: Tue May 30, 2017 2:01 pm
opusthepenguin wrote: Tue May 30, 2017 1:52 pm
morbeedo wrote: Tue May 30, 2017 11:35 am Don't make cutesy faces or hand gestures when they're announcing you at the top of the show because YOU WILL LOSE!
This is true. Jennifer Morrison and Stephanie Jass both did this. Both eventually lost. Case closed.
Does that mean Jennifer Morrow was on Once Upon a Time? ;)
Oops. With her magic Rush drumsticks! :lol:
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Re: Unwritten Rules of Jeopardy

Post by opusthepenguin »

PowerofHoodoo wrote: Tue May 30, 2017 2:08 pm
alietr wrote: Tue May 30, 2017 9:07 am
PowerofHoodoo wrote: Mon May 29, 2017 2:45 pm My pet peeve is contestants who repeatedly choose clues in a video category early in the round. Clear the board, people!
Um, but if the board is going to be cleared, those clues would have to be chosen eventually, so it doesn't matter when they are chosen.
I was assuming the allotted playing time was the same whether or not there is a video category. If that's the case, playing slower video clues early on makes it more likely that a larger number of clues will go unplayed. I'd rather see two or three video clues go unrevealed than four or five others. If the round is extended in real time to accommodate videos, well and good.
The speculation/observation is that they only do this for certain video categories. If it's just the Clue Crew doing video clues, some of those might go unrevealed. But if they had Oprah or some Soap Opera stars doing clues, they're going to get through them all. Presumably this is because a) they paid extra for those clues so they're darn well going to use them, b) fans of the person(s) in question will get really irate if the clues aren't revealed and part of the point of these clues is to attract viewers, not drive them away, and c) if you leave Oprah on the cutting room floor, she might not feel like doing another video category the next time you call.

My question is, have they ever had one of those kind of video categories in the DJ round? They make sense in the SJ round because, if that runs long, they can just lop off a bunch of DJ clues. A must-play video category in the DJ round doesn't give them the same cushion. If the players save it for last, then the show just runs long and they fix it in the editing room. (As I've whined for years, they should do it that way for every game. PLAY. EVERY. CLUE. Come on, guys!)
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Re: Unwritten Rules of Jeopardy

Post by alietr »

morbeedo wrote: Tue May 30, 2017 11:35 am Don't ever glance left to look at the peanut gallery
That's more than an unwritten rule; that's an instruction from the contestant coordinators.
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Re: Unwritten Rules of Jeopardy

Post by Kenny »

PowerofHoodoo wrote: Tue May 30, 2017 2:08 pm
alietr wrote: Tue May 30, 2017 9:07 am
PowerofHoodoo wrote: Mon May 29, 2017 2:45 pm My pet peeve is contestants who repeatedly choose clues in a video category early in the round. Clear the board, people!
Um, but if the board is going to be cleared, those clues would have to be chosen eventually, so it doesn't matter when they are chosen.
I was assuming the allotted playing time was the same whether or not there is a video category. If that's the case, playing slower video clues early on makes it more likely that a larger number of clues will go unplayed. I'd rather see two or three video clues go unrevealed than four or five others. If the round is extended in real time to accommodate videos, well and good.
Yes, this was the case in the wordy "Dr. Oz" category last week when players emptied it first. There were two clues left unrevealed in "Name the Amendment," and since the law/Constitution is in my wheelhouse I never got the change to run the category. Arrrgh!

There also seems to be another unwritten rule that if there is sports category (another strength), contestants must leave it for last.
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Re: Unwritten Rules of Jeopardy

Post by Kenny »

Kenny wrote: Tue May 30, 2017 3:44 pm
PowerofHoodoo wrote: Tue May 30, 2017 2:08 pm
alietr wrote: Tue May 30, 2017 9:07 am
PowerofHoodoo wrote: Mon May 29, 2017 2:45 pm My pet peeve is contestants who repeatedly choose clues in a video category early in the round. Clear the board, people!
Um, but if the board is going to be cleared, those clues would have to be chosen eventually, so it doesn't matter when they are chosen.
I was assuming the allotted playing time was the same whether or not there is a video category. If that's the case, playing slower video clues early on makes it more likely that a larger number of clues will go unplayed. I'd rather see two or three video clues go unrevealed than four or five others. If the round is extended in real time to accommodate videos, well and good.
Yes, this was the case in the wordy "Dr. Oz" category last week when players emptied it first. There were two clues left unrevealed in "Name the Amendment," and since the law/Constitution is in my wheelhouse I never got the change to run the category. Got the first three easily. Arrrgh!

There also seems to be another unwritten rule that if there is sports category (another strength), contestants must leave it for last.
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Re: Unwritten Rules of Jeopardy

Post by Kenny »

Kenny wrote: Tue May 30, 2017 3:45 pm
Yes, this was the case in the wordy "Dr. Oz" category last week when players emptied it first. There were two clues left unrevealed in "Name the Amendment," and since the law/Constitution is in my wheelhouse I never got the change to run the category. Got the first three easily. Arrrgh!

There also seems to be another unwritten rule that if there is sports category (another strength), contestants must leave it for last.
Last edited by Kenny on Tue May 30, 2017 3:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Unwritten Rules of Jeopardy

Post by Kenny »

Yes, this was the case in the wordy "Dr. Oz" category last week when players emptied it first. There were two clues left unrevealed in "Name the Amendment," and since the law/Constitution is in my wheelhouse I never got the change to run the category. Got the first three easily. Arrrgh!

There also seems to be another unwritten rule that if there is sports category (another strength), contestants must leave it for last.
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Re: Unwritten Rules of Jeopardy

Post by badgerfellow »

morbeedo wrote: Tue May 30, 2017 11:35 am
Don't wear black or white or any crazy stripes or patterns. I'm sure the contestant coordinators tell them what to wear, but many don't seem to follow this advice
As part of the contestant packet one receives ahead of taping, there are clothing suggestions. Basically, no busy prints or olive suits. They will also make suggestions if you ask. In retrospect, I regret not wearing Badger red, even though Ryan the contestant coordinator was a big fan of it.
morbeedo wrote: Tue May 30, 2017 11:35 am
Don't tell me how you met your wife/husband/partner (this is my rule)
This is asked in a packet of questions that you receive ahead of taping that are in addition to the 5 one liners. Alex seems to enjoy discussing this in the contestant interviews. That said, you are given a choice of 3 stories to tell. You can highlight your top choice and hope it's to his liking.

Side note: Don't touch that card with the stories. They show it to you before your game in the green room, and touching it is like touching the cards at the blackjack table. You get a strong scolding.
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Re: Unwritten Rules of Jeopardy

Post by Anachronism »

If you have allergies or a cold, take something. Don't clear your throat or sniffle into an open mic. Don't don't weird things with your face when contemplating a DD. Don't write strange personal messages on your FJ answer. Don't try to be funny or make any parenthetical remark after a response. Don't "ummm...." before calling a category. Don't chew gum. Don't get thrown out at third base for the third out.
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Re: Unwritten Rules of Jeopardy

Post by jgroub »

cthulhu wrote: Sun May 28, 2017 12:15 am "End each call with a please" - I hate this, especially since it seems that fewer boards are being completed this season; it wastes time. I'd also prefer contestants shorten long category names for the same reason.
Maggie Speak, the contestant coordinator who goes over EVERYTHING with the new batch of contestants at the start of a taping day specifically said, "We know you're polite people. You don't need to say 'please'." So, yeah, even the game doesn't want you to do this.
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Re: Unwritten Rules of Jeopardy

Post by jgroub »

badgerfellow wrote: Tue May 30, 2017 5:56 pm
morbeedo wrote: Tue May 30, 2017 11:35 am
Don't wear black or white or any crazy stripes or patterns. I'm sure the contestant coordinators tell them what to wear, but many don't seem to follow this advice
As part of the contestant packet one receives ahead of taping, there are clothing suggestions. Basically, no busy prints or olive suits. They will also make suggestions if you ask. In retrospect, I regret not wearing Badger red, even though Ryan the contestant coordinator was a big fan of it.
morbeedo wrote: Tue May 30, 2017 11:35 am
Indeed, this is because these patterns set up an intereference called a moire pattern that makes it seem like the shirt is alive and moving. Unfortunately for me, about 3/4 of my shirts are striped, so I had to borrow shirts from my brother to wear.
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Re: Unwritten Rules of Jeopardy

Post by Wheatley »

Can you interrupt Alex to keep the game moving faster? One contestant did that today.
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Re: Unwritten Rules of Jeopardy

Post by BobF »

Wheatley wrote: Tue May 30, 2017 10:58 pm Can you interrupt Alex to keep the game moving faster? One contestant did that today.
Matt Jackson did it practically every game. Oh, and also don't get thrown out at third base for the first out (to add to Anachronism's).
Last edited by BobF on Wed May 31, 2017 10:25 am, edited 1 time in total.
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