Last night's match was a prime example of this. I don't remember the exact scores, but here's a similar illustration. Consider the scoreboard Alice $8000, Bob $4800, Carol $1800. Alex has called less than a minute to go in DJ!. Carol selects a $2000 clue to try to get back into the game, but all three contestants swing and miss on it. The scores become Alice $6000, Bob $2800, Carol -$200.
- If more clues are on the board, then Alice clearly has a bigger advantage over Bob as time winds down, because she now has more than twice Bob's score. Meanwhile, Carol now risks Panic Mode (see the infamous #5749, #6416, and #7024).
- If a clue chosen soon after this is a Daily Double, then Alice clearly has the advantage no matter who finds it. If Alice finds it, she can play clock management and lock the game with a $5 wager. If Bob finds it, he must bet much more aggressively to give himself a chance in FJ!, and is thus at greater risk of knocking himself out of the game. And even if Carol finds it, the best she can hope for is to keep herself on stage for FJ! to watch Alice or Bob win, and her finding it might seal the win for Alice by denying those points from Bob.
- If the round ends here, then a game that could have been contested in FJ! has instead become a lock for Alice.
So with all love and respect for Alex…
¹ This plug was not solicited.