"Barbara Lowe" 2nd Episode

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MinnesotaMyron
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Re: "Barbara Lowe" 2nd Episode

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What's the source for the Social Security number thing?
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Re: "Barbara Lowe" 2nd Episode

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MinnesotaMyron wrote: Sun May 03, 2020 4:53 pm What's the source for the Social Security number thing?
Eisenberg's book.
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Re: "Barbara Lowe" 2nd Episode

Post by seaborgium »

Bamaman wrote: Sun May 03, 2020 12:07 pm I found her on Facebook. Her profile picture is of her and a a younger man. (Her son?). I can’t see anything she has posted since 2017. But she seems to be very interested in animal rights, the Catholic Church, and Trump. She doesn’t appear to “like” or “follow” Jeopardy.
Yes, it's her son (who died in 2011).
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Re: "Barbara Lowe" 2nd Episode

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Roadgeek Adam wrote: Sun May 03, 2020 7:13 pm
MinnesotaMyron wrote: Sun May 03, 2020 4:53 pm What's the source for the Social Security number thing?
Eisenberg's book.
Do you have an actual citation? It's not in the pages Mark scanned, linked elsewhere in this thread. (I'm at work or I'd check my own copies.)
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Re: "Barbara Lowe" 2nd Episode

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MinnesotaMyron wrote: Sun May 03, 2020 7:46 pm
Roadgeek Adam wrote: Sun May 03, 2020 7:13 pm
MinnesotaMyron wrote: Sun May 03, 2020 4:53 pm What's the source for the Social Security number thing?
Eisenberg's book.
Do you have an actual citation? It's not in the pages Mark scanned, linked elsewhere in this thread. (I'm at work or I'd check my own copies.)
Maybe I misread that. Hold on. Apparently Boden.

https://www.reddit.com/r/lostmedia/comm ... 6_or_1987/
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MinnesotaMyron
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Re: "Barbara Lowe" 2nd Episode

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Roadgeek Adam wrote: Sun May 03, 2020 7:50 pm
MinnesotaMyron wrote: Sun May 03, 2020 7:46 pm
Roadgeek Adam wrote: Sun May 03, 2020 7:13 pm
MinnesotaMyron wrote: Sun May 03, 2020 4:53 pm What's the source for the Social Security number thing?
Eisenberg's book.
Do you have an actual citation? It's not in the pages Mark scanned, linked elsewhere in this thread. (I'm at work or I'd check my own copies.)
Maybe I misread that. Hold on. Apparently Boden.

https://www.reddit.com/r/lostmedia/comm ... 6_or_1987/
So an unsubstantiated post on Reddit? Yeah, maybe let's dial that particular factoid down a notch or seven, until we have better evidence.
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Re: "Barbara Lowe" 2nd Episode

Post by Bamaman »

The author on Reddit also said her episodes aren’t recapped on the show’s official site? Are they referring to the archive as an “official site”? A site that openly states it has no connection whatsoever with the show?
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Re: "Barbara Lowe" 2nd Episode

Post by seaborgium »

MinnesotaMyron wrote: Sun May 03, 2020 7:56 pm
Roadgeek Adam wrote: Sun May 03, 2020 7:50 pm
MinnesotaMyron wrote: Sun May 03, 2020 7:46 pm
Roadgeek Adam wrote: Sun May 03, 2020 7:13 pm
MinnesotaMyron wrote: Sun May 03, 2020 4:53 pm What's the source for the Social Security number thing?
Eisenberg's book.
Do you have an actual citation? It's not in the pages Mark scanned, linked elsewhere in this thread. (I'm at work or I'd check my own copies.)
Maybe I misread that. Hold on. Apparently Boden.

https://www.reddit.com/r/lostmedia/comm ... 6_or_1987/
So an unsubstantiated post on Reddit? Yeah, maybe let's dial that particular factoid down a notch or seven, until we have better evidence.
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1343 ... CENES.html
About three years ago a contestant who was retired as a five-time champion was atypical in that she beamed when opponents missed questions. The following November, she did not turn up on the annual tournament of champions. "Right. We disqualified her because we learned she had lied on her application. She had been on seven or eight other game shows under four other identities and Social Security numbers."
That's Alex Trebek in quotation marks.
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Re: "Barbara Lowe" 2nd Episode

Post by MinnesotaMyron »

seaborgium wrote: Sun May 03, 2020 8:14 pm
MinnesotaMyron wrote: Sun May 03, 2020 7:56 pm
Roadgeek Adam wrote: Sun May 03, 2020 7:50 pm
MinnesotaMyron wrote: Sun May 03, 2020 7:46 pm
Roadgeek Adam wrote: Sun May 03, 2020 7:13 pm

Eisenberg's book.
Do you have an actual citation? It's not in the pages Mark scanned, linked elsewhere in this thread. (I'm at work or I'd check my own copies.)
Maybe I misread that. Hold on. Apparently Boden.

https://www.reddit.com/r/lostmedia/comm ... 6_or_1987/
So an unsubstantiated post on Reddit? Yeah, maybe let's dial that particular factoid down a notch or seven, until we have better evidence.
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1343 ... CENES.html
About three years ago a contestant who was retired as a five-time champion was atypical in that she beamed when opponents missed questions. The following November, she did not turn up on the annual tournament of champions. "Right. We disqualified her because we learned she had lied on her application. She had been on seven or eight other game shows under four other identities and Social Security numbers."
That's Alex Trebek in quotation marks.
Very good. Thank you. Of course it was the only link I didn't click.
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Re: "Barbara Lowe" 2nd Episode

Post by Roadgeek Adam »

I really tried to dig up the better thread, back on the old Jeopardy board, back when Kirby showed up. Unfortunately the archives bypass that thread by a month-ish.
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Re: "Barbara Lowe" 2nd Episode

Post by teapot37 »

For the record, I checked out my copy of Eisenberg's book, and he does not mention anything about SSNs.

from pp. 196-97:
ILLEGAL CONTESTANT WINS $50,000
These matters were hardly the only legal imbroglios involving Jeopardy. Back in 1987 we had a contestant who appeared on the show under the name Barbara Lowe. She appeared rather strange, as she seemed to bounce around behind her lectern. In one instance she did something I'd never seen before or since on Jeopardy. She came right out and challenged Alex's ruling on a response right on the spot when it happened and right in front of everyone.
In their briefing before the shows are taped, contestants are always told to hold any objections to the next commercial break at which point we would deal with them and even reverse a ruling if we were found to be in error. In the case of "Barbara Lowe," the clue had to do with Clarence Darrow's defense of two wealthy college students charged with killing schoolboy Bobby Franks. Her response was, "Who were Leopold and Leeb?" Alex ruled her incorrect at which point she immediately shot back, "Leeb is just the German pronunciation of Loeb." Rather than get into an argument with her right in the middle of the show, Alex went ahead and gave it to her. We later got quite a few letters from viewers objecting to her mannerisms and behavior on the show. It was the only time we ever had so many complaints about a single contestant.
"Barbara Lowe" nonetheless managed to win five games and approximately $50,000, and thus qualified for the Tournament of Champions. However, not long after her appearance on our show, we learned through Bob Boden that "Barbara Lowe" was something of a professional game show contestant who had appeared on numerous other programs using a number of aliases.
ABC Compliance and Practices rules, to which Jeopardy was subject, allow for appearances on only two different TV game shows by any one contestant within a five-year period. When people apply to be contestants on Jeopardy or any game show for that matter, they are required to list on their application form the names of all game shows on which they had previously appeared and the dates. Once "Barbara Lowe's" identity was established, it became clear she had not been truthful on her application as she'd previously appeared on many more shows than she had admitted. Under the rules she was therefore disqualified to be a Jeopardy contestant and it was decided to withhold her winnings.
But if you're brazen enough to do what "Barbara Lowe" did, chances are you're brazen enough to do even more. And so "Barbara Lowe" hired an attorney to sue Jeopardy (Merv Griffin Enterprises, Columbia, et al.) in order to obtain her winnings. At first management was going to contest the matter but they later settled with "Barbara Lowe". Whether management concluded it wasn't worth the legal hassle or didn't want to risk any adverse publicity for the show, I'm not sure. But one thing I do know: At least "Barbara Lowe" didn't participate in the Tournament of Champions. That was where management drew the line.
Prior to working in game shows himself, Jules Minton had been a contestant on a Q & A show called "Bullseye." On that show, a Barry-Enright production, Jules amassed some $50,000 in winnings which ultimately made him the second-highest winner in the history of "Bullseye." The highest all-time winner on that show? You guessed it. Barbara Lowe.
Not many people can say they've lost four times on Jeopardy!.
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Re: "Barbara Lowe" 2nd Episode

Post by TenPoundHammer »

teapot37 wrote: Mon May 04, 2020 3:18 pm For the record, I checked out my copy of Eisenberg's book, and he does not mention anything about SSNs.
He also claimed the producers were jacking around the categories to make women win more than men, so I would take that entire book with several grains of salt.
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Re: "Barbara Lowe" 2nd Episode

Post by kprather895 »

The video that used to be on YouTube has since been taken down, but in 1982 a woman called Shari Mason was on The New $25,000 Pyramid. She argued with the judges saying "library" should be accepted for "libra". Evidently Shari was also on Blockbusters in 1981, and argued with the judges saying "Ganges" is pronounced "ganja".

Although the clip of her arguing isn't up anymore, a very brief clip of her in the Winners Circle is here at 1:28. Bet you anything that's Barbara Lowe.
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Re: "Barbara Lowe" 2nd Episode

Post by Stanislaus Jacob »

Golf wrote: Sat May 02, 2020 10:52 pm This is somebody who flat out lied and cheated to appear on the show and eventually got caught. Then threw a hissy and threatened a lawsuit when they didn’t want to pay her what she basically stole from someone else.

So, aside from archive purposes, why are people talking about her? By doing so, you all are giving her what she craves most. Attention. She should be vilified quietly and then forgotten about forever. After all, she took a spot from someone for all we know could have gone on to great things. At the very least she stole 5 days worth of winnings from a deserving contestant.
I know I should feel this way, but I cannot help but that I do find it very interesting. Unfortunately, scandals often are fascinating. Particularly since this would have been an enormous big deal if it happened just a few years later, but instead was early enough in the run that it is kind of buried and mysterious. And the few people who read it here hardly count as real attention. And in fact those two people she beat, who unfortunately were dragged down with her as lost to Jeopardy! history, do get a few seconds of recognition now.

In the clip she does get kind of overly excited at her victory. Many contestants get that way, and it is usually sweet and endearing, but it is definitely compatible with the idea that she was obnoxious and forceful. And also an odd reaction for someone who was secretly already an experienced game show champ by that time. I wonder if an obsessive need to win was her primary motivation, even more than the money.
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