What's in store for the 3 Jeopardy giants after GOAT?

This is where all of the games are discussed.

Moderators: alietr, trainman, econgator, dhkendall

jeopardyfan939
Watches Jeopardy! Way Too Much
Posts: 260
Joined: Tue Jul 26, 2011 11:25 pm

What's in store for the 3 Jeopardy giants after GOAT?

Post by jeopardyfan939 »

Apparently, Ken Jennings announced he does not plan to return to the Jeopardy! set after the GOAT tournament. And Brad Rutter finally lost to a human, to the same person he defeated in the Ultimate Tournament of Champions and the Battle of Decades tourney. James Holzhauer is still in his prime, so I can see him coming back for another tournament.

If the GOAT tourney is going to be the last one that Ken will participate in, then we will at least see James return for other special tournaments. If not we'll see both James and Brad come back. My idea is that they should do one more tournament with Alex hosting (assuming his health allows him to keep hosting through part of next season), it's part of the syndicated series, and it's a standard 2-week event. It may be a second installation of the Million Dollar Masters, or it could be a $500,000 Masters.

In addition to James and Brad, participants would be more recent ToC (or other tournaments they participated in) winners/finalists/semifinalists, all taking place between Ken's historic run and the 2019 ToC:

• James Holzhauer
• Brad Rutter
• David Madden (despite being a semifinalist in his ToC, he won with Team Brad in last year's All-Star games)
• Julia Collins
• Austin Rodgers
• Matt Jackson
• Arthur Chu
• Buzzy Cohen
• Dan Pawson
• Ben Ingram
• Alex Jacob
• Larissa Kelly
• Roger Craig
• Alan Lin
• Colby Burnett


Another good showdown would be James Holzhauer vs. Brad Rutter vs. Alex Jacob in the 2-game finals, especially because James and Alex are both gamblers.
User avatar
MarkBarrett
Watches Jeopardy! Way Too Much
Posts: 16467
Joined: Fri Jul 01, 2011 10:37 am
Location: San Francisco

Re: What's in store for the 3 Jeopardy giants after GOAT?

Post by MarkBarrett »

You enjoy dreaming about various scenarios for future events. That's fine and I enjoy reading the posts. If there is a M$M2 with 15 contestants it will not be 13M & 2F.

M$M - 8-7 dudes
BotD 1980s 11-4, 1990s 10-5, 2000s 10-5
All Stars - 13-5

Guys can be the majority though 13-2 is too wide a spread.
User avatar
alietr
Site Admin
Posts: 8977
Joined: Thu Jun 30, 2011 1:20 pm
Location: Bethesda, MD

Re: What's in store for the 3 Jeopardy giants after GOAT?

Post by alietr »

Personally, enough already with the special tournaments. GOAT was wonderful. Let's bask in its beauty for a while.
Bamaman
Also Receiving Votes
Posts: 12895
Joined: Sat Jul 02, 2011 1:39 pm

Re: What's in store for the 3 Jeopardy giants after GOAT?

Post by Bamaman »

I have always thought they would end his career with some sort of “Alex Invitational” with him bringing back his favorites one last time. Ken might be coaxed into playing that.

But his health may not allow time to get that together next season. I think the GOAT series was as much for him as it was the players. If things had suddenly taken a turn for the worse, I doubt they would have had it with a substitute host.
User avatar
triviawayne
Hoping I don’t drown in this contestant pool
Posts: 2677
Joined: Tue Feb 17, 2015 9:50 pm

Re: What's in store for the 3 Jeopardy giants after GOAT?

Post by triviawayne »

alietr wrote: Fri Jan 17, 2020 1:46 pm Personally, enough already with the special tournaments. GOAT was wonderful. Let's bask in its beauty for a while.
agreed...we've seen the end result how many times. that's not to say it wouldn't change, but we've beaten this horse to death for now, and we all know the Alex era will end. Wait until the new era to do more, and James will bridge the eras.
Total game show career losings = $171,522
User avatar
floridagator
Watches Jeopardy! Way Too Much
Posts: 2192
Joined: Sat Mar 16, 2013 3:39 am

Re: What's in store for the 3 Jeopardy giants after GOAT?

Post by floridagator »

Where are they now?

As of January 17, 2022

Jennings -- appointed Librarian of Congress by President Trump

Holzhauer -- host of revival of the old game show "Dealer's Choice," which formerly aired from the Tropicana in Las Vegas

Rutter -- editor of a series of quiz books from Encyclopedia Britannica and consultant to IBM on their line of supercomputers*


* does Encyclopedia Britannica still issue books, and does IBM still make computers? Someone please check.
I'd rather cuddle then have sex. If you're into grammar, you'll understand.
User avatar
alietr
Site Admin
Posts: 8977
Joined: Thu Jun 30, 2011 1:20 pm
Location: Bethesda, MD

Re: What's in store for the 3 Jeopardy giants after GOAT?

Post by alietr »

January 17, 2022

Holzhauer - Cellmate of Trump at Allenwood.
talkingaway
Watches Jeopardy! Way Too Much
Posts: 970
Joined: Tue Sep 24, 2019 11:59 am

Re: What's in store for the 3 Jeopardy giants after GOAT?

Post by talkingaway »

alietr wrote: Fri Jan 17, 2020 1:46 pm Personally, enough already with the special tournaments. GOAT was wonderful. Let's bask in its beauty for a while.
I agree with this. If you exclude "regular" tournaments/events (ToC, Kids, Teen, Seniors, Teachers, Celebrity, Power Players - some of which may be defunct or on "indefinite hiatus"), it looks like there have been 7 "special event" tournaments in the Trebek era across syndication and broadcast: Super Jeopardy, 10th anniversary, MDM, UToC, Decades, the ASG tag-team, and GOAT, with two of them happening in very recent memory. I guess you could include the Watson game in there, too. Oh, and I forgot the 3 International tournies.

It seems to be like these special tournaments come around on average once every 2-3 years, which feels right. It doesn't seem like you should devise one of these every single year. Not only is it bad for the show's budget, you can wear out your welcome with too many events. And figuring out who to include and what the "theme" should be is a little difficult.

Plus, I wonder about the play-at-home aspect; the average Joe can usually play at home with syndicated, regular-strength J!, getting wordplay clues correct even if they are a little slow on the buzzer, or picking up a few of the pop culture clues. In those shows, the clues really are usually the stars - most viewers won't be grabbed by the contestants on the regular show. Conversely, in GOAT, the contestants are the stars, which is a testament to Ken, James, and Brad (and other fan favorites, like Buzzy and Aaron). Not only are they highly capable contestants - they're interesting, funny, and engaging! IMO, that's part of what saved GOAT - because the clues were WAY harder than a typical J! game.

This would make finding contestants to run a special event difficult; you need 15ish people to create a 5 hour tournament that is compelling. Finding those 15 will be a challenge if you're going to slap a label on it and get it on network TV.
User avatar
squarekara
J! Reactionary
Posts: 1552
Joined: Wed Feb 08, 2017 12:49 am
Location: USDA Zone 5

Re: What's in store for the 3 Jeopardy giants after GOAT?

Post by squarekara »

I've said it before: Dancing with the Stars.
User avatar
billiej
Watches Jeopardy! Way Too Much
Posts: 789
Joined: Fri Jul 01, 2011 2:56 pm
Location: Maine

Re: What's in store for the 3 Jeopardy giants after GOAT?

Post by billiej »

alietr wrote: Fri Jan 17, 2020 1:46 pm Personally, enough already with the special tournaments. GOAT was wonderful. Let's bask in its beauty for a while.

100X this. Although I do find the idea of James vs. Alex J. intriguing.
User avatar
boson
Trivial
Posts: 1719
Joined: Wed Jul 13, 2011 9:01 pm

Re: What's in store for the 3 Jeopardy giants after GOAT?

Post by boson »

I wonder if Brad's poorer performance in the GOAT tournament had to do with hunger: Brad had won everything put in front of him for 20 years, and become a multi-millionaire because of it. Maybe he didn't put in the effort that James and Ken quite obviously did in the past year to improve.

Ken was very impressive in the team game last year, but he clearly wanted to win the GOAT tournament: he had something to prove. Ken was a significantly stronger player this year than last. Maybe just because of more aggressive wagering, but the Coryat scores this year were well above the team game scores.

Sometimes people retire from sports because they aren't good enough anymore, but other times they retire because they don't care enough to put in the work to be good enough. This may be the same with Jeopardy.
joepozz
Jeopardy! Contestant
Posts: 162
Joined: Mon Aug 15, 2011 11:14 am

Re: What's in store for the 3 Jeopardy giants after GOAT?

Post by joepozz »

alietr wrote: Fri Jan 17, 2020 1:46 pm Personally, enough already with the special tournaments. GOAT was wonderful. Let's bask in its beauty for a while.
I agree. But here's a thought. We can't ignore the elephant in the room forever. At some point, the show will need a new host. How about nominating Ken for the job?
User avatar
This Is Kirk!
Jeopardy! Champion
Posts: 6562
Joined: Mon Dec 17, 2012 1:35 am
Location: Seattle

Re: What's in store for the 3 Jeopardy giants after GOAT?

Post by This Is Kirk! »

Bamaman wrote: Fri Jan 17, 2020 1:51 pm I have always thought they would end his career with some sort of “Alex Invitational” with him bringing back his favorites one last time.
I think we just saw it.

And at this point I'm going to be disappointed if Ken is not named Alex's successor.
User avatar
twelvefootboy
Watches Jeopardy! Way Too Much
Posts: 2700
Joined: Thu Dec 29, 2016 11:18 pm
Location: Tornado Alley / Southwest Missouri

Re: What's in store for the 3 Jeopardy giants after GOAT?

Post by twelvefootboy »

This Is Kirk! wrote: Fri Jan 17, 2020 6:12 pm
Bamaman wrote: Fri Jan 17, 2020 1:51 pm I have always thought they would end his career with some sort of “Alex Invitational” with him bringing back his favorites one last time.

I think we just saw it.


And at this point I'm going to be disappointed if Ken is not named Alex's successor.
Agree with the first part. Seriously, why are we mongering for Alex to continue with Stage IV pancreatic cancer? It seems cruel to me, even if it is his choice.

I'm not opposed to KJ as host, but I hope the show can find an awesome female with Ellen DeGeneres' likeability and Rachel Maddow's gravitas.

I had no rooting interest going into the GOAT tourney, but going out, my assessment is

Ken is the fan favorite. He lives and breathes trivia for the love of learning and would play for free. He's in Learned League, likely for the camaraderie and the beatdowns which are given and gotten. All of our favorite athletes do the same - Pete Rose would have played baseball for lunch money (which he would have put on the ponies, but, never mind :))

Brad seemed to be out of his league. The game has passed him by. He may not have invested as heavily as Ken in studying and training and might not handle this hard material on a written test, much less buzzing and winning.

James remains hard to root for, and it is the mercenary vibe that turns me off. I know he's been in trivia circles a long time, but he doesn't impress as someone who is altruistic about the game. I appreciate his effort to be likeable, and I didn't notice him interrupting Alex this time, so his stock is rising. We do need James to bring a wave of millenials or whatever to the game. He could be the Tiger Woods of Jeopardy - I hope he stays out of that Cadillac :).

These are merely impressions - I am not throwing shade, just offering a view from the ignorant galley.
Disclaimer - repeated exposure to author's musings may cause befuddlement.
John Boy
Watches Jeopardy! Way Too Much
Posts: 2981
Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2011 7:11 am

Re: What's in store for the 3 Jeopardy giants after GOAT?

Post by John Boy »

I say don't let them be in any more tournaments (they've won enough), but if they want to continue to trade on their J! notoriety they might offer themselves to stand at stud to produce the next generation of greats.

Just a thought...
Golf
Watches Jeopardy! Way Too Much
Posts: 2723
Joined: Thu Jan 10, 2013 12:27 pm

Re: What's in store for the 3 Jeopardy giants after GOAT?

Post by Golf »

twelvefootboy wrote: Brad seemed to be out of his league. The game has passed him by.
He loses for the first time ever and suddenly the game has passed him by? I respectfully disagree.
ParrotRob
Loyal Jeopardista
Posts: 196
Joined: Mon Feb 04, 2019 10:33 pm

Re: What's in store for the 3 Jeopardy giants after GOAT?

Post by ParrotRob »

Golf wrote: Fri Jan 17, 2020 8:29 pm
twelvefootboy wrote: Brad seemed to be out of his league. The game has passed him by.
He loses for the first time ever and suddenly the game has passed him by? I respectfully disagree.
I couldn't agree more. Great players have bad games. It happens all the time.
--
Drowning in the pool
User avatar
twelvefootboy
Watches Jeopardy! Way Too Much
Posts: 2700
Joined: Thu Dec 29, 2016 11:18 pm
Location: Tornado Alley / Southwest Missouri

Re: What's in store for the 3 Jeopardy giants after GOAT?

Post by twelvefootboy »

ParrotRob wrote: Fri Jan 17, 2020 10:18 pm
Golf wrote: Fri Jan 17, 2020 8:29 pm
twelvefootboy wrote: Brad seemed to be out of his league. The game has passed him by.
He loses for the first time ever and suddenly the game has passed him by? I respectfully disagree.
I couldn't agree more. Great players have bad games. It happens all the time.
ParrotRob wrote: Fri Jan 17, 2020 10:18 pm
Golf wrote: Fri Jan 17, 2020 8:29 pm
twelvefootboy wrote: Brad seemed to be out of his league. The game has passed him by.
He loses for the first time ever and suddenly the game has passed him by? I respectfully disagree.
I couldn't agree more. Great players have bad games. It happens all the time.
Poor choice of phrasing, but I'm trying to recap the casual viewer experience. I missed the first game but I think it was 8 beatdowns for Brad (sorry for not doing the math/research). The average casual viewer likely has NEVER (in their memory) seen him play, or Ken Jennings either for that matter. I am a recent hardcore viewer, but for decades have never watched the show as a competition or a serial narrative. I first heard of Brad at the IBM challenge, and Ken J just from a few news stories.

The 5 million extra (pairs of, in most cases) eyeballs that tuned in are probably making a similar assessment. Y'all know I don't flame or troll :evil: . I still think Tom Brady and Phillip Rivers are more dangerous than the young guns in the NFL.
Disclaimer - repeated exposure to author's musings may cause befuddlement.
User avatar
econgator
Let's Go Mets!
Posts: 10671
Joined: Fri Jul 01, 2011 10:32 am

Re: What's in store for the 3 Jeopardy giants after GOAT?

Post by econgator »

twelvefootboy wrote: Fri Jan 17, 2020 11:30 pm The average casual viewer likely has NEVER (in their memory) seen him play, or Ken Jennings either for that matter.
Both of them played just 10 months ago, so the average casual viewer has almost certainly seen them.
ParrotRob
Loyal Jeopardista
Posts: 196
Joined: Mon Feb 04, 2019 10:33 pm

Re: What's in store for the 3 Jeopardy giants after GOAT?

Post by ParrotRob »

econgator wrote: Sat Jan 18, 2020 12:19 am
twelvefootboy wrote: Fri Jan 17, 2020 11:30 pm The average casual viewer likely has NEVER (in their memory) seen him play, or Ken Jennings either for that matter.
Both of them played just 10 months ago, so the average casual viewer has almost certainly seen them.
You'd think, wouldn't you? But judging from social media, today's average casual viewer was largely lured in by the Holzhauer run, which came just AFTER the last appearance of Ken or Brad in the All-Star tournament. Ken and Brad may as well be dinosaurs to them.
--
Drowning in the pool
Post Reply