'Jeopardy!' has historic game
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'Jeopardy!' has historic game
NEW YORK (AP) -- So what's "Jeopardy!" going to do for an encore?
On Friday -- after more than two decades of games in its current syndicated incarnation -- the famed trivia game show had its first three-way tie.
The three contestants on the venerable U.S. game show all finished with $16,000 after each answering the final question correctly in the category, "Women of the 1930s," on Friday's show. They identified Bonnie Parker, of the famed Bonnie and Clyde crime duo, as a woman who, as a waitress, once served one of the men who shot her.
"We've had a lot of crazy things happen on 'Jeopardy!' but in 23 years (as host) I've never seen anything like this before," host Alex Trebek said.
The show contacted a mathematician who calculated the odds of such a three-way tie happening -- one in 25 million. However, the mathematician probably based his calculations on pure chance. In "Jeopardy's" world, with contestants having some control over their wagers, the end result was something less than that.
Indeed, defending champion Scott Weiss -- who could have gone with the time-honored "Jeopardy!" strategy of betting just enough to win by one dollar -- could be seen whispering something to his competitors as his wager was revealed, indicating that Weiss knew exactly what he was doing in setting up the three-way tie.
His opponents both went into Final Jeopardy with $8,000, while Weiss had $13,400.
The three contestants were all declared champions -- which means each will get his cash prize -- and taped a rematch that will air Monday. Second- and third-place contestants usually get a smaller cash payout or merchandise. Weiss, a three-day champion, now has accumulated $61,001.
"Jeopardy!" has run in the U.S. in several different incarnations since 1964, when it began on NBC as a daytime show with Art Fleming as host.
On Friday -- after more than two decades of games in its current syndicated incarnation -- the famed trivia game show had its first three-way tie.
The three contestants on the venerable U.S. game show all finished with $16,000 after each answering the final question correctly in the category, "Women of the 1930s," on Friday's show. They identified Bonnie Parker, of the famed Bonnie and Clyde crime duo, as a woman who, as a waitress, once served one of the men who shot her.
"We've had a lot of crazy things happen on 'Jeopardy!' but in 23 years (as host) I've never seen anything like this before," host Alex Trebek said.
The show contacted a mathematician who calculated the odds of such a three-way tie happening -- one in 25 million. However, the mathematician probably based his calculations on pure chance. In "Jeopardy's" world, with contestants having some control over their wagers, the end result was something less than that.
Indeed, defending champion Scott Weiss -- who could have gone with the time-honored "Jeopardy!" strategy of betting just enough to win by one dollar -- could be seen whispering something to his competitors as his wager was revealed, indicating that Weiss knew exactly what he was doing in setting up the three-way tie.
His opponents both went into Final Jeopardy with $8,000, while Weiss had $13,400.
The three contestants were all declared champions -- which means each will get his cash prize -- and taped a rematch that will air Monday. Second- and third-place contestants usually get a smaller cash payout or merchandise. Weiss, a three-day champion, now has accumulated $61,001.
"Jeopardy!" has run in the U.S. in several different incarnations since 1964, when it began on NBC as a daytime show with Art Fleming as host.
edit: link http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/TV/0....ap/index.html
