Welcome back to the eighth installment of Andy’s Weekly Thoughts, where I give my thoughts about various happenings in the world of Jeopardy!
What The Words “This” & “These” Mean In A Jeopardy! Context
There were a lot of complaints from fans regarding Monday’s Final Jeopardy clue: At the 1865 Paris art salon, the elder of these 2 men said if the younger were successful, it would be “because his name sounds like mine”. I still maintain that the clue had no issue. Remember, in order to fit clues into the “answer-and-question” format, the show can not use the word “what”. Thus, in order to communicate what the show is looking for, the show uses the word “this” in place of what”, or, in the case of a plural, “these”. Thus, had the show been looking for just one, they would have phrased the clue this elder of 2 men, not the elder of these 2 men. (And, that’s just a good tip for anyone looking to get better at reading Jeopardy! clues: look for the “this”.)
So Many “Diehards” Are Blinded
Emmy nominations were announced this week—congratulations to both Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings, both of whom received nominations for Outstanding Game Show Host. The reaction on Reddit was not charitable, and I think that just highlights the extreme disconnect between the average Jeopardy! fan and the diehard Jeopardy! fan. I’ve been saying this for over a year now: there is nothing wrong with Mayim Bialik as a host of Jeopardy! — the only issues are coming from a very small, yet very vocal group of fans who, for whatever reason, do not want to see her host. Meanwhile, the fact that Mayim is a host is something that the general public thinks is generally a good thing—at least in the conversations I have had over the last 18 months with members of the general public. This means that when the tabloids choose to amplify the small, vocal anti-Mayim cabal that hangs out on social media, the tabloids come across as incredibly petty.
The Alex Trebek Mural—Still Looking Great!
In the summer of 2021, artist Kevin Ledo painted a memorial mural on a wall outside Sudbury Secondary School in Sudbury, Ontario. Two years in, and that mural is still looking great! My friend Ryan Vickers was traveling through Sudbury this week, and as you can see in the photo below, the mural is still looking great!
the Alex Trebek mural at Sudbury Secondary School in Sudbury, Ontario. Photo credit: Ryan Vickers
SAG-AFTRA Members Can Still Work On Jeopardy
The major piece of entertainment news this week: SAG-AFTRA members are now on strike, joining the WGA on the picket lines. Interestingly, this changes absolutely nothing for Jeopardy! fans, as Jeopardy! falls under the SAG-AFTRA National Code of Fair Practice for Network Television Broadcasting, ratified in 2022. So, this means that Jeopardy!‘s production schedule still relies on the number of completed game boards the writers produced before the WGA strike began on May 2. (It would certainly be nice to know how much material has been finalized and ready to go, but the fact that On Camera Audiences is providing tickets for August tapings is very likely a good sign.)
We’re now down to 2 weeks left of this regular season; do we think we’ll get one more ToC qualifier before the season is out?
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Last season there were 18 qualifiers, which included winners of sundry tournaments. This season I’m thinking one more traditional (4- 5 win) qualifier. How many special tournaments are left that will add to the ranks. 2nd Chance? Teachers? College? High School? Is there enough time for that many? If not it seems that this years ToC will have to include a good number of 3 time winners. Another option would be to cancel or postpone the ToC.
Just discovered this page, and I like your POV. I’m one hardcore Jeopardy! fan who actually prefers Mayim to Ken as host, not that there’s anything wrong with Ken. If I had to pick one reason why, it’s probably her sense of humor, which she works subtly into a lot of her clues and answers. As to how many TOC qualifiers there might be, I’d say the guy who won Friday might have a chance. He’s quick on the buzzer and seems to have a wide range of knowledge. As for any others, I’m not sure how many regular qualifiers we already have, but I think it’s at least 15. There will be a tournament, so I’m guessing there will be a second-chance opportunity, and I can think of a couple who might get a crack at that.
That the previous comments are still coming in, three and a half months after Champions Wildcard was announced, indicates to me that the show is not doing a good enough job publicizing this new postseason structure. Hopefully this will change as we get closer to the new season, but it seems to be not too widely understood that every champion from 2022-23 will come back early in Season 40, as well as some non-champions (for Second Chance), and they will all play off to get into the ToC — and only after that event will regular play resume.
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Given some criticism I levied at you earlier this week, it would be remiss not to mention a particular point. The statement here that “there is nothing wrong with Mayim Bialik as a host of Jeopardy!” does not contradict your remarks from six weeks ago regarding how she might eliminate her pausing. I interpret your stance as being that better anticipation of players’ responses would be beneficial to her hosting, it is not necessary (that is, required) for her success in the role. I would also note that the specific behavior that I think led to that comment, the two instances on May 29 where a contestant started to speak again in response to the pauses, has not recurred since.
It will be interesting to see how the hosting duties are allocated in the upcoming season. Without “Call Me Kat” on Mayim’s plate, I would expect to see the balance tip back toward that of Season 38, as opposed to this year. The additional “reps” should help Mayim continue to improve. Ultimately, Michael Davies is right about one thing: for all the carping, the ratings are the primary driver of any decisions the show makes, and he says they don’t differ between the two hosts.
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I appreciate the explanation of the various SAG-AFTRA contracts; the commentary on Reddit on this point left me unsure of what the state of play is. As regards the WGA, Randy West’s report this morning that “Jeopardy! is prepping the new season without writers, with the plan to reuse past A&Q material”, is interesting.
For one, it means that if the show were to proceed as planned with its format, that “postseason” games might be played with the recycled material. And for two… who’s going to host? I expect that Mayim still would not. And I think that if Ken does so under these circumstances, that action would speak much louder than his statements of solidarity with the writers.
Andy, as you will recall, I made a statement that because SAG-AFTRA had joined the WGA in striking against the AMPTP, that the scheduled start of the next Jepardy season might in in trouble. Well, from your “thoughts” looks like part of my reasoning, SAG-AFTRA going on strike is wrong.
The exception for game shows under SAG-AFTRA’s “Code of Fair Practice” is something that I, and, probably most of the general public, didn’t know about.
So, it follows your thought that Ken will be hosting the start of the new season, using game boards developed before the WGA strike, and/or “cobbled” together from material from past seasons. I presume that Mayim will continue to honor the WGA strike, even though her principal union, SAG-AFTRA, would seem to allow it, without penalty. No criticism from me, it’s her personal choice, as is any decisions she and her partner make about their family.