Fun Friday: Jeopardy! Archives

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

This post is inspired by the apparently many people I follow on Twitter who watch Jeopardy! on a regular basis. In the past few weeks, it seems that quite a few folks I know would have won big had they been on recent episodes. Now, I don't watch Jeopardy! too regularly, and haven't in over three years (when I used to go to the gym when it was airing), but I do enjoy the show if there's not much else on or if I'm in the kitchen - you can easily play along while only listening unless it's a visual Daily Double!

jeopardy.com

Anyway, today I wanted to share a site with you that you might not know exists. I have talked about it before, but it has been a LONG time! [and, in fact, I actually met Dan from that episode at a conference in Denver last year. he was a bit surprised that I recognized him, actually!] A fan-run website, this Jeopardy! archive boasts an extensive collection of Jeopardy! games in an easy-to-read format. You can challenge yourself with any of the boards, and all you have to do to find out the question is scroll over the money amount in that square! You can also see which contestant from that game gave the correct response, PLUS you can read their responses to the "Final Jeopardy!" clue.

Particularly fun, if you ask me, is to search through the archives for clues dealing with specific items or people. That little box at the top of every page will bring up tons of instances where your term appears! For instance, searching "Hamlet" retrieves 312 results from regular rounds (11 of which came from last year!) and 12 additional results from "Final Jeopardy!" rounds. You can also search the contestant blurbs to find people from your hometown, who share your profession, or other commonalities.

There's also a wagering calculator, to help you figure out what you should bet! It takes some time to understand the theories, but not a bad idea if you can't handle the "all or nothing" approach! For the hardcore statistics people, you can also look at the game dynamics of each match as well.

Go play around on the site - come back and let us know what you found!

This... Is... Jeopardy!

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

With the premiere of Watson, the IBM computer, as a contestant two weeks ago, I thought that it would be cool to write about Jeopardy! this week. I've posted about this particular game show a few times before, notably writing about its life as a long-running series, and a particular episode where I could've potentially won quite a bit of money. I've always loved Jeopardy!, since I was six or seven years old. I loved the game for NES, and I had the SEGA one as well. For a while I watched both Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune regularly, but now I just catch it if I'm home and bored at 7pm, or if that's the channel that's on at the gym. Anyway, back to the purpose at hand...

Brief history: Merv Griffin, known as a master at creating gameshows, created Jeopardy! in 1964. It was his wife who originally shared the idea with him, thinking that it would be more interesting to make contestants come up with the question to which they were given an answer. NBC bought the show without even seeing a pilot! It ran from 1964 to 1975, then was revived in 1978 for another year. However, the syndicated version that we know today began in 1984, and is nearing 27 years old. 

The game: There's a Jeopardy round, then Double Jeopardy (prize values are doubled), then Final Jeopardy. There's almost always a defending champion at the stage right podium. You must phrase your response in the form of a question (although Alex will let you get away with it once at the beginning if you forget). You win the prize value if you answer correctly, and your score is deducted by that amount if you answer wrong or don't say anything before the five-second time limit is up. There are Daily Double spaces on the board where a contestant can wager between $5 and the top prize value for that round. True-blue Jeopardy! players say "True Daily Double" and go all-or-nothing (the way, in my opinion, it should be done... and the way I usually play it in any Jeopardy!-esque game).

There are six categories in each of the first two rounds, usually on blue screens. If you have less than $1 at the end of the second round, you get eliminated and don't get to play Final Jeopardy. In Final Jeopardy, like Daily Doubles, you choose your wager... only it can be anything, including $0. You get to hear the category before wagering, just like in Daily Doubles. Alex reads the question, and you scribble down your answer, and then you find out who got it right or wrong. If there's a tie for first place, those contestants are considered co-champions, each gets to keep his winnings, and each will appear again.

Notable changes to the way the game is played: The values of the squares have changed through the years. I'm not even sure when it happened, but one day I turned it on and everything was double what it was when I was a kid, LoL! They also had red backgrounds in Double Jeopardy for a while, but that didn't last.

Special contestants: There have been many types of special contestants, including college games, high school games, and celebrity games. In celebrity games, they still play Final Jeopardy even if they have less than $1 to work with. Champions are awarded a flight allowance for subsequent appearances (like Tournaments of the Champions) but otherwise no travel or lodging accommodations are given to players. Oh, and let's not forget the newest special contestant, the IBM supercomputer, Watson. Many people associate the name "Ken Jennings" with Jeopardy! right after Alex Trebek because of Jennings' VERY long run on the show. However, he isn't the biggest winner ever, due to the tournaments and stuff, which is interesting. The most-winnings award currently goes to Brad Rutter. 

Favorite Rounds: In this case, I'm going with favorite categories. I'd have to say that I really enjoy the musical categories, the biblical topics, and the geography questions the best. I tend to be pretty bad at the ones where all you know is the number of letters, and I'm not great at the ones where they just give you the starting letter. I'd love to say I like the history questions, but I am better at listening to them than I am at guessing them, LoL.

My take: I'd jump at the chance to be on Jeopardy!. I haven't tried out or anything (I know plenty of people who have, and one person who has been on the show), but maybe someday. I'm kinda fearful because there are a lot of categories that I'd be awful at - like movies, actors, directors (I know next to NOTHING about directors), poetry, European literature, fashion, and ancient art. But, I do know a lot about other categories, LoL!

Do you watch Jeopardy!? What categories do you hope to see, or hope not to see? Would you go on it?

Short Bits of Television News

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

That Glee-ish new show coming in the fall, Smash, has just about nabbed Debra Messing to star.

The new ideas on TLC include Don't Tell the Bride, where the groom does all of the wedding planning; Daughters vs. Mothers, where daughters and mothers give each other makeovers; Money on the Menu, which is a game show where the contestants are surprised when a food deliveryperson comes to the door with a mobile game show; Happily Ever Laughter, which looks like an America's Funniest Home Videos for bridal showers, wedding rehearsals, bachelor(ette) parties, etc.; My Secret Body, which deals with people harboring secrets about themselves; World's Worst Mom, where helicopter parents are told to stop, LoL. And, NY Ink, which I assume will be insanely similar to Miami Ink.

Robin is getting a Canadian boyfriend on How I Met Your Mother.

Fun Fact: Matt LeBlanc (Joey) dyed his own hair during Friends because he didn't like how long it took for hair & makeup to do it.

As a reminder, the episodes of Jeopardy! that will pit Ken Jennings against Watson the computer start Monday!

It had been a long time since I saw something with Steve Harvey, but apparently he's hosting Family Feud now. And when a contestant suggests "a joint" as a response to "name something that gets passed around," he goes crazy. It's really funny, go watch.

And, I saw in the Entertainment Weekly magazine that House is having an episode on March 7th that will feature five parodies with the cast, like House and Cuddy doing a Wild West scene, hehe.

Lots of Spring Starts; More Cancellations

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Animal Planet's Pit Boss got renewed, and the new season starts January 29th.

ABC's Secret Millionaire will start at 8pm on Sunday, March 6th... opposite Amazing Race.

Mr. Sunshine will be on at 9:30pm on ABC starting February 9th.

Happy Endings will be on 10pm on ABC starting April 13th.

A&E's new Beyond Scared Straight premieres Thursday, January 13th at 10pm.

F/X's Terriers got canceled.

FOX's Running Wilde got dropped from the normal lineup.

Lie to Me didn't get a full-season order, so things aren't looking so well for the long-term.

Love Bites got cut from 13 episodes to 9, so that's even worse.

Apparently there's a show called, You're Cut Off! that was renewed by VH1, and the second season will begin at 9pm on Monday, January 10th.

Glee also suffered this week... apparently tonsillitis has been going around the cast and they had to cancel some shooting, haha.

The Closer will not continue past this season.

Ken Jennings will be back on Jeopardy!, along with Brad Rutter and... a supercomputer. February 14-16, 2011.

New Gossip

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

As I mentioned in this week's television commentary, I really like the new show Better with You. Here's a little video of Joanna Garcia & Jennifer Finnigan talking about the show.

Glee is having a Rocky Horror-themed episode, set to air October 26th. Barry Bostwick (Brad) and Meat Loaf (Eddie) are set to appear. I am gonna have to watch this one, as much as I dislike Glee.

Oprah is doing a few episodes from Australia.... bringing some of her biggest fans with her to tour parts of the country. It's costing Australian taxpayers almost $3,000,000, but the former tourism minister believes that the publicity is worth every penny.

Grad student (in Computer Science) Roger Craig won $77,000 on a single episode of Jeopardy!. This beats Ken Jennings, whose highest one-day total was $75,000. This was the fifth time in his life that he's tried out for the show, but the first time he's made it.

There are a bunch of celebrities who are afraid of flying. In particular, Ben Affleck recently told his story on Jay Leno.

The fact that a bunch of episodes in last season's How I Met Your Mother don't really fit a larger arc was because they weren't meant to. They also know bits and pieces about how the series is going to end, but no hints there. They have written a new Robin Sparkles song. Wayne Brady is coming back as Barney's brother.

Hulk Hogan is going to be hosting a new kids' show. The first season is ordered for 26 half-hour episodes where Hogan is a referee of sorts for kids' arguments.

Last week I mentioned that Penny on The Big Bang Theory had broken her leg and was missing a taping. Well, she's going to be missing several more, the the point where the show is on production hiatus.

Boardwalk Empire got picked up for a second season a mere TWO DAYS after it premiered.

The Flintstones turned 50 this month. To celebrate, Boomerang will air the original episode this Thursday, September 30th, at 8:30pm, which is the same slot the pilot occupied in 1960. Then two more episodes, The Man Called Flintstone, and a 24-hour marathon the following day.

My Top Ten Game Shows

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

A couple days ago I read an article giving logical ideas on how to win various games within The Price is Right. I thought it was a clever thing to talk about, and even as a six-year-old, I would yell at players making dumb decisions. Even now, there are times when I look at the players like they're idiots on Wheel of Fortune when I've known the answer for 2-3 turns and they're still buying vowels. This whole thing got me thinking about my favorite game shows, which have changed somewhat over the years. The Price is Right would have been in the top 5 if Bob Barker was still hosting. Drew Carey isn't a bad host, but I just can't stand him, so it's been knocked from the Top Ten.

10. Classic Concentration. My brother and I were into memory games when we were kids. In fact, we had like a mega-memory game and the generic one that all six-year-olds seem to own, that came in the plastic container with slots for each card. Our mega set had over 50 cards to it, since we had a hard time even laying all of them out. So, I had a good time watching other people try to remember where cards were. BUT, what made this a great game show was the rebus puzzle behind the cards. This was the first rebus I had ever seen, and I still love them. I think that I have a slight advantage over other people in reading them because of this show, LoL.

9. Wipeout. I love a good physical challenge show. And while this one may be incredibly goofy sometimes, I think it's awesome. When we lived in California I downloaded the application to apply to be on it, knowing full well that it would be more of an experience for me than a win, since I'm not that strong of a swimmer (and that's important in the final round), and I'm kinda paranoid about knocking out teeth and things like that. I think it's interesting that some of the rounds change from time to time, but I really enjoy the creativity in some of those gags! It's not like you could ever try it at home, LoL.

8. Lingo. This isn't one of the most popular games, and it's strictly words and a little luck (regarding what numbers you pull to get points and then win prizes). Basically, you stand around guessing 5-letter words. In the first two rounds, two teams of two are pitted against eachother, and they only ever get a letter to start with. They find out which letters are in the right positions and which are correct but in the wrong places, and get 5 chances to guess the word. In the final round, the better team tries to do ten of these in two minutes (you still get the first letter, but now also get a random second letter). They rarely get all ten, but that usually doesn't matter, they still win something. I'm not that good at the game, but I do get excited watching it.

7. I'm Telling! If there was one game on this list that I'd bet you hadn't heard of, it's this one. It ran on cable only, and only a season or two were made. It was a children's game show, specifically geared for brother-sister pairs. The set-up is like the NewlyWed Game, in that the brothers answer questions about the sisters and vice versa, and you get points when you're right. The losing two teams all got 10-speed bikes. The two winners took turns running through a "prize arcade." See, before the show, each kid had written down the six prizes they thought their sibling would want (out of ten). When you chose six in the final round, you were choosing the six that you wanted. If it matched, you won it. You'd always win two prizes because of the overlap in the math on that, and if you matched 10/12, you'd win all of the prizes. The only real catch? There were "boys' prizes" and "girls' prizes" so it was very sexist. My brother and I played along ALL THE TIME.

6. Supermarket Sweep. In case you haven't seen a pattern yet, my brother and I played along with this one, too. The game was pretty easy... some general questions to bring up your points, and each of the three teams rotated the players' turns. The real excitement was in the end, when you ran around the supermarket throwing foods in your cart to ring up the highest bill. There were also certain items that were announced that could get you extra stuff. Depending on how much time you had banked in the beginning, you could get extra time in the aisles. In theory, it shouldn't have been hard to rack up the bill, but you'd always see people throwing crap in their carts.

5. Wheel of Fortune. This one's a classic, and I don't think you can really argue with that. I love Vanna, mostly for her clothing. The contestants aren't always that exciting, but I generally like the puzzles, although there are certain categories that I like much more than others. Plus, it's still on, so I can catch it five times a week if I'm really bored, LoL.

4. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? So when I list this one, I'm only referring to the Regis Philbin-hosted version. This is because I believe that, arguably, most people agree he's the only true host of that show. I rank it so high for several reasons. First, the gimmick of only having it on for a couple weeks and then taking it away again was interesting. Plus, the lights and the concept and the ten possible contestants in the beginning were neat. Lastly, it came on when my now-husband and I were first starting to date, so we'd often watch the show at our respective parents' houses and talk about it on the phone.

3. Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? This show was supercool, especially from the seven-year-old's point-of-view. There was the mysterious storyline going on, plus some neat facts to learn, and lastly the running around putting the sirens on different countries/states. I always wanted to be on that show, and would have done really well since I knew my US map like the back of my hand by the time I was eight-years-old. PLUS, the prize was a trip to anyplace in the continental US! How neat!

2. Jeopardy! I love a good quiz show. I particularly love this one for several reasons, but the main ones at this point in my life are that the clues are always shown on the screen so I can read them while at the gym on the treadmill, and I have a wide berth of knowledge so this is a game I always have an excellent and a sucky category in. And I think this tends to be true for many of the contestants on the show. It's always good to watch when you're bored or on vacation and have no cable, or when you're with strangers and need an icebreaker on television, LoL.

1. Legends of the Hidden Temple. OF COURSE this is my #1 game show. It was THE COOLEST gameshow EVER. I may be too old to go on it now (in the event they bring it back), but it's still super mega awesome. There were six teams (of two) to start out with, and it always began with a physical challenge - crossing a moat. The first four teams to make it moved on. Then, on to some knowledge and listening comprehension, then some more physical stuff. But the end level was made up of running through a fun house of sorts (there were like seven different set-ups too, so it's not like you could memorize it beforehand... although there are websites out there with maps of each... I'm serious), collecting the artifact of the day by completing a task to open most of the doors, and avoiding the temple guard. Sometimes they'd also have to find part of their Pendant of Life, too. Both team members got to go in, and it just looked like so much fun! The only qualm I have about the game is that it always seemed the teams struggled with putting together the Shrine of the Silver Monkey, LoL. Oh, and it was another one that my brother and I would always talk about how we'd do each challenge if we were on a team, LoL.

The 100 Greatest?

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

So Entertainment Weekly put out an issue back on December 11th that covered a lot of different "through the decade" overviews. One of the articles was "The 100 Greatest Movies, TV Shows, Albums, Books, Characters, Scenes, Episodes, Songs, Dresses, Music Videos, and Trends that Entertained us over the Past 10 Years." A lot of it I completely disagreed on, of course. But at the same time, there were things I couldn't agree with more. Here, I've reproduced only the ones I agree with. :) 32 out of 100, not too bad!

1. Harry Potter (Best Character) um, I was a little surprised that he came in at #1, but that franchise has made so much money because of that kid, I guess I believe it.
3. YouTube what a fantastic invention! I don't really remember when it entered my life, but I don't go a month without using it now! And, apparently a lot of people use it a heck of a lot more often than that!
11. Brokeback Mountain I won't lie, it wasn't as good I was expecting. But we needed it. And, "I don't know how to quit you" ... I think that phrase is applicable to a lot of different scenarios. I'm glad it's become well-known.
12. A Scoundrel named Capt. Jack Sparrow Those movies are soooo good. I can't tell you how many times I've seen the first one, and how much of a priority I now make the ride when I'm at the Magic Kingdom!
16. Facebook really? all the way down at #16? I would have placed it in the top 10, at least!
17. The Dark Knight I didn't have the love for this film that everyone else seemed to, but at the same time I thought it was good in spite of the fact that I'm not a big Batman fan.
21. WALL-E I really liked this film, as did so many others. But, it doesn't keep my attention enough to really watch it over and over, and that's what makes a good animated film.
30. An ogre named Shrek I think the parodies are what made this series. They're all okay, but the first one is just good.
35. Guitar Hero yeah, buddy! Clever idea and precise execution. The timing is so resolute it's almost mind-boggling, especially when you think back to Super Mario Bros. and making Mario avoid the swinging sticks of fire in the fortresses!
41. Children of Men now, I actually didn't like the movie. But I think it deserves a place because of its unique plot.
42. A matriarch named Madea I love me some Madea. She is so funny.
44. Brangelina I don't follow all the drama (because, really, it's so boring at this point), but I like them as a couple, and love them in Mr. & Mrs. Smith.
45. Gilmore Girls I was pretty psyched to see this on the list. Lorelai and Rory were such a perfect pair, it was sad to see their wit and pop culture references go.
46. A baby named Stewie I can't say I'm a big fan. But I know why he's up there and respect that.
49. Wicked (Best Stage Musical) um, there's a reason it's still selling out 100% of it's nearly 2000 seats eight times a week. And the fact that you can listen to the soundtrack every time you fly Delta is awesome, hehe.
55. Penguins (Best Bird) they were ALL OVER forEVER. Even that dumb cartoon with the disabled penguin named "Kevin" became popular. honestly, I haven't seen many of the now-famous movies... except what's probably the worst one, Surf's Up.
58. Wii awesome concept, great system, fun games.
60. Matt Damon as action star works out for him, probably much better than all those dramatic roles in the 90s.
64. Friends, "The One That Could Have Been" I actually don't like this one much. The personalities are just too different. But I know it's a favorite of many, and the concept is entertaining, if nothing else.
65. Twitter I initially hated the idea. Not sure why, since I always had involved "away messages" (remember when EVERYONE was on AIM??) and this is fairly similar. But, I came around. I've been on since summer 2008, and have over 2,000 tweets.
66. "Since U Been Gone," Kelly Clarkson she was good, the song was better. that is all.
73. How I Met Your Mother, "Slapsgiving" what a funny, funny idea. And the fact that they had an active online countdown for it was amusing (of course, this show often incorporates real media, but still). And, it is a classic Thanksgiving episode, after all.
78. A legal eagle named Elle Woods I had almost forgotten that this was less than ten years ago. I must have watched it thirty times, it always seemed to be in the DVD player at my now-husband's parents' house. cute film.
80. The Ocean's Eleven heist scene (Best Caper) I'm such a big fan of these movies. Just the best. which is kinda funny when you consider the fact that I didn't really want to see the first one... we went at the birthday boy's choice.
82. Prison inmates' "Thriller" video such a neat idea! As have been all of the large amateur choreographed pieces that have come out. but "Thriller" was an excellent choice.
87. Michael Phelps at the Olympics I usually don't watch swimming (but diving is cool), but with all of the Michael Phelps hype, I had to tune in for each of his races, and watch his (de)formed body win gold medal after gold medal.
89. Avenue Q Although I still haven't seen it properly (just clips and such), it really brought Off-Broadway back into the mainstage for non-theatre folk.
90. The Departed I'm actually not a big fan of this movie (omg it's long), but it's well-written and directed.
92. Mean Girls I'll never forget the first time I saw this movie... one of my best male friends in college and I went to an early screening and got our picture taken and everything, LoL. It is really meant for teenagers, but it's funny.
93. Ken Jennings on Jeopardy! this man was unstoppable! Amazing, he was. And it's really, really sad that not everyone recognizes his name yet.
99. Lolcats I was really late in discovering this one, but those dumb cats are super funny.
100. The kiss in Spider-Man only for its uniqueness will I agree on this one.

If I was on Jeopardy! the other day...

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

I've talked about Jeopardy! before, but the other night at the gym I watched a great episode while I was running. It first caught my eye because the three contestants were of interest to me. There was Dan, a PhD student in theatre at Northwestern, who is writing his dissertation on French Closet Dramas. Bing (I loved his name) was a lawyer, and Diane was a bank teller-turned-librarian.

I came in when they were introducing the contestants, so I missed a few answers. BUT, thanks for handy-dandy Jeopardy! Archiver, I caught them at home. If I was playing along, and buzzed in first each time, I would have made $.

Round 1 ($6000, would've been in third place):
1909: got clue 1.
Seinfeld: got clues 1, 3, and 5. missed clue 2
Government Acronyms: got clues 1 and 3. no idea clue 5 existed.
Americana: got clues 1, 2, 3, and 4.
"CU": got clues 1 and 2. missed 3 (stupid mistake) and 4.
Later: got clues 1 and 3

Round 2 ($10,800) (plus $6, 000 from Round 1 = $16,800, would have tied with second-place)
International Playwrights (which, by the way, is a strange category to have when one of the players is getting a doctorate in the subject): got clues 1 and 4 (should have gotten 2 and 5)
TCM (pre-Oscar week movies): got none.
Games in Other Words: got all 5 clues.
I Probably couldn't Paint that: got 1 and 2, should have gotten 3
Let's Visit Cyprus: got none.
Contronyms (words that have meanings that are the opposite of each other): got clues 1, 2, 3. should have gotten 5.

I would have missed the Final Jeopardy! Question, so it's hard to say what I would have ended with, since my "placings" didn't take into consideration that if I took that many correct answers, the other players would not have the same scores. I just left their scores the same, which would not have been accurate. Nice time overall. :)

This! Is! Jeopardy!

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

As you might have been able to predict, this week's featured television show is Another masterpiece by Merv Griffin, the syndicated version premiered in 1984, and is still running 24 years later. Before that, it did run 1964-1975, with a revival 1978-1979. It has 11 Emmys for Best Game Show (and 28 Emmys in all), and has been ranked among the highest of game shows by audiences for years. While the US associates Alex Trebek with Jeopardy!, there are many international adaptations.

Jeopardy! was actually masterminded by Griffin's wife, who pitched the idea to him that it might be interesting to have an answer and make contestants come up with the question. She came up with this technique to prevent the cheating that had been a prevalent scandal in the late 1950s. NBC actually bought the show without even seeing a pilot!

The format of the game has remained unchanged: a Jeopardy round, then Double Jeopardy (prize values are doubled), then Final Jeopardy. There's almost always a defending champion at the stage right podium. You must phrase your response in the form of a question (although Alex seems to be a little lax in the first round). You win the prize value if you answer correctly, and your score is deducted if you answer wrong or don't say anything before the 5-second time limit is up. (Hence how there's nearly always someone going into the negatives at some point in the game.) There are Daily Double spaces on the board where a contestant can wager between $5 and the top prize value for that round, choosing his or her fate. True-blue Jeopardy! players say "True Daily Double" and go all-or-nothing (the way, in my opinion, it should be done).

There are six categories in each of the first two rounds, usually on blue screens. But, for a period in the 1980s and 1990s, Double Jeopardy would have a red background. If you have less than $1 at the end of the second round, you get eliminated and don't get to play Final Jeopardy (unless it's the Celebrity edition). In Final Jeopardy, like Daily Doubles, you choose your wager... only it can be anything, including $0. Alex reads the question, and you get a fun light pen to scribble down your answer (and you can't cheat and write after the timer, because the pen turns off!), and then you immediately get to find out who got it right or wrong.

Now, here's the part about Jeopardy! that you probably didn't know... only the champion gets to keep his earnings! Second place gets $2,000 and third place gets $1,000! Champions are awarded a flight allowance for subsequent appearances (like Tournaments of the Champions) but otherwise no travel or lodging accommodations are given to players. (And the methodology of the Tournaments is rather intense, so I'm just going to skip over that...)

Other fun facts:
- Merv Griffin composed the theme music.
- During the production season, Jeopardy! tapes 5 shows per day
- Ken Jennings (remember him?) has the record for most money won in a single day: $75,000.
- In the show's history (since 1984), there have been 3 separate occasions where nobody had any winnings at the end of Final Jeopardy.
- If there's a tie for first place, those contestants are considered co-champions, each gets to keep his winnings, and each will appear again. Unless it's the tournament of champions, in which case there's a tiebreaker question and the first to respond correctly wins.
- There has been 1 contestant to win with just $1.
- From 1997 until 2003, contestants could play a maximum of five games (not including tournament games), then they would retire AND WIN A CAR. In 2003, the maximum number of appearances was lifted.
- With the 5-show-limit gone, several contestants played for weeks at a time. In 2004, Ken Jennings had 75 appearances, with winnings totaling $3,022,700. (He's not actually the all-time highest though! Google around and read up on Brad Rutter for that info.)
- For those who grew up watching the game, then missed a few years and came back to it, it was in 2001 that the point values jumped.
- In 2006, the set was upgraded from individual video monitors to a projection video wall (yeah, for HD. go figure).