The rules of Jeopardy clearly state that you are not eligible to be on the show if you have appeared on the show already (unless it's a special show and the producers choose you). So why was Jeff Kirby allowed to be on the show this past Monday when he was already on the show in 1999?
This season, Jeopardy is doing a Million Dollar Celebrity Tournament. One episode a month will have three celebrities battling to see who gets to play for one million dollars for their charity later in the season. A lot of fans don't like the celebrity editions. It breaks up the flow of the regular champion coming back, the questions are easier than the regular game, etc. But last night's episode was fun.
The three celebrities who played the first game of this season's tournament were Wolf Blitzer, Dana Delany, and Andy Richer...and Richter won! Actually, it's not even fair to say he "won," he crushed Blizter and Delany. The game was over way before they even got to the Final Jeopardy round. Blitzer didn't even make it to that round (I cringed when he added an "S" to Julia Child's last name because I knew the money would be taken away), but they let him play anyway.
If you watched Jeopardyyesterday, you saw the first three way tie in the show's history. Each player ended up with $16,000. The three players had a rematch, which will air this Monday.
But some were immediately asking: why did champ Scott Weiss, who was in the lead at the end of "Double Jeopardy," wager just enough for a tie? Well, Weiss gives the answer on his friend's blog. Seems that Weiss, well, is just a great guy, and thought it would be cool for all of them to end up with a bunch of money! I guess it's our cynical nature to immediately think that Weiss had made a mistake in betting the way he did. So good for him.
Now, I'm not sure if I would have done the same thing, but then again I don't see myself every being in that position, so...
This is either big news for game show fans or much to do about nothing.
The show sent out a note this week that promises something major is going to happen on the show tomorrow (Friday) that has never happened on the show before:
"This Friday, March 16, 2007...for the first time in 23 years, Jeopardy history will be made...it was such a remarkable event we consulted a game theory expert, and he said it may never happen again!"
OK, now they have me curious, and since they mention game theory, I think I've narrowed it down to three possible events.