Whatever happened to the Seniors Tournament?

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Kenny
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Re: Whatever happened to the Seniors Tournament?

Post by Kenny »

Bamaman wrote:Personal injury lawyers make up a lot of ads on my station.
In Houston, they're all seeking plaintiffs poisoned by asbestos (if "poisoned" is the right word). They come right out and say, "Are you 50 or older?" so the demo they're aiming at is obvious: old J! fans like me.
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Winchell Factor
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Re: Whatever happened to the Seniors Tournament?

Post by Winchell Factor »

lbligh wrote:Does anyone know why the Seniors Tournament was discontinued? I read somewhere that that tournament was Alex's idea, because he had noticed that older contestants tended to be slower on the buzzer. Now that I am 56, I am beginning to worry that if I ever do get The Call, I will be at a neurological disadvantage against those young whippersnappers.
I worried about this before I got the call. I was old enough to have qualified for a Seniors Tournament when I played, but it turned out quite all right. I was not even the oldest guy in my season's Tournament of Champions.

On one hand, it is true that I couldn't really compete with Alex Jacob in buzzer speed, but on the other hand, neither could several players who were literally half my age.

The more serious issue, I think, is recall. I joked at the time that I was worried the judges wouldn't accept, "Who is...oh, hell, you know--that actor...he was in the movie with all the mobsters...?" But the older I get....
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Re: Whatever happened to the Seniors Tournament?

Post by Bamaman »

Kenny wrote:
Bamaman wrote:Personal injury lawyers make up a lot of ads on my station.
In Houston, they're all seeking plaintiffs poisoned by asbestos (if "poisoned" is the right word). They come right out and say, "Are you 50 or older?" so the demo they're aiming at is obvious: old J! fans like me.
There is a guy here who calls himself the Alabama Hammer. No, he is not a professional wrestler. He is an attorney.
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Magna
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Re: Whatever happened to the Seniors Tournament?

Post by Magna »

Winchell Factor wrote:The more serious issue, I think, is recall. I joked at the time that I was worried the judges wouldn't accept, "Who is...oh, hell, you know--that actor...he was in the movie with all the mobsters...?" But the older I get....
Maybe they should be advertising this product.
http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/ ... 2500?snl=1
IronNeck
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Re: Whatever happened to the Seniors Tournament?

Post by IronNeck »

It's notable that most of the great Jeopardy champions had their initial runs when they were 20-40.

While one is constantly learning trivia, it's very possible, especially nowadays, to hit a $35,000+ Coryat level average in one's 20s. After that, one comes across diminishing returns, and I imagine it's more a matter of buzzer speed. Recent champion Seth Wilson is a great example; a 12-day champion with immaculate buzzer speed but a knowledge base that, while certainly impressive, was less than that of most other superchampions.

And buzzer timing gets worse with age, which we know since countless studies have tracked reaction time as a function of one's age.

Point being that, yes, older players are absolutely at a disadvantage.

I imagine the real reason they scrapped the Senior Tournament is because of poor ratings.

Just because a lot of older people watch Jeopardy! doesn't necessarily mean they will watch more or less because other older people are on there.
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mfc248
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Re: Whatever happened to the Seniors Tournament?

Post by mfc248 »

Bamaman wrote:
Kenny wrote:
Bamaman wrote:Personal injury lawyers make up a lot of ads on my station.
In Houston, they're all seeking plaintiffs poisoned by asbestos (if "poisoned" is the right word). They come right out and say, "Are you 50 or older?" so the demo they're aiming at is obvious: old J! fans like me.
There is a guy here who calls himself the Alabama Hammer. No, he is not a professional wrestler. He is an attorney.
"The Hammer" seems to be a popular name for personal injury attorneys. Witness Jim "The Hammer" Shapiro from upstate New York:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5hn8bhEpMY

Or from the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, Lowell "The Hammer" Stanley:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vpJ_k3t6s4
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MarkBarrett
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Re: Whatever happened to the Seniors Tournament?

Post by MarkBarrett »

The senior champ representative in the 1994, 1995 and 1996 TOCs each was eliminated in the quarter-finals, so that may have played a part in the decision as well.
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Winchell Factor
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Re: Whatever happened to the Seniors Tournament?

Post by Winchell Factor »

And I can't say I remember the Seniors Tournaments themselves as very good Jeopardy!, either.

On the other hand, they do keep resurrecting Power Players, so maybe that's not a criterion.
IronNeck
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Re: Whatever happened to the Seniors Tournament?

Post by IronNeck »

Winchell Factor wrote:And I can't say I remember the Seniors Tournaments themselves as very good Jeopardy!, either.

On the other hand, they do keep resurrecting Power Players, so maybe that's not a criterion.
From my understanding, Power Players get fantastic ratings.
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dhkendall
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Re: Whatever happened to the Seniors Tournament?

Post by dhkendall »

IronNeck wrote:
Winchell Factor wrote:And I can't say I remember the Seniors Tournaments themselves as very good Jeopardy!, either.

On the other hand, they do keep resurrecting Power Players, so maybe that's not a criterion.
From my understanding, Power Players get fantastic ratings.
Boardies are not typical viewers. (Typical contestants, definitely, but not typical viewers)
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Re: Whatever happened to the Seniors Tournament?

Post by dpj626 »

Winchell Factor wrote:And I can't say I remember the Seniors Tournaments themselves as very good Jeopardy!, either.

On the other hand, they do keep resurrecting Power Players, so maybe that's not a criterion.
I have decided the next time J! tapes in DC (2020 most likely) at my wife's employer, I am going to grab teen tournament shows if possible. Much more entertaining. I have seen six Power Player shows, it is like watching an Old-Timers Day game. The teens impress me more and more each year.
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lbligh
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Re: Whatever happened to the Seniors Tournament?

Post by lbligh »

I do wish that ALL the Power Players would make themselves familiar with the game's format before coming on set.
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