Perv Griffin wrote: ↑Wed Aug 04, 2021 2:23 pm Perhaps the opportunity to say, "I came in second on Jeopardy! with $19,200" or "I came in last with $14,400" was worth more in pride than angling for the $1,000 difference.
Personally, I'd find it a little bit embarrassing to be fighting over the scraps instead of aiming high when it's a distinction without a difference, but you're certainly correct in pointing out that the consolation prize amounts are different.
I liked it much more than the "right" wagers.
triviawayne wrote: ↑Wed Aug 04, 2021 4:01 pm I've thought about that one, and for me the $1000 minus taxes difference is worth less than me being able to take a screenshot with me standing at the podium with the highest possible dollar amount.
Plus I could add to my total career losings that way...
These posts are talking about looking good or not wanting to fight for scraps to look bad or having a picture with a few thousand fake dollars more. But you're forgetting you already got your ass handed to you in front of millions of viewers. And you think you're going to fix that by making a rash wager? You're not, and you're just going to look foolish in the process. It's OK to get beat, everybody runs into a better player eventually. Beating yourself and throwing away money is a different matter.Perv Griffin wrote: ↑Wed Aug 04, 2021 5:58 pm I don't mean to also speak for Wayne, but I think our views are similar in that the +/- $1k (pre-tax...) is less important than being able to put up a valiant effort in losing.
Fighting to the death and making guarded wagers over that $1k in what is already a losing effort would make me feel like more of a loser than simply going for broke in an effort to eke a more respectable final score against a wizard-level player like Matt. My pride (or perhaps it's my vanity?) is worth more than the $5-600 difference that prompted Golf to remark about how irresistibly funny s/he found Christina's and Harry's wagers to be.
This is a contest, it's a contestant to see who can win the most money. Style points do not count. If you can't win tens of thousand of dollar then you do your level best to win two thousand. That's how the game is played.
And yes, I know people play Jeopardy for different reasons other than money. As of matter of fact, the majority of contestants might feel that way. And that's exactly why we see so few superchamps. They don't care about winning, they don't even care enough to learn how to win. They are just happy to be there. And when we do see a contestant that wants and knows how to win, it's like taking candy from a baby. It's so easy. The other contestants just roll over and hand the win over without a fight.
Game shows/trivia games are easy, the rule sets are basic and easily exploitable. Yet so few take advantage, and it boggles my mind. That's why it's so fun to watch a player like this or James or Alex Jacob on J!. Or $2148 perfect bid Michael on TPIR. Or TPH on Wheel. There's so much free money out there and most just throw it away.