Maintaining Confidentiality of Who Has Won on Jeopardy!

This is where all of the games are discussed.

Moderators: alietr, trainman, econgator, dhkendall

User avatar
Jasper
Contributor
Posts: 35
Joined: Wed Oct 18, 2017 12:11 pm

Maintaining Confidentiality of Who Has Won on Jeopardy!

Post by Jasper »

Given the extent of leaked information coming from the FBI, the White House, Congress, and other government entities, I find it astonishing that there has been no leaked information (that I have heard of) about who has won a Jeopardy! contest before that episode is televised. This is particularly so because the actual contests take place many months before they appear on TV. It seems that there would be plenty of opportunities for information to circulate before the scheduled TV date (even if the release of that information were inadvertent).

Jasper
User avatar
dhkendall
Pursuing the Dream
Posts: 8789
Joined: Fri Jul 01, 2011 11:49 am
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba
Contact:

Re: Maintaining Confidentiality of Who Has Won on Jeopardy!

Post by dhkendall »

Apparently the results of Ken’s final game were leaked by several audience members beforehand, such that it was known by several when Ken’s run would finally end. (I wasn’t one of those and after watching religiously to see when it’d end, I missed the November 30 broadcast due to a sick kid. :( )

But overall I think the reason that they haven’t been leaked is that, in the long run, who wins a Jeopardy! game is inconsequential compared to the other leaks you mentioned.
"Jeopardy! is two parts luck and one part luck" - Me

"The way to win on Jeopardy is to be a rabidly curious, information-omnivorous person your entire life." - Ken Jennings

Follow my progress game by game since 2012
User avatar
mikebdoss
Watches Jeopardy! Way Too Much
Posts: 318
Joined: Thu Jan 29, 2015 12:36 pm

Re: Maintaining Confidentiality of Who Has Won on Jeopardy!

Post by mikebdoss »

I'm sure any given winner's family, friends and co-workers all regularly know who won a certain game (regardless of requests from the studio to keep it quiet), but most wouldn't bother putting it online, and you'd have a whole new set of people in the know every couple weeks. The only way for it to get out regularly was a regular attendee of tapings, or a mole working for one of the production companies. Neither seems likely to want to spoil the game.
User avatar
squarekara
J! Reactionary
Posts: 1552
Joined: Wed Feb 08, 2017 12:49 am
Location: USDA Zone 5

Re: Maintaining Confidentiality of Who Has Won on Jeopardy!

Post by squarekara »

The method the producers currently use to prevent leaks is this: they scare the bejeezus out of everybody in the green room by saying that any winnings can be withheld if results are leaked before the shows air. Then they give examples of times that actually happened. All it takes is a smalltown newspaper, hometown pride, and a chatty loved one who does not understand the policy. :(
User avatar
triviawayne
Hoping I don’t drown in this contestant pool
Posts: 2677
Joined: Tue Feb 17, 2015 9:50 pm

Re: Maintaining Confidentiality of Who Has Won on Jeopardy!

Post by triviawayne »

Because those that are interested in Jeopardy have way more scruples than those inside the beltway.
Total game show career losings = $171,522
User avatar
alietr
Site Admin
Posts: 8978
Joined: Thu Jun 30, 2011 1:20 pm
Location: Bethesda, MD

Re: Maintaining Confidentiality of Who Has Won on Jeopardy!

Post by alietr »

squarekara wrote: Mon Nov 06, 2017 1:37 am The method the producers currently use to prevent leaks is this: they scare the bejeezus out of everybody in the green room by saying that any winnings can be withheld if results are leaked before the shows air. Then they give examples of times that actually happened. All it takes is a smalltown newspaper, hometown pride, and a chatty loved one who does not understand the policy. :(
Have they actually withheld someone's winnings as a result? It can easily be an audience member who spills; they're asked not to, but there is nothing that binds them not to do so.
User avatar
StevenH
Not J! Contestant Material
Posts: 2524
Joined: Fri Jul 01, 2011 6:24 pm
Location: Atlanta, Georgia

Re: Maintaining Confidentiality of Who Has Won on Jeopardy!

Post by StevenH »

I remember that I was spoiled on when David Madden's run ended, but I found out only a day or two before the air date of his last regular game..or maybe even the morning of the air date. I was also spoiled on how many games Arthur Chu won. I seem to remember someone posting a video of an interview that he did after his run ended that said that he had won 11 games, but I don't remember how soon it was before his final game aired.

I don't recall ever being spoiled on the outcome of any other games, even Julia Collins'.
User avatar
zerobandwidth
That Guy Who Said "Yay!"
Posts: 373
Joined: Mon Aug 27, 2012 3:21 pm
Location: Virginia
Contact:

Re: Maintaining Confidentiality of Who Has Won on Jeopardy!

Post by zerobandwidth »

triviawayne wrote: Mon Nov 06, 2017 7:32 am Because those that are interested in Jeopardy have way more scruples than those inside the beltway.
↑ This, applicable both to the contestants and to those who would bother to get tickets to be in the audience.

Someone on Reddit did mention that he had seen the end of Austin's run and gave a few details that, in retrospect, definitely described Scarlett's dominant performance. But even that poster didn't mention which game, or Scarlett's name. Half-scrupled, then, I guess.

I simply took it as training for my government security clearance, and found keeping my J! way harder, because, being a contestant…
dhkendall wrote: Sun Nov 05, 2017 9:52 pm who wins a Jeopardy! game is inconsequential compared to the other leaks you mentioned
…isn't true for me. I hope my FSO was suitably impressed. :lol:
Battle of the Brains contestant, 1995-1997
Jeopardy! match 34:13, 2017-09-27
LearnedLeague: PatersonP (LL76: D Summit Div2)

The truth is rarely pure, and never simple.
— from Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest
User avatar
Fleeboy
Watches Jeopardy! Way Too Much
Posts: 298
Joined: Sat Jul 23, 2011 10:57 am

Re: Maintaining Confidentiality of Who Has Won on Jeopardy!

Post by Fleeboy »

Aside from Ken's defeat, the only leak I've encountered was backstage at a "Greed" taping. When the producer introduced the standards and practices rep for Fox, he referred to her as a 5x Jeopardy! champ. He asked how much she'd won, and she -- reluctantly -- answered $35K. I suspect her reluctance stemmed from the fact that her first game wouldn't air until the following week.
User avatar
squarekara
J! Reactionary
Posts: 1552
Joined: Wed Feb 08, 2017 12:49 am
Location: USDA Zone 5

Re: Maintaining Confidentiality of Who Has Won on Jeopardy!

Post by squarekara »

alietr wrote: Mon Nov 06, 2017 7:35 am
squarekara wrote: Mon Nov 06, 2017 1:37 am The method the producers currently use to prevent leaks is this: they scare the bejeezus out of everybody in the green room by saying that any winnings can be withheld if results are leaked before the shows air. Then they give examples of times that actually happened. All it takes is a smalltown newspaper, hometown pride, and a chatty loved one who does not understand the policy. :(
Have they actually withheld someone's winnings as a result? It can easily be an audience member who spills; they're asked not to, but there is nothing that binds them not to do so.
In this particular case the breach involved a close family member who spoke directly to the media. (Players are not reponsible for the indiscretions of random audience members or other sources and surely would not suffer in those circumstances.) Winnings are not distributed until several months after the shows air, so if there's an issue, there's plenty of time to deliberate and discuss the matter. Of course, some people in the players' inner circles will be aware of results for whatever reason--travel plans, time off work, etc. But once you start TELLING others, that information is beyond your control. They say tell everybody "you'll have to watch!" It's more fun for people with a horse in the race to view the show without forehand knowledge anyway.
harrumph
Voyeur
Posts: 1846
Joined: Mon Sep 26, 2011 12:00 pm
Location: Princeton, NJ

Re: Maintaining Confidentiality of Who Has Won on Jeopardy!

Post by harrumph »

Isn't the show's website known to spoil results "indirectly" (they don't announce the winner but if you add 1 + 1 you know the results).
User avatar
AndyTheQuizzer
Lots and Lots of Interviews
Posts: 2594
Joined: Fri Jul 01, 2011 11:01 am
Location: St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Contact:

Re: Maintaining Confidentiality of Who Has Won on Jeopardy!

Post by AndyTheQuizzer »

harrumph wrote: Mon Nov 06, 2017 10:37 am Isn't the show's website known to spoil results "indirectly" (they don't announce the winner but if you add 1 + 1 you know the results).
I don't know what you're talking about, the show's website does nothing of the sort.
Andy Saunders
J! Archive Founding Archivist
Publisher - The Jeopardy! Fan
User avatar
alietr
Site Admin
Posts: 8978
Joined: Thu Jun 30, 2011 1:20 pm
Location: Bethesda, MD

Re: Maintaining Confidentiality of Who Has Won on Jeopardy!

Post by alietr »

That goes back to my question ... has anybody had their winnings denied just because of disclosing the results?
User avatar
jeff6286
Watches Jeopardy! Way Too Much
Posts: 5228
Joined: Fri Jul 01, 2011 7:34 pm
Location: Indianapolis, IN

Re: Maintaining Confidentiality of Who Has Won on Jeopardy!

Post by jeff6286 »

OntarioQuizzer wrote: Mon Nov 06, 2017 11:08 am
harrumph wrote: Mon Nov 06, 2017 10:37 am Isn't the show's website known to spoil results "indirectly" (they don't announce the winner but if you add 1 + 1 you know the results).
I don't know what you're talking about, the show's website does nothing of the sort.
I believe there have been plenty of times in the past where results were hinted at by the weekly preview video or by the list of the week's contestants. (Generally only for those who knew what to look for, to be sure.) Maybe they've gotten better about this as I can't recall anything in recent memory, but within the last several years I can recall multiple threads being posted, usually by a certain ex-boardie, saying something along the lines of "don't watch the weekly preview video as it contains spoilers."

Showing a contestant in multiple outfits is one obvious sign that they're going to win some games. Back when there were tie games there would often be players posting that they knew a tie was coming because there weren't enough contestants listed for the week's games. I don't know if the opposite ever occurred, where a triple zero game was tipped by there being an extra contestant listed among the week's players. This would obviously be more of an issue if they still retired 5 day champions.

Certainly they never rose to the level of 500 questions who would show players with something like "117/500" visible on the screen in front of them in preview clips, or Millionaire, who last week spoiled what may have been their biggest winner of the season right in the weekly preview video.
User avatar
Wheatley
Watches Jeopardy! Way Too Much
Posts: 419
Joined: Mon Apr 28, 2014 7:53 pm

Re: Maintaining Confidentiality of Who Has Won on Jeopardy!

Post by Wheatley »

A coworker told me that her husband “brought multiple outfits and needed them.” Noe I’m glad I didn’t repeat that to anyone.
Coryats calculator, share and enjoy. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ ... sp=sharing
User avatar
AndyTheQuizzer
Lots and Lots of Interviews
Posts: 2594
Joined: Fri Jul 01, 2011 11:01 am
Location: St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Contact:

Re: Maintaining Confidentiality of Who Has Won on Jeopardy!

Post by AndyTheQuizzer »

jeff6286 wrote: Mon Nov 06, 2017 11:43 am I don't know if the opposite ever occurred, where a triple zero game was tipped by there being an extra contestant listed among the week's players.
This did occur, but you really had to know what you were looking for to find it.
Andy Saunders
J! Archive Founding Archivist
Publisher - The Jeopardy! Fan
User avatar
squarekara
J! Reactionary
Posts: 1552
Joined: Wed Feb 08, 2017 12:49 am
Location: USDA Zone 5

Re: Maintaining Confidentiality of Who Has Won on Jeopardy!

Post by squarekara »

alietr wrote: Mon Nov 06, 2017 11:12 am That goes back to my question ... has anybody had their winnings denied just because of disclosing the results?
I believe so. That certainly was the implication, although the primary focus of that lecture was how easily the scenario can get out of hand once you start talking. Just like a Driver's Ed film--I don't clearly remember exactly how it happened or who was involved, just the blood on the asphalt. :shock:
User avatar
squarekara
J! Reactionary
Posts: 1552
Joined: Wed Feb 08, 2017 12:49 am
Location: USDA Zone 5

Re: Maintaining Confidentiality of Who Has Won on Jeopardy!

Post by squarekara »

Maggie delivered this information as part of the intense gameday orientation, by the way. A chillingly effective cautionary tale.
User avatar
leszekp
Loyal Jeopardista
Posts: 103
Joined: Sat Dec 21, 2013 12:17 pm

Re: Maintaining Confidentiality of Who Has Won on Jeopardy!

Post by leszekp »

Thing is, there's also an audience of 100+ people who also know the result, and who Jeopardy has no control over. When I won the TOC in 1992, I kept my mouth shut (and had a friend call me post-tournament "Mr. Light Under A Bushel"). But someone I worked with (a jerk in general) said that someone he knew who was in the audience told him I won. From my reaction to that, quizzical contempt, no one believed him (fortunately).
User avatar
rouquinne
Swimming in the Jeopardy! Pool
Posts: 236
Joined: Thu Jun 13, 2013 10:32 pm
Location: London, Canada

Re: Maintaining Confidentiality of Who Has Won on Jeopardy!

Post by rouquinne »

triviawayne wrote: Mon Nov 06, 2017 7:32 am Because those that are interested in Jeopardy have way more scruples than those inside the beltway.
This right here! ^^^^

:lol:
Post Reply