For the first time in my favorite game show, Jeopardy's history, the contestants all finished with identical scores for a three-way tie!
That is so gangsta. Who is Bonnie Parker?
Check out the video clip (I heart You Tube):
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZV9vuKfVO04]
I love Alex's response when he sees the final contestants score: 'AH-HA!'
Update: From Metafilter's usual bookish crowd discussion, some have theories on this result not being as randomly odds defying as it appears on surface.
"Doofus Magoo" writes: The guy in the lead was grinning like the cat who ate the canary while the answers of the other two were being revealed, so I think he was deliberately angling for a two- or three-way tie -- and why not? He had to know the other two had bet it all, and regardless of whether he ends up with $16,000 in a tie or $16,001 as the sole winner, he gets his money. By bidding the lower amount he gets to make one or two other people very happy at no cost to himself.
In fact, you could argue that he benefits from this strategy, as he gets to compete again against people that he may be confident he can beat.
"SeizeTheDay" continues: I agree with Doofus (I don't think I've ever said that before...it's just so odd). The guy is apparently a puzzle wiz and a computer science professor. He clearly knew what he was doing when he made that bet. There might be a three-fold argument: one, he was doing the other guys a really nice favor by tying instead of winning outright (since 2nd place gets $2500 and 3rd place gets $1000); two, he was ensuring that he knew who his competition would be for the next time (dude has now won over $60K; he's clearly not dumb); and three, his name and face will always be in the Jeopardy record books for being a part of the three way tie. Pretty ingenious.
Hi, everybody. I was interested to see what kind of reaction my wager would get; you all have not disappointed me. :-)
So why did I do it? I knew that there had never been a 3-way tie before in the history of the show. (OntarioQuizzer is right that a kid had asked if there had ever been a 3-way tie before. I honestly don't remember hearing that question; maybe it registered subconsciously.) I saw the possibility to make Jeopardy history, and I took it. I've never had a philosophical objection to tie games, although I understand the strategic reasons why you shouldn't bet to tie. Making history seemed like a very special reason to bet to tie. Plus it's not every day you get to give away $32,000.
A story: This was the last show taped that day. As my family and friends and I were standing outside the studio absorbing the moment, the schoolteacher who brought the kids that day came up to me and said he wanted to thank me for teaching his kids such a lesson in sportsmanship and generosity. Two of the kids were standing there agog looking at me. It's a moment I'll always treasure and one that wouldn't have happened if I bet that extra $1.
I emailed the YouTube link to a close friend--a friend who generally immediately appreciates the wacky and exceptional--earlier this morning and her response was very indifferent. Am I the only one here that appreciates this event?