Young Jeopardy Contestant Loses 3K Over Misspelled Word
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Are you kidding me? Jeopardy was hosting a contest for kids, and actually penalized one of them for…misspelling a word!
(Newser) A 12-year-old from Newtown, Conn., got the right answer at the close of a Jeopardy! episode—but his spelling cost him the $3,000 he’d wagered. Asked what document Abraham Lincoln had called a “fit and necessary war measure,” Thomas Hurley III wrote, “What is the Emanciptation Proclamation?” His answer—”badly misspelled,” according to host Alex Trebek—left him with a score of $6,600. Ultimately, he took home $2,000 during the show’s Kids Week.
“I was pretty upset that I was cheated out of the Final Jeopardy! question. It was just a spelling error,” Thomas tells the Danbury News Times. Other viewers agreed, including one who notified local newspapers. “Alex didn’t need to insult this kid’s spelling, and many people feel that Thomas is owed an apology,” she noted. “We all knew what the kid was trying to say. Jeopardy! has never really discounted answers because of adults’ misspellings.” The show’s Facebook page has been hit with hundreds of comments on the issue, though the night’s winner was well ahead of Thomas either way: Skyler Hornback scored $66,600. Here’s what the show said, via the AP:
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“If Jeopardy! were to give credit for an incorrect response (however minor), the show would effectively penalize the other players. We love presenting young people as contestants on our show and make every effort to be fair and consistent in their treatment.”
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Lincoln issued the Proclamation so any European country would have a more difficult time backing the South, as slavery was a hot button issue.
Many international bankers were waiting for the US to tear itself
Apart and then move in from Canada and Mexico. The czar of Russia had been dealing with these bankers and parked his big ass navy off coast of US and threatened to destroy anyone intervening in the fight.
Dyslec…dyslic…deslet…dyslexic kids shouldn’t be allowed on TV.
Hey!!! I spelt it right!!! 😉
I am afraid I have to agree with Alex here. I have saw him disallow answers that were misspelled before, particularly if another contestant got the correct answer and spelled it correctly.
Back in a different life, I managed to land a job as a designer for a home video game company. One day, my boss informed me that I was to be the understudy to an incoming designer whose job was to create a number of computer translations of TV game shows to computer format. I was not thrilled with the assignment, but I started doing the groundwork anyway. Eventually, I was informed that the new man was not, after all, coming on board, and I managed to talk my boss into making me the lead designer.
The first set of games in question were Jeopardy, Family Feud and Wheel of Fortune. I worked with the programmers to create an interpreter system for players’ typed-in answers that allowed a certain amount of latitude for common typos and misspellings. After all, if the Jeopardy answer was “He was the leader of Italy in World War II”, I didn’t want to penalize someone who knew it was Mussolini but didn’t know how to spell it. (A reviewer of the game called it a bug, not realizing it was, for once, a deliberate and very finely crafted feature).
My version of the home game would not have penalized young Mr. Hurley for his spelling mistake, but it would not have given him $2,000, either.
My boss was surprised. He didn’t think that I had what it took to do the job (which is why he was originally going to make me a second-string flunky), but he ended up being impressed with the final product.
I had that game. You owe me $122,000.00 A direct bank transfer will work. Although a certified check will be OK. 😀
On what computer did you play it?
As I recall, it was a black one. Which will it be, electronic transfer or certified check?
I’ll pay it in cash. Would you prefer money from Monopoly® or from The Game of Life®?
The games I designed were released in 1983 for the Apple ][, Coleco Adam, Commodore 64 and IBM-PC/PCjr (DOS 2.1).
Gold Bullion will be fine. Actually any gold coins will do Krugerrands, etc. Really though, bank transfers are so much more convenient. I have an account in Peru that will serve very well.
I’ll send gold coin – however, you will have to store them carefully or the chocolate centers will melt. Give me an address.
No chocolate in my possession has melted – ever!
Rua Santos Coelho Neto 351/401
João Pessoa, PB 58038-451
Brasil
Your payment is on the way.
Hell, most Americans wouldn’t have known the answer let alone the spelling !
Good point. They also would not now that Lincoln said that he would free all of the slaves or none of them; whatever it took to preserve the Union.
Finally, the Emancipation Proclamation was no more than a propaganda measure as it had no force in the Confederacy. If the CSA had won the war, it and A. Lincoln would have both been repealed.
Very true. As a matter of fact I would wager less than 20% of Americans know the answer to that question. If you ask them, however, who won American Idol they would know.
My question is, have the similarly penalized other contestants for a misspelling? I didn’t think this one was so bad it made the accuracy of the answer in doubt.