*** I don’t think my buzzer was working properly ***
Is that a standard line by losers? That is what a neighbor who lost big-time on Jeopardy said.
It wouldn’t surprise me.
How it works is that the system lights up part of the board when it is time for people to buzz in. People can press it as much as they want, but if they buzz in before it lights up, it locks them out for a fraction of a second. Part of the key to winning is getting the timing down. If a contestant thinks their buzzer isn’t working, it can easily be tested by the staff, so yeah, it’s not a real reason. Just an excuse.
I read an article about the guy. He spent days/weeks watching Jeopardy to listen to Alex’s voice and had a button rigged up to press. I’m guessing like playing cards, Alex has a “tell” when he gets to the end of the question. He did it standing up for hours (5?) on end. I guess they tape a bunch of shows on one or two days that last the entire week.
After the first day he realized his new dress shoes were uncomfortable and got inserts. (He asked if he could do the show in sneakers and shorts!)
I could almost see him losing from a dumb mistake. Betting the farm on Final Jeopardy and it will be to break the $10 million mark.
“And James - lets see your answer.”
Scrawled on the screen is “New Caledonia”.
“Ooh. That is the right answer but is not in the form of a question, I’m sorry James.”
(I don’t know - does it even have to be in the “What is ....” format on Final Jeopardy?”