“Jeopardy! Ultimate Tournament of Champions”的意思、由来-开放百科全书

The Jeopardy! Ultimate Tournament of Champions was a special 15-week single-elimination tournament that aired during the 21st season of the syndicated game show Jeopardy! that began airing on February 9, 2005 and concluded on May 25, 2005, covering 76 shows in total.^[1] The tournament involved 145 contestants, all of whom were winners of past tournaments or past five-time champions, and was designed to produce two contestants who would face off in a three-game, cumulative-score final against legendary Jeopardy! champion Ken Jennings, who had won the most money in Jeopardy! regular play history and who (entering the tournament) had set a new all-time television game show winnings record with US $2,522,700. Those three contestants would then play in a three-game final for the largest prize the show has ever offered: an unprecedented grand prize of U.S. $2,000,000.^[2]

After four rounds, the tournament's field of 144 past champions was winnowed to two: Brad Rutter and Jerome Vered. Rutter had set the previous all-time Jeopardy! prize money record in the 2002 Million Dollar Masters tournament, while Vered had set a single-day winnings record in 1992 that (if adjusted for the doubling of clue values) stood for twelve years until Jennings (in his 38th game) broke it.

Rutter decisively won the three-game final, claiming the tournament title and the $2,000,000 prize, while Jennings finished second and collected $500,000, with Vered finishing third and taking home $250,000. Rutter also displaced Jennings as the all-time biggest game show money winner at the time, as a result of his victory.^[3] All in all, the tournament's contestants won a combined grand total of $5,604,413.

Background

On December 28, 2004, Sony announced a 15-week, 75-show Jeopardy! Ultimate Tournament of Champions. It featured Tournament of Champions, College Championship, and Teen Tournament winners from the show's 21-year run, as well as over 100 five-time champions. Jeopardy!'s executive producer, Harry Friedman, explained:

"The 2003 rule change, which allows Jeopardy! players to keep playing until they're defeated, raised the question about how other five-time champions might have played under this rule. This tournament is an opportunity to give those past champions another chance to shine."^[4]

Tournament format

145 contestants participated in the Ultimate Tournament of Champions; they consisted of five-time champions and tournament winners from the show's first 21 seasons. Contestants that were not tournament winners were invited in order of money won on the program until a full field was filled, with Bill Dickenson invited last with $48,401 won in his (pre-doubled) reign. Players who competed before the show doubled its prize amounts had their winnings adjusted as appropriate.

Contestants that won a tournament or more than $48,401 in a 5 day reign that did not compete in the UTOC included 5 day champions Larry McKnight and Leslie Shannon (Miller), Teen Tournament winners Michael Block & Amanda Goad, and all living Seniors Tournament winners. As well, 1985 Tournament Of Champions winner Jerry Frankel and 1992 5 day champion Richard Kaplan had previously died, hence their absence.

College Champions won Dodge cars from 1993 until 1994, Volvo cars from 1995 until 2003, and a Volkswagen in 2004.

The winners of the 1999, 2001, 2002, and 2003 Teen Tournament won a Chevrolet Cavalier, a Chevrolet Tracker, a Mitsubishi Eclipse GS Convertible, and a Volkswagen New Beetle.

Jeopardy! went to a straight cash format in 2003 and eliminated automobile prizes for Season 20.

Contestant with bye to Final Round

As the most successful contestant in Jeopardy! regular season history, Ken Jennings received a bye to the three-game championship.

Contestants with bye to Round 2

Members of the "Nifty Nine" were selected based on records set in their Jeopardy! careers. Only 2 of the 9 (Brad Rutter and Frank Spangenberg) advanced beyond their initial round (they all received an extra $15,000 at the end of their games).

Contestants who started in Round 1

135 of the 145 contestants involved in the tournament started in the first round.

Tournament results

The tournament's twenty highest finishers are shown below in order of prize money won.

Round 1 results

Round 1, which started on February 9, 2005 and ended on April 12, 2005, featured 135 contestants competing for entry into Round 2.

Unlike most Jeopardy! tournaments, in which only the final rounds are played for cash equal to the value of winners' scores, the winners of every match received their scores as winnings (or the guaranteed minimum for that round, whichever was greater). In addition, for each round, there were no "wild card" spots for the non-winners; it was "win or go home".

Round 2 results

Round 2, which started on April 13 and finished on May 6, featured the 45 winners from Round 1 as well as nine new contestants.

Round 3 (Quarterfinal) results

Round 3, which began on May 9 and ended on May 16, featured the "Elite 18" (Round 2 winners) competing for entry into the semifinals.

Round 4 (Semifinal) results

Round 4, which began on May 17 and ended on May 20, featured the six winners from Round 3 competing in two-game matches for entry into the finals.

Round 5 (Final) results

Round 5, which aired on May 23, 24, and 25, featured Round 4 champions Brad Rutter and Jerome Vered competing against Ken Jennings in a three-game final for $2,000,000. Rutter won the match in a runaway and displaced Jennings as television's largest game show winner in history at the time (Rutter, by virtue of the tournament set up and the elimination of Bernie Cullen in the first round, was the only player who could have done so). However, Jennings later reclaimed that distinction by winning $500,000 on Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? in October 2008, only to lose it again after coming in second to Rutter in the Jeopardy! Battle of the Decades (May 2014).

Reruns

During the offseason between Seasons 21 and 22, select matches from the Ultimate Tournament of Champions were aired as part of the slate of Jeopardy! summer reruns. In addition to its then-recent acquisition of episodes from seasons 20 & 21, GSN also acquired the rights to air the entire Ultimate Tournament of Champions, with the episodes beginning their airings on December 11, 2008. The 2006 DVD release Jeopardy!: An Inside Look at America's Favorite Quiz Show features all three final round games of the Ultimate Tournament of Champions in their entirety.

Notes and references

1. ^{{Cite web|title=Jeopardy! Seeking Tournament of Champions Alumni|url=http://www.tvlatest.com/article/3683/Jeopardy!+Seeking+Tournament+of+Champions+Alumni|publisher=TVLatest.com|date=May 20, 2013|accessdate=May 26, 2013}}
2. ^{{Cite book|title=The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present|last=Brooks|first=Tim|last2=Marsh|first2=Earle|publisher=Random House|date=2009|page=696}}
3. ^{{Cite news|title=Jennings Has No Regret Despite Second-Place Finish: Utah's Jeopardy! Legend Has Plenty of Irons in Fire|url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/600136848/Jennings-has-no-regrets-despite-2nd-place-finish.html|publisher=Deseret News|date=May 26, 2005|accessdate=August 18, 2013}}
4. ^http://www.gameshownewsnet.com/extra/extra020905.html
5. ^Did not qualify to play Final Jeopardy because contestant had $0 at the end of Double Jeopardy!
6. ^¹²Did not qualify to play Final Jeopardy! because contestant finished with a negative score.
7. ^Tom Walsh received first round bye as the first seven-time champion, and the record holder in regular winnings until Ken Jennings. More detailed statistics
8. ^Eric Newhouse received first round bye for getting second place in the Jeopardy! Million Dollar Masters tournament. More detailed statistics
9. ^Sean Ryan received first round bye for being the first six-time champion. More detailed statistics
10. ^Robin Carroll received first round bye for the most cumulative money won on Jeopardy! (including all tournaments except Super Jeopardy!) until the Jeopardy! Million Dollar Masters tournament. More detailed statistics
11. ^¹²³Brad Rutter received first round bye for winning the Jeopardy! Million Dollar Masters tournament, as well as the most money won on Jeopardy! until Ken Jennings. More detailed statistics
12. ^Brian Weikle received first round bye for being the record holder in regular winnings from Season 19 until five-day rule change. More detailed statistics
13. ^Bob Verini received first round bye for getting third place in the Jeopardy! Million Dollar Masters tournament. More detailed statistics
14. ^¹²Frank Spangenberg received first round bye as the record holder in regular winnings from Season 6 until Season 19. More detailed statistics
15. ^Chuck Forrest received first round bye as the record holder in regular winnings until Season 6. More detailed statistics
16. ^Ken Jennings received a bye to the final round for his numerous Jeopardy! records.