Why do some Jeopardy hosts hesistate before saying "Correct"?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the behavior of certain guest hosts on the game show Jeopardy!, specifically their hesitation before declaring a contestant's response as "Correct!". Participants explore potential reasons for this hesitation, including personal habits, production influences, and the impact on the viewing experience.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest that the hesitation may stem from personal habits of the hosts, possibly indicating a lack of confidence in the responses given.
  • Others propose that the hosts might be influenced by producers or judges communicating in their ear during the show.
  • A participant speculates that the hesitation could be due to an editing issue in the broadcast.
  • Another viewpoint is that hosts may pause to confirm the correctness of a response to avoid making an error on national television.
  • Some participants wonder if the pause is a deliberate choice for dramatic effect, while others express concern that this could be perceived as cruel to contestants.
  • One participant notes that they do not recall the long-time host Alex Trebek exhibiting this behavior, suggesting it is specific to guest hosts.
  • Another comment indicates that the hesitation might be intended to prolong suspense, which some find to be sadistic.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of opinions on the reasons behind the hesitation, with no consensus reached on whether it is a personal habit, a production choice, or an editing issue. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the motivations behind this behavior.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference specific hosts and their behaviors, but the discussion lacks empirical evidence or definitive explanations for the observed hesitations.

berkeman
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Watching Jeopardy tonight, I'm reminded that a few guest hosts seemed to have a very annoying habit of hesitating almost a full second before telling a contestant that their question was "Correct!". The host tonight Mayim Bialik has done it several times in the Professor tournament, but I don't remember which other guest hosts in the recent host audition shows had the same habit.

Is it just a personal habit of these hosts of being a bit slow in their conversations, or are they unsure of some of the Jeopardy question responses that are offered up and need to look to the judges, or what? I personally find this a big intellectual glitch in the shows, since in intense intellectual situations I expect *immediate* feedback/response.

Or maybe I should just go see a doctor and check into Jeopardy therapy... :wink:
 
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berkeman said:
find this a big intellectual glitch in the shows, since in intense intellectual situations I expect *immediate* feedback/response.
Maybe the guest hosts are too vain to wear their reading glasses, or unprepared to pronounce the words, shades of Sean Connery.
 
I wonder if there is a producer/judge talking in their ear?
 
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I'm guessing that it's an imperfect splice in the tape where she originally said "Sheldon, that's correct.".
 
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berkeman said:
Or maybe I should just go see a doctor and check into Jeopardy therapy...
Yeah, that. In the following video, Mayim Bialik plays herself and you're Sheldon:

​
 
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Perhaps the host merely wished to silently confirm to herself that the contestant is indeed correct because she does not wish to erroneously declare him to be correct and make herself look like a fool on (inter)national television.
 
I wonder if they consciously use a pause as a dramatic effect.
 
George Jones said:
I wonder if they consciously use a pause as a dramatic effect.
Oh gawd, I hope not. That's just cruel, IMO...

(calling my doctor now...) o0)
 
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Can you recall Alex doing it?
 
  • #10
Never. It's only been a couple of guest hosts who've done it AFAIK.
 
  • #11
To prolong the suspense. It’s sort of sadistic.
 

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