Hey guys, considering my name I should know this, but I have never been able to get a good answer on this. Before Jeopardy! adopted the sky's the limit rule, after a five-day champ was retired three new players would play the game. Alex would always say to the person is the first position "You won the toss backstage" I never quite understood how you could do a toss with three people.

Any info on how they did this would be greatly appreciated

Thank you so much

Brian~

This is just a guess, but maybe Alex just used a different term to describe the similar practice of drawing numbers on Wheel of Fortune. Again, just purely a guess. For my exhibition game in 2003, we were just told where to go.

It could also be that they tossed coins until one person had something that was different from the other two and that person took the champ's spot on stage.

Well, you see, they have a midget on staff...

That seems an awfully complicated way to go about it, when there are plenty of easier alternatives.

Speaking of which, do we know for a fact that Alex specifically said "You won the toss backstage"? It's a common enough thing to hear in a two-person game that our OP may just be misremembering. If the powers that be on Wheel of Fortune were smart enough to refer to a random draw correctly, surely we ought to expect the same of Jeopardy.

When you were on, did you and the other victim opponent go through any sort of randomization process to determine who would occupy the middle podium and who would be out on the end?

The difference between J! and WoF is that in WoF turn order makes a difference so the randomization of all three positions has an affect on gameplay. On J! all that matters is who is in the pole position and therefore who kicks the game off. So it might *be* the sort of coin flip Travis describes.

(Unless I'm wrong about that. How do they resolve who goes first in Double Jeopardy in the event that two players are tied for second?)

Honestly, so much of that is a blur today that I can't remember with certainty. I don't believe so, but it could easily have happened and just not registered in my long-term memory.


You're right about Wheel, and that the advantage of selecting a category first in Jeopardy is minute at best. Still, I can't imagine doing multiple coin flips when three slips of paper get the job done faster.


Unless soemthing's changed (it doesn't happen often, of course), it's the last one of the two to have given a correct response.

Here's a good reference point, the first episode which began with three new players.

"Since we do not have a returning champion on the program today, we drew numbers and the winner was Greg and that means you have the honor of selecting the first category and the first amount."

Matt- I think it's the person closest to Alex (to the left from our view) if I am not mistaken...

Probably true, although fairly rare would be the time the flip would have to happen more than once. But you're right.


Makes tons of sense. I just wasn't sure.

I'm almost positive I heard Alex say "toss" before as well. I remember being quite baffled as to how a three-person coin toss worked.

Well, you see, they have a midget on staff...

This is not how they do it, but they could pitch pennies for control.

You mean nobody's heard of a three-sided coin?

1st Coin Toss -- Person A v Person B
2nd Coin Toss -- Person B v Person C
3rd Coin Toss -- Person C v Person A

The person who did lost the least gets the first position. If all 3 are tied repeat the first 3 coin tosses.

4th Coin Toss -- is for the second position between the two who lost the most.

Seeing as there's six possible ways to arrange three contestants, I'd just assign each combination a number and roll a die.

Of course, drawing straws/numbers/whatever works just as well, and is probably the fastest and simplest method.

Of course, NYSI went all biblical...the contestants were chosen by Lot.

Considering the whole point of this discussion is why they would do something that complicated...

Being a former WOF contestant (and two-time winner), my educated guess would be that they drew red wooden numbered balls out of a brown faux leather bottle. Before we were geared up with wireless mics, all three contestants would draw a number and clasp their hand until the CC (contestant coordinator) instructed us to reveal our numbers.

I hope it was a blind draw.

Since you don't list a source, I'll take it with a grain of salt.

Dale, you are a pillar of this forum community.

If only because the sodomy charges were dropped.

Oh wow, you guys are divinely funny!

Was it because it was a pain in the butt?

I told you not to forget the K-Y…

Well, that line of puns took a sharp left turn.

Agreed. Let's move on and not look back.

That simply means they weren't doing it right...:)

Jake

Thank you.

I'll take sodomy for $1000, Alex?

On that note, back to the regularly scheduled discussion...