Jeopardy!fans are divided about new champion Klay Frappier’s strategy after he won the June 27 episode of the game show.Jeopardy!winner Klay defeated returning champion Rocco Graziano and Michelle Arguelles in the game, earning $20,001.Now he’ll have the chance to break the show’s 11-day streak of one-day champions.
Jeopardy!fans are divided about new champion Klay Frappier’s strategy after he won the June 27 episode of the game show.
In aJeopardy!Reddit thread,fans were divided about Klay’s top-down strategy for choosing questions in each category one at a time, rather than bouncing around to higher-level questions in multiple categories to confuse opponents and find the Daily Doubles. The latter strategy was first used by contestant Chuck Forrest, who made hisJeopardy!debut in 1985, so it’s referred to as the Forrest Bounce.
One fan appreciated the way that Klay played, writing,“I’m so happy that Klay plays with the old fashioned top-down, one category at a time style. I acknowledge the Forrest Bounce is apparently effective (though, if every player is doing it, is it really?).”
The fan continued,“But as a home viewer I really love getting the easier questions first to get the ‘swing’ of a category and then being able to stick to that category’s frame-of-mind.It was sooo refreshing to see him play that way and play along.”
However, another fan disagreed, and questioned Klay’s gameplay. They wrote,“Klay played pretty well, buthis top-down clue selection allowed Rocco to find DD3 [Daily Double 3], which is the only reason Rocco was still a threat in FJ. It’s like he was actively avoiding the DDs.”
What Klay Frappier’s Jeopardy! Strategy Means For The Game
Klay Has An Old-School Style Of Jeopardy! Gameplay
Although the Forrest Bounce strategy has worked well for many contestants, most notably Arthur Chu and James Holzhauer, many people don’t like it, includinglateJeopardy!host Alex Trebek, who felt that the clues were meant to flow sequentially in each category, and the strategy took away from that.
James used the strategy to his great advantage, finding the Daily Doubles and then doubling his money to earn astronomical scores that earned him the Top 10 highest single-game winnings records. However,Klay’s return to the old-fashioned top-down way of tacklingJeopardy!categories was refreshing to see.
Some category names make it impossible to know what they’ll be about, so finding the Daily Double on the first clue can be a detriment and makes it more risky to make it a true Daily Double. Going through the category sequentially builds to the Daily Double andallows the contestants to become comfortable with the subject before their wagers. Not skipping around also builds momentum in the category.
Our Take On Klay Frappier’s Jeopardy! Strategy
Klay Could Be The First Two-Game Winner In Weeks
It’s been over two weeks sinceJeopardy!had a two-game winner, andperhaps Klay’s strategy will help him to break that curse. I enjoyedseeing him playJeopardy!in an old-school way. Watching the contestants go straight for the middle clues in order to find the Daily Doubles has become very predictable and often works against them.
Klay’s old-fashioned approach could begin a return to the more traditional way of playingJeopardy!.Although it might’ve seemed as though he handed Rocco the third Daily Double, as a Redditor pointed out, Klay’s strategy worked because he won the game in the end.
Accumulating money from the lower-level clues early in the game can work just as well as earning a lot through a Daily Double. Finding the Daily Double too early also prevents contestants from earning a lot of money because they don’t have much to bet.I hope that Klay becomes a multi-gameJeopardy!winner, so that he can test his top-down strategy in the Tournament of Champions.
Jeopardy!airs weeknights. Please check your local listings for time and channel.
