The "Jeopardy" Episode: Most Plotholes Ever? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Michael1973 · 09-22-2005, 11:42 AM

I caught the "Cliff goes on Jeopardy" episode last night and never before did I realize how many goofs/plotholes there were. This episode also features the story about the kid who steals Sam's "little black book."

1. Cliff announces that he's taking the test to be on Jeopardy. In the next scene, he announces that he's been accepted to the show. Problem is, this scene takes place a few hours later! You can tell because they're all wearing the same clothes and Sam is just coming back from the laundromat. Nobody gets accepted to be on a game show that fast!

2. When Sam realizes that the kid who stole his book will call Rebecca, he gets her to play along to catch him in the act. Rebecca takes a call at the bar from "Sam" and gets him to come to Cheers. Why does Sam have Rebecca's work number in his book, when they work together?

3. Alex Trebek informs Cliff that he has 5 seconds left to write his answer. How does he write "Who are 3 people who have never been in my kitchen?" in 5 seconds?

4. After Cliff's opponents are shown to have gotten Final Jeopardy incorrect, the camera cuts to Cliff and you can clearly see his answer on the screen. Then the camera cuts to Alex Trebek who is asking to see Cliff's answer. We cut back to Cliff and his screen is now blank.

5. Last one. It's pretty clear that the kid who took Sam's book has never been to Cheers before. He also comments that he didn't know Sam was a baseball player. Then he says that he's always wanted to be a "babe hound" like Sam Malone. How exactly does he know who Sam is, if he's never been to the bar and never knew about his baseball career? Furthermore, where did he steal the black book from?

Do I have too much time on my hands, or what?

McFly121 · 09-29-2005, 03:57 AM

Yeah I love stuff like this. Trying to explain it is even more fun.

1. Game show stuff, yep entirely too fast. Jeopardy process is weeks long for them to contact you from what friends who've tried out said. Writers could've remedied this by Cliff finding out he was accepted from a try-out from weeks earlier.

2. Yeah Rebecca's home number should only be in there. But I could only write that off as Sam is a stickler when it comes to women, so he has every conceivable number in his book.

3. True. I could only get out "Who are three people that have---" before my timer hit five seconds.

4. Saw that, too. Oops.

5. I think the kid means a Sam Malone babehound, not Sam Malone ballplayer. Sam, plus babes, he wants to be a Sam Malone. Though how did the kid know Sam's name, because who writes their name in their own black book? Altho, knowing how sacred Sam holds the book, it may contain a reward, name and contact number.

Michael1973 · 09-29-2005, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by McFly121

5. I think the kid means a Sam Malone babehound, not Sam Malone ballplayer. Sam, plus babes, he wants to be a Sam Malone. Though how did the kid know Sam's name, because who writes their name in their own black book? Altho, knowing how sacred Sam holds the book, it may contain a reward, name and contact number.

The way the kids says it, it's as if he's known and admired Sam for a long time. But how does he know Sam if he's never been to Cheers and didn't know he played baseball? Even if Sam's name is in the black book, it doesn't make sense!

Sharop · 09-29-2005, 06:20 PM

^ Good points, Michael. Although, regarding your question about how the boy knew of Sam, because of Sam's frequent womanising, maybe it's not implausible that the boy may have heard tales of Sam - i.e. maybe Sam dated a friend of the boy's mother? Didn't Henri once say that he'd heard about Sam from stewardesses (or did I just make that up? I could swear that somebody said it.)

McFly121 · 10-01-2005, 01:54 AM

Maybe Sam had dropped the book on the street in the vicinity of the bar?? I dont remember if the kid said where he found it.

Bob Mcbob · 10-24-2005, 05:23 PM

Sam said he lost the black book at some laundry place, obviously that's where the kid found it.

He didn't have to know sam previously in order to know sam was a babe-hound; he was holding the black book of a guy who had the numbers of hundreds of girls. It isn't inconceivable that sam put his name inside his own book.

It is a little difficult to beleive, however, that every single one of the women the kid phoned beleived they were talking to sam. Granted many of them may not have heard from sam in years, but surely they can identify the voice of a teenager as being different from that of a grown man whom they have met.

jehobden · 09-29-2012, 02:16 AM

I noticed a blooper in this episode on Me-TV's Friday night rerun that I had never noticed before. Right before Cliff's losing answer was revealed, his opponent, Agnes' total dropped from $3300 to $400 when her Final Jeopardy response was also incorrect. However, in a shot showing Cliff's opponents after his own incorrect response, Agnes' total was shown again as $3300. This is the first time I have noticed this blooper in all the times that I have seen this particular episode.

09-22-2005, 11:42 AM	#1
Michael1973 Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Jan 23, 2003 Posts: 87	The "Jeopardy" Episode: Most Plotholes Ever? I caught the "Cliff goes on Jeopardy" episode last night and never before did I realize how many goofs/plotholes there were. This episode also features the story about the kid who steals Sam's "little black book." 1. Cliff announces that he's taking the test to be on Jeopardy. In the next scene, he announces that he's been accepted to the show. Problem is, this scene takes place a few hours later! You can tell because they're all wearing the same clothes and Sam is just coming back from the laundromat. Nobody gets accepted to be on a game show that fast! 2. When Sam realizes that the kid who stole his book will call Rebecca, he gets her to play along to catch him in the act. Rebecca takes a call at the bar from "Sam" and gets him to come to Cheers. Why does Sam have Rebecca's work number in his book, when they work together? 3. Alex Trebek informs Cliff that he has 5 seconds left to write his answer. How does he write "Who are 3 people who have never been in my kitchen?" in 5 seconds? 4. After Cliff's opponents are shown to have gotten Final Jeopardy incorrect, the camera cuts to Cliff and you can clearly see his answer on the screen. Then the camera cuts to Alex Trebek who is asking to see Cliff's answer. We cut back to Cliff and his screen is now blank. 5. Last one. It's pretty clear that the kid who took Sam's book has never been to Cheers before. He also comments that he didn't know Sam was a baseball player. Then he says that he's always wanted to be a "babe hound" like Sam Malone. How exactly does he know who Sam is, if he's never been to the bar and never knew about his baseball career? Furthermore, where did he steal the black book from? Do I have too much time on my hands, or what?

09-29-2005, 03:57 AM	#2
McFly121 Member Forum Regular Join Date: Feb 18, 2004 Location: calif Posts: 812	Yeah I love stuff like this. Trying to explain it is even more fun. 1. Game show stuff, yep entirely too fast. Jeopardy process is weeks long for them to contact you from what friends who've tried out said. Writers could've remedied this by Cliff finding out he was accepted from a try-out from weeks earlier. 2. Yeah Rebecca's home number should only be in there. But I could only write that off as Sam is a stickler when it comes to women, so he has every conceivable number in his book. 3. True. I could only get out "Who are three people that have---" before my timer hit five seconds. 4. Saw that, too. Oops. 5. I think the kid means a Sam Malone babehound, not Sam Malone ballplayer. Sam, plus babes, he wants to be a Sam Malone. Though how did the kid know Sam's name, because who writes their name in their own black book? Altho, knowing how sacred Sam holds the book, it may contain a reward, name and contact number.
	__________________ "That was Bob's donut!"

09-29-2005, 06:20 PM	#4
Sharop Andy Gibb aged 12 Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 03, 2004 Location: Courthouse Square, Hill Valley, beside the clocktower, 10:04 p.m., November 12th 1955 Posts: 3,912	^ Good points, Michael. Although, regarding your question about how the boy knew of Sam, because of Sam's frequent womanising, maybe it's not implausible that the boy may have heard tales of Sam - i.e. maybe Sam dated a friend of the boy's mother? Didn't Henri once say that he'd heard about Sam from stewardesses (or did I just make that up? I could swear that somebody said it.)
	__________________ http://rainbowlight.proboards102.com My new astral projection forums Doc: Don't worry! As long as you hit that wire with the connecting hook at precisely 88 miles per hour, the instant the lightning strikes the tower, everything will be fine!

10-01-2005, 01:54 AM	#5
McFly121 Member Forum Regular Join Date: Feb 18, 2004 Location: calif Posts: 812	Maybe Sam had dropped the book on the street in the vicinity of the bar?? I dont remember if the kid said where he found it.

10-24-2005, 05:23 PM	#6
Bob Mcbob Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Oct 24, 2005 Location: Herts, England Posts: 7	Sam said he lost the black book at some laundry place, obviously that's where the kid found it. He didn't have to know sam previously in order to know sam was a babe-hound; he was holding the black book of a guy who had the numbers of hundreds of girls. It isn't inconceivable that sam put his name inside his own book. It is a little difficult to beleive, however, that every single one of the women the kid phoned beleived they were talking to sam. Granted many of them may not have heard from sam in years, but surely they can identify the voice of a teenager as being different from that of a grown man whom they have met.

09-29-2012, 02:16 AM	#7
jehobden Member Senior Member Join Date: Jan 06, 2002 Location: DFW Area, TX Posts: 2,004	I noticed a blooper in this episode on Me-TV's Friday night rerun that I had never noticed before. Right before Cliff's losing answer was revealed, his opponent, Agnes' total dropped from $3300 to $400 when her Final Jeopardy response was also incorrect. However, in a shot showing Cliff's opponents after his own incorrect response, Agnes' total was shown again as $3300. This is the first time I have noticed this blooper in all the times that I have seen this particular episode.