The joys and memory challenges of watching 'Jeopardy!'

Here’s the first-ever Remarkable Rochester one-question quiz:

What was the final question the last time you saw the quiz show "Jeopardy!"?

Don’t remember? You have company.

Just about every morning when our coffee group gathers, we try to remember the final question from the night before, but it seems memory proof. I suspect it’s a national phenomenon.

OK, there may be people in Montana, or one of the Dakotas, who don’t watch "Jeopardy!", but the audience is large, especially for a program that’s been around since the dawn of time. (Actually, off and on since 1964.)

I had thought that the audience was made up of retirees, that, once you got on Medicare or took to pickleball, you were required to tune in every weekday night.

But an Internet search tells me that the show isn’t just for oldsters. A lot of young people watch, too. Jeopardy bridges generational divides.

Lately, the younger generation was on display with "Jeopardy!'s" High School Reunion Tournament. Twenty-seven previous contestants, nearly all now in college, returned for a championship that has taken three weeks to decide, the winner getting $100,000.

Online, some "Jeopardy!" fans found the tournament to be boring. I found it to be just the opposite. The contestants were relaxed, supportive of each other. The questions seemed just a tad easier than normal. I have had a chance on a few.

Of course, one of the reasons "Jeopardy!" draws millions of viewers is that we all can play along. My success rate is not that good, especially on science questions, opera questions and geography questions. The other night one answer was, “What is the Black Sea?” Go figure, there’s a Black Sea.

I think we also enjoy "Jeopardy!" because we can critique the contestants, what they wear, how they stand, how they react to winning or losing.

Not that long ago there was a contestant who gloated, pumped his fists, generally acted like a professional wrestling villain when he won. We took pleasure in his eventual defeat. Karma.

Another previous contestant, a gentle, modest, and engaging Canadian, swayed a lot. Some people – in our coffee group and online – were annoyed by his movement, even after it was made clear online that he had a physical issue which made it necessary to keep moving.

We critique the alternating hosts, as well. Ken Jennings, a "Jeopardy!" super champion, is preferred by our coffee group. Mayim Bialik, late of "The Big Bang Theory," is not as popular, perhaps because she’s a swayer, too.

The other day at coffee I suggested that Mayim was doing OK handling the high school reunion. Everyone turned on me. It was tense.

I’m an outlier in another way. My favorite part of "Jeopardy!" is when Mayim or Ken, reading from a cue card, asks each contestant a question about themselves. It’s sometimes cringe-worthy, but always compelling, at least to me.

“So, Betty, I heard you once had an interesting summer job working with your mother,” Mayim might ask, teeing up a no-brainer.

“Yes, we robbed banks,” Betty might reply. “It was quality time,”

Maybe that didn’t happen, but I would argue, at least, that watching "Jeopardy!" is quality time. It gives us a chance to feel smart (and, alas, not so smart). And we can bond or not bond with the hosts and the contestants.

If we’re really on our game, we can also impress our friends by remembering the final question, one which, spoiler alert, could have something to do with the Black Sea. Or not.

Remarkable Rochesterians

Let’s add the name of this pioneering physician to the list that can be found at: https://data.democratandchronicle.com/remarkable-rochesterians/

Dr. Marcena Sherman Ricker (1852 – 1933): The doctor attending Susan B. Anthony at the time of the suffragist’s death in 1906, she was one of the first women physicians in Rochester. A native of Castile, Wyoming County, she was a nurse who went on to become a doctor, graduating from the Homeopathic Hospital in Cleveland before establishing a practice in Rochester. With a focus on helping women and children, she often cared for patients without charge. A member of Lake Avenue Baptist Church, she was one of the founders of the Fairport Baptist Home and one of the founders of a home for unwed mothers. In addition, she had leadership roles in the YWCA and the WCTU.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: 'Jeopardy!': The joys and memory challenges of watching