Jeopardy Stupidity

The one game show that annoys me the most is Jeopardy. These people are all supposed to be smart, yet they are so stupid when they bet in Final Jeopardy. People are just as stupid in the Price Is Right, but at least we expect them to not be potential Mensa members.

Today's show, the amount each contestant has is $4600, $8000, $9500.

Here is how each one should bet: If you have $4600, you have no chance to win if the others get the answer correct, so there is no point to bet anything here. He got the question right, but bet it all. He was lucky here. If the others get the question right, he still doesn't win, but he risked way too much.

The guy in 2nd place, with $8000, should be betting enough to double the 3rd place contestant as long as it is still higher than 1st place. He bet $6600, which was also too much. The 3rd place contestant could have, at best, got to $9200 so he should be betting $1201. He got question wrong anyways, but still a stupid bet.

The lady in first place, with $9500, should be betting enough to double the 2nd place contestant in case he gets the answer right and bets it all. She bet $6499, which would give her $15999 if she was right. This is stupid! She needed to bet $2 more than that. The extra $2 would probably not cost her anything if everyone was wrong, but if they both were right she'd lose. She got answer wrong, so it didn't end up mattering.

Three contestants, three wagers that do not make any sense. Only the smartest people on Jeopardy!