I almost started a separate thread on this, not realizing that this active one was already gaining lots of activity.
I am siding fully with Alex Trebek here. This is not the first time he has been lambasted by the National Enquirer, and it's not the first time for "Jeopardy!" I remember one a few years ago -- and it was discussed on GR-net, I believe -- where the magazine presented an "expose" on the "inner workings" of "Jeopardy!" ... such as the host being unable to socialize with contestants beforehand or not giving advice, several episodes being taped weeks in advance of airing (as opposed to airing live), etc.
I understand that these are tweens (meaning, 10-14 years old) and that it can be more unnerving when they don't do as well as expected. Many explanations exist, of course: a contestant is unable to master control of their signaling device, the material is harder than expected, the other contestants are quicker and faster at answering questions (and sometimes have a broader knowledge base, even at age 13) ... and so often is the case with adults, they have "stage fright."
Of course, we don't know exactly why the little girl didn't do well on this day, and it's understandable that they probably left the stage in near tears. It's human. Even adults have done so. I recall the former game show contestant, who wrote an entire book back in the 1980s about getting on game shows, relating her experience on "Card Sharks" ... how she lost her air of confidence and suffered from extreme fright ... and lost very quickly, and then, shortly after leaving the stage, she broke down in tears.
The little girl's mother, however, is who I'm disgusted with. Writing a note lambasting Trebek and the show's staff, et al., about how the situation was handled -- bah! First of all, as others have pointed out, this is hardly the first time a child contestant has been eliminated before "Final Jeopardy!" (Of course, we don't know how those contestants handled not being able to participate in "Final" ... and it doesn't really matter, anyway.) It's the game's rule. Except for perhaps "Celebrity Jeopardy!" I have never seen a game's rules changed just to accommodate "special groups." You lose, life goes on. But oh, no, mommy has to make a big stink about it.
And the thing is, it isn't because Alex Trebek is a jerk or anything that he isn't personally consoling losing contestants. Standards and Practices likely prohibits this, as has been pointed out. All that can be done is for the girl to have her cry, try to learn from the experience and grow stronger from it. She probably can ... if mommy will let her special-wecial girl do so.
Instead of complaining, she can simply relate how many of life's greatest losers became greats. For instance, look at how many times Abraham Lincoln lost ... political races, jobs ... and then became perhaps the greatest U.S. President. Or for how many successes Thomas Edison had, how many times he failed at making prototypes of such things as the light bulb or phonograph work. The conservative author and commentator Charles Sykes once wrote that Mother Theresa once misapplied a bandage on a sick person ... and (after briefly cussing the situation to herself) reapplied the bandages and helped comfort the person. And the list goes on.
This is hardly going to be the worst thing that happens to this little girl. It may suck right now, but it will get better.
As for Trebek, I hope this blows over and then we can move on. Sad to say, some people are persistent, and in the digital social age these days, it's more difficult for that to happen.
