Holt Led At the End of the First Round Before Other Members Took the Stage

(Washington, D.C.) – In an exhibition Jeopardy! match with IBM’s Watson, U.S. Rep. Rush Holt last night held off the computing system in the round he played, the first of three of a three-part practice match.  IBM sponsored the event to foster a dialogue about U.S. global competitiveness and to encourage greater focus on math and science education.

Holt, a five-time Jeopardy winner from 35 years ago, played the first round along with Rep. Bill Cassidy (LA-06). At the end of the round, Holt had earned to $8,600 to Watson’s $6,200.  Holt and Cassidy then switched out for Reps. Jared Polis (CO-02) and Jim Himes (CT-04), and later Rep. Nan Hayworth (NY-19). The final score for the match was Watson $40,300, Congressional Members $30,000.

“I was proud to hold my own with Watson,” Holt said. “More importantly, I was proud to join IBM and other members of Congress to highlight the importance of technology. It was fun to out-do Watson in the first round, but this was not just about fun and games. Science and math education and research and development are vital to our nation so we can out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world.”

"The simulated match with Watson and Congressional members tonight is more than a trivia contest," Christopher Padilla, Vice President, IBM Governmental Programs.  "The technology behind Watson represents a major advancement in computing.  In the data intensive environment of government, this type of technology can help organizations make better decisions and improve how government helps its citizens."
Holt built up a lead in the categories of “Presidential Rhyme Time” (example of a clue: Herbert’s military strategy; answer: What is Hoover’s Maneuvers) and “Also a Laundry Detergent” (example of a clue: 3-letter nickname for the Beatles; answer: What is Fab). In the category of “Phobias” he correctly identified what Hippophobia is the fear of (horses).

Watson did beat the Congressmen on the buzzer to provide the response to the clue, “Ambrose Bierce described this as ‘a temporary insanity curable by marriage.’”  Watson rang in first and correctly answered, “What is love?”

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