They may have slotted commercials differently here. It did end early, but only 5 or so minutes early. When Alex explained that we would see Watson's top three choices at the bottom of the screen, I thought that it would ruin the show, but it actually made it more interesting. It really illustrated the threshold decision making.

Skipping around is ok, it's part of the strategy for many players. However, sometimes a player will go for the highest amount (bottom of the board) before any of the above questions have been answered. That seems risky; it's good to get a sense of the topic before plunging into it. But, the payoff can be big if the contestant knows the answer. What tickles me about Jeopardy is when the Final Jeopardy question knocks out the presumed winner and one of the others wins. It's always fun to see their reaction. With Jeopardy, you never know!

I’ll watch for her tonight! My cousin was on Wheel of Fortune 2/28, she had filmed it late in January. Yes, the contestants can not tell anyone how they finished. I don’t even know if she told her husband? She wasn’t the big winner, but came home with a trip (Costa Rica) and some cash. It was fun watching her. We were texting during the airing and she said she was nervous watching and she already knew how it ended!

Every entertainment product is "for profit". Even "non-profit" ones like NPR or PBS. No one works for nothing. As above, I don't watch the show regularly but I have at times in the past (as when my kid's friend was on). Frequently there's a clue, sometimes in the category title and sometimes in the brief words given, that provides a hint for what the answer is. The more successful contestants seem to be attentive to them. One example I've just made up might be in the category of Flowers, the question "Long Civil War in England" for which the response would be "What is War of the Roses". Answering the question successfully can be more a matter of solving the clue, not necessarily as in this case a mastery of English history. I recall several times seeing what appeared to be guesses offered in response that seemed like the contestant was acting on the clue, not a recollection of the subject matter. Like many "contests", there's an element of gamesmanship that can contribute to doing well and I think careful attention to the clues is among the tactics that make a difference.