Besides the two contestants who missed the first question, only two others left the hot seat with no payoff. Also, white men are more familiar than minorities with the mass American culture at the root of many questions. Men, more than women, make quick decisions and move on. When time constraints are removed from SAT exams, for example, scores go up in general, but girls' scores go up more. Comfort with guessing.
White men are much more willing to take a quick guess.
There remain educational and sociological differences between the sexes and races. But with the emphasis on speed and strategic guessing in the rounds leading up to there, the show has tilted the playing field. All rights reserved.