He was considered the most hated contestant in one of America's most popular game shows. Arthur Chu gained international attention as the most controversial winner of Jeopardy. He was champion 11 times actually but it's not that he cheated. He was strategic on how he played the game.
Some, actually many, were appauled that he played against the etiquette of the game. His strategy was to bounce around the board in search of daily-doubles and had an aggressiveness to his method of play. He left with nearly $300,000 in winnings but also became the target of haters online. But what happened when he finally lost?
Who is Arthur Chu? follows the life of this Asian-American in this fascinating documentary directed and produced by Yu Gu and Scott Drucker and is now showing at HotDocs Canadian International Documentary Film Festival. It takes a look at Arthur and his attempt to leverage his fame from traditional television media and online presence for something good after seeing his social media following grow from hundreds to thousands.
Arthur grew up in an immigrant family with many of the stereotypes one would imagine. He was studious, played the piano, quiet and an individual who just kept to himself mostly. Later in school he would join a club with students who were like minded. This is where he meets his future wife, Eliza.
Eliza is a smart woman but I'm sure if you look inside a dictionary under the words patience and tolerance, her name would be right beside them. She's a science-fiction writer who is living with fibromyalgia, an autoimmune disease that causes chronic pain and fatigue. She supports Arthur whole heartedly before and during his Jeopardy days and continues after when he's working as an insurance analysts while also writing for the Daily Beast, Huffington Post and Salon.
Arthur has much to say and not afraid to confront anyone even the internet trolls but when he decides to take to the stage and speaks in public for the first time it ends not quite the way he would have liked but he persisted. As his writing and speaking career continues he then faces the biggest challenge dealing wtih gamers who send death and violent threats to women who critize the portrayal of women in video games. Gamergate movement became his cause and when he spoke to a sold out panel at the Music and Gaming Festival in Washington DC, he became the target of online lynching.
At that point it was too much to handle and Arthur quits social media. This film is a fascinating look at Arthur coming to grips with his fame -- dealing with the good, the bad and the evil.
Who is Arthur Chu? screens several time during HotDocs17. For more information visit www.hotdocs.ca