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Jeopardy! is a well-known international television game show, originally devised by Merv Griffin, who also created Wheel of Fortune. The show originated in the United States, where it first ran on NBC from 1964 to 1975 and again from 1978 to 1979. Its most successful incarnation is the current Alex Trebek-hosted syndicated version, which has aired continuously since September 1984.

Jeopardy! is a game of trivia, covering topics such as history, literature, and pop culture. During the game, three competing contestants are given a clue in the form of an answer, to which they must give a response in the form of a question.

Since the 1980s, the Trebek version has had an enormous effect on American pop culture and has consistently placed weekly among the top-rated shows in syndication. In the early 2000s, TV Guide ranked it #2 among the 50 Greatest Game Shows of All Time and Esquire magazine readers named it their "favorite game show."

Broadcast history

The "Jeopardy!" concept was originally created by Merv Griffin, who wanted to take the format of a television quiz show and make it more enticing by speeding up the game and putting a twist on the format. The original twist, giving clues in the form of answers (originally with a bent toward comedy) and expecting replies in the form of questions, was originally the central concept of the show, which was pitched under the title What's the Question?. The name "Jeopardy" was coined when, according to Griffin, a skeptical producer rejected the show, claiming "it doesn't have enough jeopardies" (a reasonable complaint, since a winning player could, without the "Daily Double" betting answers Griffin eventually devised, maintain his or her lead relatively easily by avoiding risk). Griffin thought the "Jeopardy" name sounded perfect, and immediately used it to generate puns, like naming the second round of the game "Double Jeopardy!".

Art Fleming hosted and Don Pardo provided the voiceover on the original version, which aired on NBC's daytime schedule from March 30, 1964 to January 3, 1975 for 2,753 shows. Fleming also hosted a short-lived weekly syndicated version in 1974-75 (approximately 40 shows) and another short-lived NBC revival, The All-New Jeopardy!, from October 2, 1978 to March 2, 1979 for 105 shows. John Harlan did the voiceover work for that edition, since he worked out of Los Angeles (where the show was taped), unlike Pardo, who stayed in New York and no longer announced game shows by that time.

The original NBC version largely gained its popularity from college students and businesspeople who would watch the show during their lunch breaks, as the program aired for most of its network run (from September 27, 1965 to January 4, 1974) at Noon Eastern/11 Central. In fact, the show's 1975 cancellation was largely due to the network's relocating the show to two different time slots during the previous year, first at 10:30/9:30 a.m., opposite CBS' "Pyramid" target="_blank" >*" and "Gambit", and then finally at 1:30/12:30 p.m., against the high-rated "As the World Turns" on CBS and another game, "Let's Make a Deal" on ABC. With those moves (which some have said were deliberate on the network's part due to tensions between daytime programmers and Griffin), the show lost most of its traditional followers, and NBC, in exchange to Griffin for the last remaining year on Jeopardy's contract, permitted him to create a new show in its place, Wheel of Fortune, which debuted January 6, 1975, the Monday after the last "Jeopardy!" episode.

The first syndicated version was mainly an attempt by Griffin to keep the show going in the face of its imminent doom on NBC (this had also been attempted the previous season by packagers of two cancelled network games, "The Dating Game" and "Sale of the Century"). It was noteworthy mainly for two things: at the program's end after "Final Jeopardy!", the winning contestant got a chance to select a prize hidden behind the slots on the main game board (numbered 1–30, à la Concentration); and host Fleming appeared dressed in a tuxedo with check-patterned jackets, instead of his customary business suit. None of these things helped this seemingly futile effort, and the show ran only one season, from September 1974 to September 1975; it is quite likely that most stations dropped the program even earlier than the end of the season, probably not long after the network version's demise.

The show did not sit idle long, however. In 1977, Merv Griffin, in an attempt to mend fences with CBS, which had cancelled his late-night talk show six years earlier, produced a pilot of Jeopardy! for that network. However, that network, because of the success of "The Price is Right" and "Match Game," gave priority to Goodson-Todman Productions when considering ideas for new games, and let the option lapse.

Meanwhile, NBC had been experiencing considerable instability on its morning schedule in particular, with "Wheel" being the only bright spot by 1978. The network, obviously regretting its actions which led to the demise of the original version four years earlier, decided to bring the show back on daytime. However, the network apparently stipulated format changes as a condition for airing the show, something Griffin largely refused to make during the original version; this resulted in an elimination format and a different bonus game. Neither of these pleased a disappointed public, which, unlike viewers of other games, preferred an absence of gimmicks from "Jeopardy!"

Not learning from its mishaps five years before, NBC made scheduling mistakes with both of the show's timeslots. From October until January, the show faced the first half-hour of "Price is Right" on CBS (10:30 Eastern/9:30 Central), which had been a solid hit for years by that point. But things got worse on January 5, when NBC dispatched it to what ten years earlier had been an impregnable slot for the program. However, by 1979, most American daytime viewers chose between "Family Feud" on ABC and "Young and the Restless" (ironically, now owned by Sony, like "Jeopardy!" currently) on CBS at 12 Noon Eastern/11 Central, ignoring NBC's offerings. Two months later, Fleming gave his final performance as host of the show, and retired to a morning drive-time radio show in St. Louis, where he spent the remainder of his career. Fleming, a veteran actor as well as media personality, died in 1995.

In 1983, Griffin scored the syndication surprise of the year with his nighttime version of "Wheel." Shown mainly in the prime-time access local station periods between 7 and 8 p.m. Eastern (6:30-7 p.m. Central), its success influenced him to once again consider trotting out the beloved trivia game. As with "Wheel," he sold "Jeopardy!" to distributor Mike King's King World operation. With Fleming no longer available, Trebek, a Canadian-born host best known for two stints on the 1970s NBC game "High Rollers", won the audition to host, and journeyman announcer Johnny Gilbert assumed voiceover duties. A set sporting glaring neon lights and state-of-the-art video monitors greeted viewers on the show's debut, which took place on September 10, 1984.

Despite the skepticism (possibly from the 1979 failure) from station managers who often scheduled the show in unpopular morning or even late-night slots (WNBC in New York did the latter, and KCBS in Los Angeles even cancelled it after several months, before another L.A. station, KCOP, picked it up), the show struck a partly nostalgic, partly fashionable chord with the American public, and, before long, it developed an intense, devoted following, far larger than was ever possible on the two daytime network runs. It took advantage of two pop-culture trends in the mid-1980s: a fascination with the culture of the early and mid-1960s, and the popularity of games such as "Trivial Pursuit" and barroom parlor trivia games (later electronic machines).

Trebek actually produced the show himself for the first two and a half seasons, before resigning those duties to assume the hosting job on NBC's "Classic Concentration" in 1987.

The 1964 to 1975 airings originated from the NBC headquarters in New York's Rockefeller Center; it has been based in Southern California (at various studios) starting with the 1978 revival.

For most of its present run, "Jeopardy!" has ranked second to Wheel in the Nielsen ratings of syndicated programs. When the 2006-2007 season begins (its 23rd), it will surpass "Hee Haw" as television's second-longest-running syndicated show, behind, of course, "Wheel," which took first place in 2005.

In 2005, it won its tenth Daytime Emmy for best game show, surpassing Pyramid.

The show was the subject of great interest and increased ratings (often beating Wheel) in the second half of 2004, as contestant Ken Jennings, taking advantage of newly relaxed appearance rules, remained a champion for seventy-four appearances, winning over States dollar|US$" target="_blank" >*2.5 million, and breaking almost every record in TV game show history.

Gameplay

Round 1: Jeopardy!

Each day, there are three contestants, one of whom is usually the champion, who play a three-round game. The first round is simply called the "Jeopardy!" round.

Six categories are announced, each with a column of five trivia 'answers' (i.e., questions written in answer form), ostensibly graded by difficulty. Each category is a topical category, and the categories change on each show; frequently, they contain puns or other wordplay. (Column number 6, the one furthest to the right, usually contains the wordplay category.) The names of the six categories are sometimes related in some way (e.g., titles of Shakespeare plays, although only one may actually concern the famous playwright).

The values of each of the five answers are thus:

  • 1964–1975: $10, $20, $30, $40, $50
  • 1978–1979: $25, $50, $75, $100, $125
  • 1984–2001: $100, $200, $300, $400, $500
  • 2001–present: $200, $400, $600, $800, $1000 (these values were also used for the 1990 Super Jeopardy! tournament during the Jeopardy! round.)

The returning champion (standing at the leftmost lectern from Alex's point of view) begins the game by selecting a category and monetary value ("Presidents for $200"). The host then reads the 'answer' ("He was the Father of Our Country; he didn't really chop down a cherry tree"), after which any of the three contestants may ring in, placing the response in question form ("Who was George Washington?"). The question format is always required to get credit for a correct response.

A correct response wins the dollar value of the clue, and gives him/her the right to select the next clue. If he/she is incorrect or failed to answer in time, that amount is deducted (hence, the dollar amount was always in jeopardy) and his/her opponents could answer. If all three contestants fail to answer or give wrong questions, the correct answer is read, and the player who gave the last correct response chooses the next clue.

The current scores are shown on the front of each player's lectern. In the Art Fleming run, positive scores had plus signs next to them, while negative scores had minus signs next to them; in the Trebek version, no plus sign is used for a positive score, but the minus sign remains. On the current set, positive scores are shown in blue, negative scores in red.

Daily Doubles
In each game, three answers are designated 'Daily Doubles' (a name taken from horse racing): one in the Jeopardy! round and two in the Double Jeopardy! round. Only the contestant who selects a Daily Double can respond to its clue. The player may wager as much as the maximum amount of a clue on the board (currently $1000 in the Jeopardy! round and $2000 in the Double Jeopardy! round) or as much as he or she has accumulated, whichever is greater. (They are permitted to make the wager of the maximum amount even if they have zero or a negative score.) The minimum wager is $5. A player may also indicate that they wish to make it a 'True Daily Double', meaning that they are wagering all the money that they have up to that point. Two other Daily Doubles are sometimes used, a Video Daily Double and an Audio Daily Double.

Ringing in
Before the 1985–1986 season, contestants could ring in anytime after the clue was revealed. In order to give all three contestants a fair shot at the clue, they must wait until the host finishes reading the clue and the lights surrounding the board illuminate before they can ring in, and pressing the signaling button too soon locks it for one quarter of a second. For easy clues, ringing in at the right moment is important.

Questioning
The phrasing rule ("What is ..." or "What's...") is quite strict, especially in the later rounds. For instance, if a player simply just gave an answer as his/her response before his/her allotted time expired, he/she would be ruled incorrect or invalid because of the failure to reply in question form (even if this answer was the correct response). Trebek will remind contestants to phrase their responses in the form of a question in the first round, but never during Double Jeopardy! or Final Jeopardy!. However, if contestants correct themselves before time expires, the response is ruled valid.

For responses calling for foreign words, contestants may respond with a "what is" question correctly phrased in the foreign language. For example, when the category was "A category about nothing" and the clue was "en español," Ken Jennings responded, "¿Qué es nada?". In another episode, Ken responded with "What be Ebonics?". Also, on the episode aired April 12, 2005, in the category "From the French," the clue was "It's a hint or trace of something (sounds like of Campbell's)." Steve Chernicoff responded, "Qu'est-ce que c'est qu'un soupçon?"

Round 2: Double Jeopardy!

The second round, Double Jeopardy!, works like the first round, with the following exceptions:
  • Six new categories are used.
  • The value of each clue is double what it was in the first round (except in the case of the 1990 Super Jeopardy! tournament):
    • 1964–1975: $20, $40, $60, $80, $100
    • 1978–1979: $50, $100, $150, $200, $250
    • 1984–2001: $200, $400, $600, $800, $1000
    • 1990 Super Jeopardy! tournament: 500, 1000, 1500, 2000, 2500
    • 2001–present: $400, $800, $1200, $1600, $2000
  • The contestant with the lowest amount of money at the end of the first round picks first in the second round.
  • Prior to 1997, the set would change from blue to red starting with this round.
  • Also, in the 1978–1979 version only, only the two highest-scoring players at the end of Round 1 played Double Jeopardy!; the third-place player was eliminated before the start of the round.

Finishing Double Jeopardy! with $0 (or less)
Sometimes, contestants will finish Double Jeopardy! with either $0 or a negative score. If that happens, they are automatically eliminated from the game and not allowed to participate in the game's final round, Final Jeopardy! In this case, the contestant(s) receive consolation prizes, which (as of 2006) are $1,000 for third place and $2,000 for second place.

Usually, it is only one contestant (if any) that gets eliminated from Final Jeopardy! However, on rare occasions, two contestants have been disqualified from playing, leaving the first-place player to provide a question to the Final Jeopardy! answer alone. The last show where two contestants finished 'in the red' aired on February 23, 2005 during the Ultimate Tournament of Champions (only Jeff Richmond advanced to Final Jeopardy!)

On the 1984 syndicated version, there has never been an instance where all three contestants finished "Double Jeopardy!" with $0 or less, thereby disqualifying everyone from "Final Jeopardy!". A three-way disqualification from Final Jeopardy! did happen at least once on the 1964 NBC version sometime between 1968 and 1975. During the commercial break between Double Jeopardy! and Final Jeopardy!, an audience member suggested that they could simply replay the game (with different categories) as if the embarrassing result had never happened. But the staff onstage said that this was not permitted by NBC's rules. The time normally used to play Final Jeopardy! was filled with chitchat between Art Fleming and the contestants. In the daytime version of the show, no one got eliminated from Final Jeopardy!; a player with $0 or a negative score at the end of Double Jeopardy! received $500 and stayed in the game.

Round 3: "Final Jeopardy!"

In "Final Jeopardy!", the host first announces the category, then the show goes into a commercial break (during which the staff comes on stage and advises the contestants while barriers are placed between the players to discourage looking at one another's answers). The contestants then risk as little as $0 or as much money as they have accumulated, by writing it on a card (before 1979) or electronic drawing board (since 1984). After the final commercial break, the clue is revealed. Contestants have 30 seconds to write a response on a card/electronic drawing board, again phrased in the form of a question. The light pen is automatically cut off at the end of the 30 seconds.

Currently, there are several situations where the electronic pen is not used, and is replaced by an electronic typing machine. Players with bad handwriting type their responses, as do blind contestants (like Eddie Timanus), who utilize Braille keys.

As with the rest of the show, responses in "Final Jeopardy!" must be phrased in the form of a question. During the 1984–1985 season, a few contestants lost their games solely because they had forgotten to do this. As losing a game because of forgetting two words made for very bad television, contestants have been instructed to write the beginning of their "Final Jeopardy!" question during the commercial break after "Double Jeopardy!" since the beginning of the 1985–1986 season.

Cash prizes

The top money-winner at the end of "Final Jeopardy!" is the day's champion and returns to the next show.

During the 1964 NBC and 1974 syndicated versions, all three contestants kept whatever cash they won. On the syndicated once-a-week version which aired from 1974–75, the winner chose one of 30 spaces, each of which concealed a prize such as a vacation, a car, or cash. The top prize was $25,000 in cash.

Before 1979, all contestants won their winnings in cash. Since 1984, in an attempt to discourage "runaway consolations" (where second- and third-place players keep money as close to that of the first-place winner as possible), only the champion wins the amount of money accumulated on the show, and the other two contestants win consolation prizes. However, in 2002, it was changed so that the second place finisher gets $2,000 and the third place finisher gets $1,000. The change was made so that contestants who had to pay to travel to Los Angeles would at least win enough money to cover airfare and lodging costs.

Special cases
  • If no contestant finishes Final Jeopardy! with a positive total (i.e., at least $1), then nobody wins and three new contestants appear on the following show; in such cases the three players will participate in a backstage draw to determine player position. The three-way loss has happened three times since 1984-the first occasion was on the second episode; the number of times this occurred during the 1964 NBC version is undetermined.

  • If more than one contestant ties for first place, they each win the money and come back, assuming that they each have at least $1. (One contestant in the Trebek era actually won the game with only $1 Air Force Lt. Col. Darryl Scott, he won another $13,401 the next day; there have been few players who have held the co-champ title twice, and there has never been a three-way tie).

  • If there is a tie in a tournament episode, a tiebreaker question is played, but this has only happened on a few occasions. In case of a three-way loss in a tournament, nobody advances, and an additional wild card is added in the tournament. (A wild card is one of the usually four non-winners with the highest scores in the opening round of a tournament to advance. There has been one triple loss in a tournament, and a fifth wild card was added.) Scores coming to "Double Jeopardy!" break ties for a wildcard position.

Categories

Some categories have special rules pertaining to them. In each case, contestants and viewers are told the specific format required to get the clue correct.

Common categories are:

  • Rhyme Time - Two consecutive words in the question rhyme with each other ("A chilly swimming basin" - "What is a cool pool?").
  • Name's the Same - The two nouns given share either the first or last word ("Close, Frey" - "Who is Glenn?", where the category is First Name's the Same).
  • Potpourri (sometimes called "Hodgepodge") - A variety of topics inside one category. This category almost always appears in the sixth (rightmost) column on the board.
  • Crossword Clues - Using the first letter given in the category, and the number of letters given in the answer, the question is the completion of the clue ("Late-night hunger pangs (8)" - "What are munchies?", where the category is Crossword Clues "M").
  • Before and After - Inspired by a Wheel of Fortune category, the first and second parts of the question join together via a mutual word ("The time it takes an element to lose 50 percent of its radioactivity in a 1979 Monty Python movie." - "What is Half Life of Brian?").
  • Stupid Answers - The correct response is contained in the answer. (Example: "Name of the hotel and office complex where the Watergate break-in occurred." - "What is Watergate?")
  • Spelling (AKA "The Dreaded Spelling Category") - The correct response must be spelled out. Generally, the answer is given, but not shown on the board ("Get hooked on the spelling of..." is shown, the word "Phonics" is given - "What is P-H-O-N-I-C-S?")
  • "Wordplay" categories - All answers will contain a specific word or letter fragment, which is given in the category in quotation marks. For example, if the category title is "The 'Eyes' Have It," then all the correct questions will feature the word "eyes" somewhere in them. ("This popular fight song talks about the 30 million of these in this, the second most populous state." - "What are The Eyes of Texas?")

Other versions

1978-79 revival

During the short-lived 1978–79 series, the lowest-scoring contestant was eliminated after the "Jeopardy!" Round; whoever was ahead at the end of "Double Jeopardy!" became the champion.

Instead of "Final Jeopardy!," the winner then got to play a bonus round called "Super Jeopardy!" (no relation to the special summer 1990 tournament of all-time champions as aired on ABC). This round featured a new board of five categories with five clues in each, numbered 1–5 (and unlike the main game, not necessarily increasing in difficulty down the column). The object was for the contestant to provide any five correct responses in a straight line in a Bingo-like fashion (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally). Giving an incorrect response earned the player a "strike," and blocked off that space on the board; three strikes ended the round. "Super Jeopardy!" was worth $5,000 to a first-day champion, with the jackpot increasing by $2,500 each day that champion successfully defended his/her title; with the five-day limit in place, that meant a potential total of $50,000 in just "Super Jeopardy!" earnings ($5,000 + $7,500 + $10,000 + $12,500 + $15,000). If a player struck out, he/she still received $100 for each correct response given.

This bonus game proved rather unpopular among long-time fans of the show, and some critics allege that its inclusion, and the gameplay's elimination structure, doomed the revival to failure.

Celebrity Jeopardy!

Every so often (usually once a year), "celebrity weeks" are held in which the contestants are celebrities. Each celebrity chooses a charity to sponsor, and that charity is the recipient of the particular celebrity's winnings. Typically, the charity is guaranteed a certain amount ($20,000, with the winner's charity receiving $50,000). Also, the rules are usually relaxed for "Final Jeopardy!", where all players will play.

Celebrity Jeopardy! has been spoofed numerous times on a Saturday Night Live sketch, with Will Ferrell appearing as Trebek, and Darrell Hammond usually playing Trebek's nemesis, Sean Connery. The skits poke fun at the ineptitude of the starring celebrities at answering even the extra-easy sorts of questions that appear on the real Celebrity Jeopardy!, along with their ineptitude at answering questions in general. In 2001, Jeopardy! returned the favor by selecting a set of references to the skit (including "Therapists (not 'The Rapists')" and "Things You Shouldn't Put in Your Mouth") as Double Jeopardy! categories. Will Ferrell's final episode as an SNL cast member featured a Celebrity Jeopardy! sketch in which Trebek himself appeared. Ferrell would portray Trebek again in 2005, when he hosted SNL

Celebrity Jeopardy! has also been a regular skit on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. These bits usually include President George W. Bush as a contestant. The answers usually came from current events, and, unlike the SNL version, the celebrities usually knew what the realistic question is. However, these questions were actually wrong, with the correct question being a joke about another celebrity.

Regis Philbin, former host of the American version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, was known for appearing on Celebrity Jeopardy! frequently, playing for Cardinal Hayes High School in New York.

Rock & Roll Jeopardy!

Main article: Rock & Roll Jeopardy!.

Rock & Roll Jeopardy was a music-intensive version of Jeopardy! that aired on VH1 from 1998 to 2002. Hosted by Jeff Probst (of Survivor fame), this show used music-based categories. Other than the host being somewhat looser with the "phrase in the form of a question" requirement, the game was basically identical to Jeopardy! The first two seasons awarded $5,000 to the winner; subsequent seasons were played for a $5000 house minimum.

Jep!

Main article: Jep!.

Jep! was the children's version of Jeopardy!, hosted by cartoon voice artist Bob Bergen. The show aired in 1998 on Game Show Network (now GSN), and up to late 2004 on Discovery Kids. The show was not well received by fans or critics, and was cancelled after one season.

Starting in 1999, just after Jep!'s cancellation, Jeopardy! began a "Back-to-School Week," which has easier clues and more accessible material for the younger contestants, but is otherwise identical to the adult version.

Changes through the years

In previous seasons, a contestant who won five days in a row would be retired undefeated, with a guaranteed spot in the next Tournament of Champions. For the first six seasons, winning contestants kept all winnings, with a cap of $75,000. Anything won above $75,000 went to the champion's favorite charity. The cap was increased to $100,000 starting in season seven after Bob Blake ($82,501) and Frank Spangenberg ($102,597) exceeded the $75,000 cap. In seasons 14-19 the cap was raised to $200,000. Starting in season 20, the cap was eliminated altogether.

From Season 14–17, an undefeated champion would also be awarded a choice of Chevrolet cars or trucks (Corvette, Tahoe, or two Camaros). From Season 18–19, the winner won a Jaguar X-Type. Similarly, as part of the deal with Ford for the 2001–02 season, Ford also added a Volvo to the Teen Tournament prize package.

To mark the start of the current version's 20th season, in September 2003, the show changed its rules so there is no winnings limit, and champions' reigns became indefinite; a champion keeps coming back as long as (s)he keeps winning (although automobiles were no longer awarded for five wins). This led to the remarkable winning streak of Ken Jennings, who currently holds most of the winning records on the show, including greatest number of appearances and regular season highest total dollar amounts won (excluding tournaments).

Tournaments

Tournament of Champions

During both the NBC and 1984 syndicated versions, there has been an annual Tournament of Champions (ToC), featuring five-time undefeated champions and other biggest winners during the past season. During the Fleming-era, the winner won $25,000 and a trophy. Eleven ToC champions were crowned during the 11-year NBC run.

The ToC format during the Trebek era was similar. Fifteen players - all five-time champions (before 2003) and the biggest winners among the other players - are invited to participate; starting in 2003, spots in the ToC are determined by length of the champion's reign (e.g., all 10-day champions, followed by all nine-day winners, etc.), with winnings serving as the tiebreaker.

The ToC lasts two weeks (10 shows), in the following manner:

  • Shows 1–5: The quarterfinals, with three new contestants participating each day. The five winners advance to the semi-finals. Four "wild card" spots are available to those with the highest score among non-winners; ties broken by the highest score after "Double Jeopardy!"

  • Shows 6–8: The semifinals. At this point, the game becomes a single-elimination affair, with each winner advancing to the finals.

If at any point in the quarterfinals or semifinals, there is a tie for first place, a tie-breaking clue is played, with the one answering correctly advancing to the next round.

  • Shows 9–10: The two-day finals. The first-day score does not factor into the second day's scoring. The contestant's cumulative total from both days is added together to determine his/her final score. The contestant with the highest cumulative score wins the grand prize ($100,000 from 1985-2001; $250,000 since 2002). All non-winners — including the second- and third-place players in the finals — receive a guaranteed amount based on their finishing position; in addition, the runners-up in the finals receive additional cash equal to their score if it exceeds the guaranteed amount.

Other tournaments

Two other tournaments are featured each season, and include:

  • The Teen Tournament: Featuring high school students. The winner receives $75,000 (plus, at various times through the run, a new car). For many years, the winner also participates in the Tournament of Champions. One of the most notable Teen champions was Eric Newhouse, who advanced to the finals of the 1989 ToC, and participated in the "Million Dollar Masters" and "Ultimate Tournament of Champions" tourneys. The first Teen Tournament aired in 1987.

  • The College Championship: Featuring college students, usually broadcast from college campuses (from 1997–present). Prior to that, the shows were broadcast in the show's main studios in LA. The winner earns $100,000 plus a spot in the Tournament of Champions. The college tournament was also played during the Fleming era, with the first Trebek-era college shows airing in 1989. Tom Cubbage, who was the very first Jeopardy! college champion that year, won the Tournament of Champions the following season.

These tournaments are staged identically to the Tournament of Champions.

For many years in the Trebek era, the show also had a Seniors Tournament, where contestants 50 or over played. This tournament has been discontinued, largely due to advertisers wanting to pull in younger demographics.

Special Tournaments

There have been a number of special tournaments featuring the greatest players during the history of Jeopardy! These are listed below.

Super Jeopardy!

The first of these "all-time best" tournaments, "Super Jeopardy!" aired in 1990 on ABC. It featured top players during the first six years of the 1984 syndicated run, plus a notable champion from the original Fleming era. The tournament was similar to the Million Dollar Masters and Ultimate Tournament of Champions (see below), although it was on a much smaller scale than that tournament. The "Super Jeopardy!" tournament also featured 4 contestants per game as opposed to the standard three, and the games were played for points instead of dollars. Bruce Seymour won the tournament and $250,000.

Tenth Anniversary Tournament

The Tenth Anniversary Tournament was a short five-day tournament aired in 1993 following the conclusion of the regular Tournament of Champions. $100,000 Tournament winner Tom Nosek got a free pass into the tournament, the other eight spots were chosen randomly. The winner of each of the last five regular season games drew one name from each of eight bowls representing the second through ninth seasons of Jeopardy!. Contestants who had made it to the semi-final round of that year's tournament were put in the bowl.

Three regular semifinal matches were played, with the winners competing in a two-day final. Frank Spangenberg won the tournament with a two-game score of $16,800 plus a $25,000 bonus for a total of $41,800. Tom Nosek finished second with $13,600, and Leslie Frates won the $7,500 third place prize, which exceeded her score of $4,499.

The semi-final losers were: Roy Holliday, Steve Rogitz, Mark McDermott, Doug Molitor, Robert Slaven and Lionel Goldbart, who each won $5,000.

Teen Reunion Tournament

In November 1998, players from the 1987, 1988, and 1989 Teen Tournaments (including the champions) were invited to Boston to play in a special Teen Reunion Tournament of former players of the event. Eric Newhouse won the tournament and later found himself at two other special tournaments.

Million Dollar Masters

In May 2002, to commemorate the Trebek version's 4,000th episode, the show invited fifteen champions to play for a $1 million bonus, under a standard tournament format. The tournament was won by Brad Rutter.

Ultimate Tournament of Champions

Jeopardy! televised the Ultimate Tournament of Champions in 2005. This tournament, the largest in Jeopardy!'s history, pitted 144 former Jeopardy! champions against each other, with two winners moving on to face Ken Jennings in a 3-game final.

The final winner was Brad Rutter ($62,000 for the tournament final), winning $2 million, the largest single-game prize in game show history. Jennings placed second (with $34,599) and took home $500,000. Jerome Vered finished third ($20,600), collecting $250,000.

As a result, Rutter is the all-time highest winner of any game show with $3,270,102, with Jennings a close second with $3,022,700.

Auditions

The Jeopardy! staff regularly offers auditions for potential contestants. Tryouts take place regularly at the Los Angeles Jeopardy! studio, and occasionally in other locations. In order to try out, one must be at least 18 years of age, unless one is auditioning for one of the special programs, such as the Teen Tournament or Kids' Week.

Tryouts for the regular version are given to many people at one time. Before one arrives, one is asked to bring along a filled-out form stating one's name and providing five anecdotes that one could potentially use during the on-air interviews.

There are three parts to the auditioning process itself. The first is a pep talk of sorts from the contestant coordinator. The staff tries to make the audition process entertaining. In the second section, fifty Jeopardy!-style clues in fifty different categories are displayed on a big screen at the front of the room and read aloud by Johnny Gilbert, the show's announcer. All of these answers have appeared on previous episodes, so a diligent watcher will have a good chance of passing the qualifying test. A potential contestant has eight seconds to write down his or her response (no need to phrase in the form of a question here) before the next clue is read.

At the end of the fifty questions, the contestant coordinators take the completed answer sheets and grade them. Though some sources state that a score of 35 is passing, the contestant coordinators refuse to confirm or deny that and the official passing score is kept a secret. Some people who have auditioned speculate that the passing score varies depending on how many contestants are needed for the show. Exact scores are not disclosed, only pass/fail results. Those who did not pass the test are dismissed, and those who did pass the test remain for the third phase of the audition.

At this point the people who passed the written test are given paperwork to fill out, which details eligibility and availability. Then the third part of the audition, a mock Jeopardy! competition, begins. A game board is presented, and potential contestants are placed in groups of three to play the game. The emphasis is not on scoring points, or even having correct answers; the contestant coordinators know that they possess the knowledge to compete on the show, as they have already passed the test, and are looking for on-the-air-compatible qualities. Having a lot of energy and using a loud, confident voice are considered to be huge advantages.

After playing a few clues, the contestant coordinators give each potential contestant a few minutes to talk about themselves. The coordinators request that they finish by telling what they would do with any money they won on Jeopardy!

After the end of the tryout, those who passed the test and participated in the mock Jeopardy game are placed into the "contestant pool" and are eligible to be called to compete for the next year. Those in the contestant pool may be called at any time in that year, although the show has more potential contestants than it needs and many people are not called at all.

From March 28-30 2006, a preliminary screening for potential contestants was conducted on the Internet. An online version of the 50-question qualifying exam was administered. Those who scored well enough to 'pass' the test (Jeopardy! does not reveal its scores or scoring process) were invited to participate in regional auditions, where they underwent the same process described above to be added to the contestant pool.

Tryouts for the Kids Weeks are slightly different. One does bring one's anecdotes and information sheet, but one first plays the mock Jeopardy! game, then takes a thirty question test. One is called or notified by the station on which one views Jeopardy! if one is to appear on the show. Fifteen children ages ten to twelve are chosen for each filming, along with one alternate.

The mandatory waiting period after taking the contestant exam is one year, after which one may try out again.

Tryouts for the early NBC version were conducted somewhat differently, and offer insight into the contestant selection process which may or may not be relevant to the game today. In a classroom-type arrangement, potential contestants wrote their questions to the answers held up by the contestant coordinator, who used cards which had previously actually been used on the show. While the exams were being scored, the staff explained that on any given day, the contestants who actually appear all scored the same number (or very nearly the same number) on this tryout. For the next day, the staff would select two new contestants who had scored a point or two higher than the winner that day, and so on day after day. This typically resulted in a pattern in which almost no contestant was able to win 5 days in a row (because she or he was subsequently competing with contestants who were probably better) -- until the scores escalated to the point at which all three contestants had scored at or near the maximum possible score. When these high scorers, competing against each other day after day, eventually produced an undefeated champion, the contestant pool was "reset" back to scorers who barely passed with the minimum score.

Potential contestants were told that if their score was not in the range that they were seeking that particular day, their names and information would be put into a contestant pool, and that -- if they lived near New York -- they might be called to come to the studio at any time in the next several months when their "number" came up (although this was, they made it clear, unlikely, due to the large number of contestants who had tried out). Since potential contestants had no idea what the target score was for that day, they had no idea whether it would be a good thing to deliberately score lower than they were capable of scoring.

The overall result of this process was that on any given day, all three contestants were of roughly equal ability, which tended to produce spirited games with no single contestant running away with the game. Although "fixing" game shows (helping contestants by giving them answers or hinting at questions) is illegal, such a process could legally be exploited to produce a "super-champion" in the following way. If an exceptionally high-scoring individual were to win a game (and such exceptional individuals are not too difficult to find, as the history of the show demonstrates), he or she could then be pitted against a string of opponents who scored low on the qualifying test. Although there is no guarantee that they would lose against the super-champion, such losses would be very likely. Once the producers had decided that the super-champion's winnings had gone high enough (whatever that would mean), they could put the winner up against others who had scored extremely well on the qualifying exam, eventually resulting in his or her defeat. It is not known, of course, if such a strategy has ever actually been used on Jeopardy! or any other legally conducted game show. It would not have been useful to boost ratings during most of the run of Jeopardy!, since there was a cap on winnings and/or a 5-game limit for undefeated champions.

Theme songs

The theme song, "Think!" (originally composed as "A Time For Tony" by Griffin as a lullaby for his son), has served the Final Jeopardy! countdown music since the show's inception in 1964 (although it was not used in the 1978–79 version), and is also the melody for the current opening theme. In the United States, it has insinuated itself into everyday communication; the song applies to any situation in which someone is waiting for another to answer a question or make a decision. For example, the theme is often heard at baseball stadiums when the manager goes to the pitcher's mound to discuss a replacement, or at football games during instant replay reviews. A variation of "Think!" was used as a jewelry prize cue, officially called "A Time For Tony," on Wheel of Fortune in the 1980s.

Griffin has estimated that the Jeopardy! theme song has earned him somewhere between $70 and $80 million in royalties.

The main theme song to the original 1960s version is called "Take 10" and was composed by Griffin's wife, Julann. On the finale episode with Art Fleming in 1975, the theme used was "Smile" originally composed by Charlie Chaplin.

The main theme to the 1978–79 revival was called "Frisco Disco" and was composed by Merv Griffin and arranged by Mort Lindsey. "Frisco Disco" would resurface in 1983 as a prize cue on Wheel of Fortune, and would continue to be used until 1989. The opening theme used was called "January, February, March" also composed by Griffin and arranged by Lindsey, and was also used on the 1st pilot of Jeopardy, with Alex Trebek, in 1983 as the main theme. As a side note, both compositions were composed and released in 1976, two years prior to the revival of Jeopardy! in 1978.

After a 2nd pilot was made, Jeopardy!, with Alex Trebek, went back on the air. When the current incarnation began in 1984, an electronic version of the "Think!" melody became the main theme, while the original recording was recycled for the Final Jeopardy! round. The main theme was remixed in 1991 to include a bongo track. In 1997, both the main theme and the "Think!" music were updated, with jazzy orchestral arrangements by Steve Kaplan. The main theme was updated again in 2000, with an arrangement similar to the previous one, but looser and more upbeat. The theme has gone through some slight reorchestrations since then. Over the commercial break during College Championship and Teen Tournament, a Rock & Roll Jeopardy! theme song was played (and during a few of those tournaments, was used in Final Jeopardy!). Alternate versions of the Final Jeopardy! music have been performed by the UCLA marching band and the Yale Whiffenpoofs. During the show's first trip to NYC, a piano rendition was used.

International adaptations

There are (or have been) versions of Jeopardy! outside of the United States, including a UK version hosted by Paul Ross (with Derek Hobson, Chris Donat and Steve Jones before him), an Australian version with Sale of the Century legend Tony Barber, versions from Sweden (from 1991) with Magnus Härenstam (1991-2005), later Adam Alsing (2006-), Quebec (French Canada) with Réal Giguère (aired on TVA network from 1991 to 1993), Germany with Hans-Jürgen Bäumler (as Riskant! on RTL, 1990-1992), Frank Elstner (as Jeopardy! on RTL, 1994-1998), Gerriet Danz (on tm3, 2000-2001), Russia, from 1994, called Svoya Igra, with Pyotr Kuleshov, France with Philippe Risoli (also of "Le Juste Prix", the French version of The Price is Right plus a version from Denmark with Søren Kaster (from 1995), Lasse Rimmer (from 2000), to Lars Daneskov (from 2003), version in Israel with Ronny Yovel, and Estonia with Mart Mardisalu (as Kuldvillak on tv3, (start and end date unknown)). Israel's version is the most recent version of the A&Q show around the globe, starting in 1997. There is an Argentine version in the works, scheduled for early July, hosted by Fernando Bravo (who also hosted the Argentine version of TPiR, called "El Precio Justo"). Of these versions, the two Scandinavian versions mentioned are the most popular.

In addition, the American version of the show is distributed internationally and airs across the world. Contestants from Canada, for example, are quite common.

Episode status

GSN has aired 1 episode from the 1964–75 Fleming version, the 2000th episode. A clip from an earlier 1960s episode aired in 2004 during an ABC News Nightline special on Jeopardy! on the night Ken Jennings lost. In addition, an ordinary 1974 episode and the 1975 finale exist among private collectors. It is believed that is all that is left of the run, as the tapes were destroyed by NBC. The status of the 1978 version is unknown, although GSN aired this version's last episode on December 31, 1999, as part of a marathon of game show finales. The first episode and the second episode also exist in collections.

The Trebek version is completely intact. GSN—which like Jeopardy! is an affiliate of Sony Pictures Television—has rerun approximately 8 seasons to date, although they continuously aired the 1997–98 season (14th season) from June, 2001 until June 13, 2005. Since then, GSN has been rerunning episodes from the 2001–02 season (18th season), including a series of 2001 episodes which aired only on about 50 syndicated stations due to the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Jeopardy! in popular culture

The show has been portrayed or parodied on many television shows, movies, and literature over the years, usually with one of the characters appearing as a contestant. Many movies have also featured Jeopardy! as a show that the actors are watching on television, often playing along.

One of the most famous cultural references was in Cheers, where trivia buff Cliff Clavin (played by John Ratzenberger) appeared on an episode of Jeopardy!. Clavin reached the Final Jeopardy! round all but assured to win, but lost due to a foolish bet. Saturday Night Live has parodied the show, and Weird Al Yankovic has based one of his song parodies on the Fleming version.

Merchandising

The Jeopardy! brand has been used on products in several other formats.

See also

External links

1960s TV shows in the United States | 1970s TV shows in the United States | 1980s TV shows in the United States | 1990s TV shows in the United States | 2000s TV shows in the United States | Australian game shows | Game shows | Jeopardy! | NBC network shows | Syndicated television series | Sony Mobile games | Mobile phone games

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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Jeopardy!".

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