Jeopardy is without question one of the most successful quiz shows in TV history.
The show, which debuted in 1964, relies on a steady stream of trivia buffs to fly out
to LA to duke it out, battle of the brains-style, in front of a studio audience.
While several hosts have helmed the show over the years, the majority of viewers are most
familiar with its long-running and iconic host Alex Trebek, who was the face of Jeopardy
from 1984 to shortly before his death in 2020.
Jeopardy has been a consistently high-ranking primetime program for decades now, and countless
historically noteworthy moments have transpired on its set.
Fans of the show are pretty familiar with the rules of the game, but there are still
plenty of questions we have about how Jeopardy works behind the scenes.
For one thing, how do they make sure that all of the answers and clues featured on the
show are correct?
And what are some of the ways that the studio audience gets to participate during an episodes
taping?
Jeopardy has specific systems, regulations, and traditions in place to make sure that
the game is always fun and fair for the audience and contestants alike.
From Jeopardy's rigorous audition process to its host's daily work routine, in this
facts-packed video, we'll be looking at several behind-the-scenes secrets that contestants
of Jeopardy have revealed about their time on the beloved show.
The Crew Watches The Contestants Fill Out Their Wages During Final Jeopardy
Right before being asked the final question on an episode of Jeopardy, contestants must
wager a chunk of their earnings after being provided with the category of the clue.
This last round, which is known as Final Jeopardy, is typically pretty tense.
More often than not, the winner of this round ends up being the overall victor for the game.
Jeopardy crew members observe the contestants as they write down their wagers during the
final commercial break before the clue is given.
They do this for a number of reasons.
For one, they don't want contestants jotting down any inappropriate content, but more importantly,
they want to make sure that their wagers are legible.
In one instance a contestant was asked to rewrite their wager when the top of their
9 wasn't 'plump enough and wouldn't look right on television'.
This also prevents contestants from claiming that their wager was one thing when it was
really another.
For example, it would be really easy for a player to claim that an oddly written 1 was
actually a 7 or vice versa.
The Show Was Originally Pitched As 'What's The Question?'
Although we already referred to the 'clues' as 'questions' earlier, many long-time fans
of the show probably went straight to the comments section to call us out on that.
Jeopardy is unique in the way that contestants aren't simply providing the answers to a variety
of trivia questions.
They instead are provided with the answers in the form of a clue and must come up with
the appropriate corresponding question.
For example, a clue might be something like 'The capitol of Ohio'.
In that case, the right 'answer' would be 'What Is Columbus'.
So, the original title that the show was pitched as, 'What's The Question?', was pretty fitting,
However, when a network exec pointed out there weren't enough 'jeopardies' in the show, the
name was subsequently changed.
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Stay tuned to learn several more amazing Jeopardy facts that we only know about because past
contestants can't keep their mouths shut.
It First Aired in 1964 With Art Fleming As Host
Fleming served as the host of both the daytime and nighttime early versions of Jeopardy from
1964 to 1979 when NBC canceled it due to lack of viewership.
The primetime syndicated incarnation of the series that we all know and love debuted in
1984 when an updated version of Jeopardy premiered with Alex Trebek as its host.
Various spin-off series were later launched in the years that followed, including Jep!,
a children's version of the quiz show that aired on the Game Show Network between 1998
and 1999 and later on Discovery Kids through late 2004.
and Rock & Roll Jeopardy, which debuted on VH1 In 1998 and wrapped up in 2001.
Trebek Interacted With The Audience Between Commercial Breaks
Jeopardy isn't broadcast live, but it is recorded in front of a studio audience.
To make things easier for the editors, the show is taped in the same time allotment as
if it were filmed live.
That essentially means that whenever the show goes to a commercial break, the game pauses
for the same amount of time that those ads would last.
Alex Trebek made sure that this time wasn't wasted.
In between breaks, Trebek would interact with the audience and allow people to ask questions
that they might have.
According to past contestants and audience members, people would typically ask Alex a
combo of personal and professional questions.
Both Jeopardy Hosts Died Of Pancreatic Cancer
Art Fleming died of the disease in 1995.
Decades later, Alex Trebek fell victim to the particularly aggressive form of cancer
in 2020, two years after he first announced his stage 4 diagnosis.
While pancreatic cancer mortality rates have been improving substantially over the years
as modern advancements in medicine are developed, the disease is still considered largely to
be incurable.
The American Cancer Society says that for all stages of the disease combined, the one-year
survival rate is about 20%, with the five-year survival rate being 9%.
So, the fact that Trebek lived as long as he did with stage 4 pancreatic cancer was
a bit of a miracle.
Even so, the Canadian host is sorely missed by all of his fans.
The Home Audience Never Saw Trebek's Flubs Or When Contestants Challenged Incorrect Answers
Even though Jeopardy is known for being a show that is renowned for providing information
that is accurate, mistakes sometimes happen.
Glitches and other mishaps are unavoidable, although they are edited out of the finished
episode before it airs on network television.
When Jeopardy hits the airwaves, it also omits some of the show's other components.
Sometimes a contestant will challenge clues and answers that they believe to be inaccurate.
Viewers at home never see this process.
Trebek Never Met Contestants Until Taping Day
By all accounts, Alex was always pleasant, albeit a bit distant, with contestants.
He never interacted with them until the day of a show's taping.
This was so that he didn't develop a rapport with anyone and later be accused of favoritism.
Over the years, however, Trebek did let his hair down a bit and open up with his contestants.
In later seasons, he would make a point to talk with them at the conclusion of a game.
Trebek Spent 90 Minutes Before Each Taping Studying The Answers, Jotting Down Notes,
And Looking For Anything He Saw As Objectionable
No one could have ever accused Trebek of taking his job lightly.
His involvement in the show ran deep, and he took QA very seriously before each taping.
It's known that Alex would read and make notes about all of the answers and clues to ensure
that there weren't any glaring issues with any of them.
He would even compare his notes with the show's producers, writers, and researchers to make
sure that everything was up and up.
Every morning he would be handed the games at around 7:30 am.
Alex would spend about an hour and a half working on them before going into a production
meeting with Jeopardy's producers and writers to review the material to see if there were
any issues.
Contestants Must Bring Three Outfits
Jeopardy streamlines the production process by filming five games per day.
That means that contestants who go on to play another game will have to change their clothes
between tapings so that it looks like its' a different day.
Because of this, they are required to bring three outfits to wear when competing.
This little tidbit of info also suggests that contestants aren't expected to win more than
three times.
If they win more than three games in a row, they will have to mix and match with the outfits
that they brought to the studio with them.
Julia Collins, a contestant who won 20 games, got to the point where she said that she had
worn all of her sweaters multiple times before being dethroned.
The Personal Anecdotes That Trebek Asked Contestants About Came From Pre-Screening Questions
Before appearing on the show, contestants must provide the show's producers with personal
information that the show would later use as material for Trebek's half-minute one-on-one
sessions.
Contestants provide this info by filling out a 32-question screening form.
Some of the questions ask them about their philosophical views while others fish for
odd and unusual facts about their personal and professional lives.
Before each taping, coordinators coach contestants about how they'll respond to these questions
so that the segment goes as smoothly as possible.
Merv Griffin, Jeopardy's Creator, Also Came Up With Wheel of Fortune
"Wheel" is filmed at the same Sony Pictures lot in Culver City, California.
Wheel of Fortune debuted in 1975, and like Jeopardy, it's been going strong ever since.
From 1965 to 1986, Griffin also hosted his own talk show, The Merv Griffin Show.
That's about all the time we have left for obscure Jeopardy facts, but who knows, if
you ever get the chance to be a contestant on the show, maybe the trivia that you just
learned will come in handy.
Anyway, we'd love to hear from you.
How do you think Ken Jennings has been doing as host of Jeopardy since Alex Trebek's death?
And what are some relatively unknown facts about Jeopardy you know about that you think
our viewers would appreciate learning?
Let us know in the comments.
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