“This. Is. Jeopardy!”
For 36 seasons, this has been the clarion call from longtime announcer Johnny Gilbert, inviting viewers to another half hour of answers and questions on “America’s Greatest Quiz Show.”
Like almost everything else in Hollywood, production of the show shut down in early spring due to the pandemic. However, a new season is set to start on September 14 (the first current-running game show to return to production), with changes both on and off the set. Podiums for the contestants and Alex Trebek have been properly spaced to meet CDC safety guidelines, and a familiar face will be making frequent appearances going forward. You may have heard of him.
The crowned GOAT (greatest of all time, for the uninitiated) of Jeopardy, Ken Jennings, will be a consulting producer for the show and will provide video clues at some points of the show (the first of which will air on September 15). By doing so, he will no longer participate in any future contests, but instead work as a “good will ambassador” for the show.
Jeopardy has always been a great game show, but it’s one of very few shows that ascended from a hit game show to an American institution. One of the biggest aspects in American culture is a longstanding phenomenon known as “The Jeopardy Effect.” In any quiz show that requires a direct answer, players instinctively phrase their responses in the form of a question (the hallmark rule of Jeopardy), when they are not required to do so. In some game shows, the host called the contestant out for it. On one episode of $ale of the Century, host Jim Perry took notice of one contestant’s phrasing of the (correct) answer, and quipped about how he’s starting to grow a mustache on his face — an Alex Trebek trademark in the early years. And this was in 1985! When I did a local, non-televised quiz show back in 2006, A player would answer my questions with a question, saying “What is…?” My response: “You tell me!” After that witty exchange, I ruled her correct, we both laughed it up, and we moved on. All this because of Jeopardy!
This show helped Alex Trebek become a treasure, not just in his native Canada, but here in the United States. Over the years, his sharp scolds and stringent reminders softened up into the witticisms and statesmanship that would remind me of Yoda from The Empire Strikes Back: funny when he can be, but serious when he needs to be. Every time I see Alex today, he projects an aura of intelligence and strength that needs to be seen to be believed. I’m glad he has the strength to continue hosting the show; as many of you know, he has been very public with his battle with stage IV pancreatic cancer, and it would have been shitty if he were forced to step down before doing any more new shows. To have a career ended because of a pandemic-induced taping shutdown would’ve been a sad ending. However, he won’t be doing that, as he himself says that he’ll be glad to be out of house and taping new episodes.
In spite of his grim cancer announcement in March 2019, Trebek had what I thought was two of his best years hosting the show (2019 and 2020). Just before coming public with his prognosis, he finished doing the “All-Star Games” special, which was a unique format involving teams of the best players competing in separate rounds. While confusing, it was well-received by the most ardent fans. A few weeks later, a contestant came in and changed the way we saw the game played.
James Holzhauer, a big time gambler and math wiz, came in and shattered daily records for 32 games, amassing over $2.5 million and coming within a few thousand dollars of breaking Ken Jennings’ all-time regular season winnings record (key words being regular season, more on that later). Holzhauer has occupied every spot in the top 10 daily winnings list, and for someone to be on the list, he or she has to win $90,000 in ONE DAY. To prove it wasn’t a fluke, Holzhauer went into that year’s Tournament of Champions and dominated his way to an additional $250,000 payday.
Right after that, the next logical move took place. The producers brought in Ken Jennings (longest winning streak at 74 games), Brad Rutter (most money won in regular and tournament play), and James Holzhauer (see above), to compete in the Jeopardy “Greatest of All Time” tournament. This prime time series aired in January on ABC (likely to accommodate Alex’s health issues, since it wasn’t known if he’d be in any condition for a proper fall airing — and with no way of knowing what was to follow right after the tournament aired) and was a Master Class in Jeopardy. Going four hourlong matches out of a possible seven, Ken proved to be the victor with a trophy and $1 million to his name. This was also a love letter to Alex Trebek, as this was the type of gameplay he strived for; he also carried that series like nothing was wrong.
Before I talk more about the show itself, I’m sure there are many of you who remember the original version of the show, hosted by an equally amazing Art Fleming. Art did a good job of carrying the show along, with a welcoming voice and presence that greeted contestants every morning on NBC. He was tapped to host the 1984 revival before Merv Griffin went with Alex, but Art declined, thinking the show strayed away from the format he was used to. While I understand his stance, the two rule changes he bristled at were the two most important changes that helped evolve Jeopardy from a simple twist on a quiz show, to a show that pushes it close to a competitive sport.
1. Only the contestant who has the most money at the end of the show gets to keep it.
In Art’s Jeopardy, all contestants got to keep whatever money they collected throughout the show. While that was good for those who played, it may not have made for good television. A player who is in third place and realizes that he or she has no shot at overtaking the first place player may decide to reach a particular goal, then sit out the rest of the game without consequence. In Alex’s version, the second and third place contestants only left with prizes (changed to $2000 and $1000, respectively, in the mid 2000s). This all but required all contestants to fully participate in the game, and made for better shows.
2. Contestants can ring in to respond to a clue only AFTER the clue was completely read.
As new episodes were currently in development, Jeopardy did a month of episodes “from the vault,” which included the premiere episode from September 1984. Curiously, as Alex introduced the episode, he mentioned what was deemed a “signaling glitch” during his first season. However, this wasn’t a glitch; it was a carryover rule from the Art Fleming version. Contestants were allowed to ring in as soon as the clue was revealed on the screen (which was made audibly known in the early episodes). While not a detriment to the show, it was an issue Alex (who was producer at the time) wanted to address. From season 2 to this very day, players are allowed to buzz in only after Alex finishes reading the clue, which was indicated by a light border around the game board and just outside of the view of the camera frame (you can spot it if you looked at the reflection of the champion’s podium). With this rule change, Jeopardy became a show that not only rewarded intelligence, but also rewarded skillful reflexes, making the show even more competitive.
One major change really pushed the show into the stratosphere, and it wasn’t a gameplay change. Starting with the 2003-2004 season, a new “Sky’s the Limit” rule was installed. Before then, players who won five games retired undefeated with a cap of $75,000 (any excess winnings were donated to the charity of the champion’s choosing). The winnings cap was removed in 2002 (when the board values were doubled to the current amounts), but now, champions play until undefeated, which set up the potential for big money juggernauts. Sure enough, just a few weeks later, Ken Jennings came in and had a winning streak lasting 74 games and over $2.5 million to show for it. Many others have taken advantage of this rule, which added an element of dominance to champions who weren’t quite ready to roll out after win number five.
Even after Alex’s tenure is up and the producers find a suitable host to continue the legacy (a VERY tall order), Jeopardy will always be a large piece of fabric in American culture. For me, I remember leaving school at 3 o’clock, and if there were no errands to run, I always tuned in to WLS TV (now ABC 7 Chicago) at 3:30 pm (the slot the show still occupies to this very day). It’s hard to imagine life before Jeopardy; it’s even harder to imagine life WITHOUT it. I’m glad to have my brain exercised daily by this institution.
I hope you enjoyed this ode to Jeopardy. Please let me know what you think, and share your favorite moments of the show here. I appreciate your time as always. Until next time, peace and prosper!
