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Jeopardy! (1984)

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Jeopardy! (1984)
Jeopardy-logo.jpg
Premiere September 10, 1984
Airs Check local listings
Creator Merv Griffin
Host Alex Trebek (seasons 1-37)
Various Guest Hosts (season 37)
Mike Richards (first week of season 38)
Ken Jennings (seasons 38-, split duties with Mayim Bialik)
Mayim Bialik (seasons 38-39, split duties with Ken Jennings)
Network/Provider Syndication
Style 30-minute game show
Company Merv Griffin Enterprises (1984-1994),
Columbia TriStar Television (1994-2002),
Sony Pictures Television (2002-)
Distributor King World (1984-2007)
CBS Television Distribution (2007-2020)
CBS Media Ventures (2021- )
Seasons 41
Episodes 9,060 (through season 40)
Status Currently airing season 41
Renewed through season 44 (2027)
Origin USA
Official Site Jeopardy!

Jeopardy! is the fourth and current incarnation of the popular quiz show Jeopardy!. This version airs in syndication and is hosted by Alex Trebek and announced by Johnny Gilbert.

In 1983, Merv Griffin brought Wheel of Fortune to prime-time syndication where it did very well. A year later, he decided to do the same with Jeopardy!, a show that had been off-the-air since 1979. Previous host Art Fleming was unavailable, so instead Canadian Alex Trebek was chosen, who had hosted many game shows at that point. Jeopardy! turned out to be a success, and has been paired with Wheel in many markets since. Jeopardy! usually comes in second annually after Wheel in the Nielsen ratings for syndicated shows.

Contents

Gameplay

Three contestants are shown an answer, and are required to provide the question. For example, the answer may be "Opened in 1955, this tourist attraction proves it's a small world after all." The correct answer, or "question", would be "What is Disneyland?"

The game is played over three rounds. Each round features six categories of answers. Each category contains an answer worth between $200 to $1000 in the first round, and $400 to $2000 in the second round (named Double Jeopardy.) In Final Jeopardy, there is only one category and answer, and players must wager how much the answer is worth.

A contestant will pick a category and monetary value (e.g. British Prime Ministers for $600), and give Alex the question for the answer. If they are correct, they win the money. However if they are wrong, the money is deducted from their current score.

A player may also uncover a "Daily Double." Here, instead of playing for the stated monetary value, players can wager how much they want to play for. If a player uncovering the Daily Double has less than the top money value on the board or in a negative score, he/she may bet up to that money value ($1000 in first round, $2000 in Double Jeopardy).

All three rounds are played, and the winner is the contestant with the most money at the end of the game. The winning contestant is invited to return to the next show. In the past, if more than one contestant ends the game with identical top scores, those players become co-champions and return on the next show. In 2018, that rule was changed. The players are shown a final category and clue; whoever rings in with the correct response becomes champion. This rule previously applied to tournament play.

The show has featured a number of tournaments, including their annual fetes of the Tournament of Champions, Kids' Week, Celebrity Jeopardy and College Week. During the period of February 14 to 16, 2011, the show's two most successful players--Ken Jennings (winner of 74 straight games) and Brad Rutter (winner of over $3 million in cash) competed against Watson, a computer designed by IBM that is imbued with information gleaned from the Internet and processes that assist it in singling out correct responses from a number of possibilities. The clues, as read by Alex, are delivered to the computer in text form simultaneously, and Watson is kitted out with a device to ring in with the show's signalling device.

2019 presented a very special Tournament. The eighteen most prolific Jeopardy! champions competed in a three--team contest captained by six of the biggest money winners in the show’s history. Each team captain drafts two additional players for their team with one player on the team competing in the first round, another team member plays Double Jeopardy, with the third team member in Final Jeopardy. In January 2020, Jeopardy! staged a Greatest of All Time tournament between their three top money winners--Ken Jennings, Brad Rutter and James Holzhauer. It aired in prime time on ABC.

Alex Trebek passed away on November 8, 2020 of pancreatic cancer. A series of interim hosts will fill in until a permanent replacement is announced. Ken Jennings became the first on the January 11, 2021 show. Trebek's remaining first run shows aired to January 8, 2021, interrupted during Christmas and New Year's weeks with "Best of Alex" shows. Katie Couric, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Bill Whitaker and Mayim Bialik have also been tapped to guest host.

It was announced that with the start of season 38, executive producer Mike Richards would be the show's new permanent host. He is stepping down from the position in light of comments he had made on a 2012 podcast and his treatment of some models while executive producer of The Price Is Right. Richards taped the first week of the new season. Mayim Bialik will host primetime specials as well as the regular show up to November, sharing duties with Ken Jennings.

Seasons

Season  Premiere Finale #
Syndication
Season One September 10, 1984 June 7, 1985 195
Season Two September 9, 1985 June 6, 1986 195
Season Three September 1, 1986 July 17, 1987 230
Season Four September 7, 1987 July 22, 1988 230
Season Five September 5, 1988 July 21, 1989 230
Season Six September 4, 1989 July 20, 1990 230
Season Seven September 3, 1990 July 19, 1991 230
Season Eight September 2, 1991 July 17, 1992 230
Season Nine September 7, 1992 July 23, 1993 230
Season Ten September 6, 1993 July 22, 1994 230
Season Eleven September 5, 1994 July 21, 1995 230
Season Twelve September 4, 1995 July 19, 1996 230
Season Thirteen September 2, 1996 July 18, 1997 230
Season Fourteen September 1, 1997 July 17, 1998 230
Season Fifteen September 7, 1998 July 23, 1999 230
Season Sixteen September 6, 1999 July 21, 2000 230
Season Seventeen September 4, 2000 July 20, 2001 230
Season Eighteen September 3, 2001 July 19, 2002 230
Season Nineteen September 2, 2002 July 18, 2003 230
Season Twenty September 8, 2003 July 23, 2004 230
Season Twenty-One September 6, 2004 July 22, 2005 230
Season Twenty-Two September 12, 2005 July 28, 2006 230
Season Twenty-Three September 11, 2006 July 27, 2007 230
Season Twenty-Four September 10, 2007 July 25, 2008 230
Season Twenty-Five September 8, 2008 July 24, 2009 230
Season Twenty-Six September 14, 2009 July 30, 2010 230
Season Twenty-Seven September 13, 2010 July 29, 2011 230
Season Twenty-Eight September 19, 2011 August 3, 2012 230
Season Twenty-Nine September 17, 2012 August 2, 2013 230
Season Thirty September 16, 2013 August 1, 2014 230
Season Thirty-One September 15, 2014 July 31, 2015 230
Season Thirty-Two September 14, 2015 July 29, 2016 230
Season Thirty-Three September 12, 2016 July 28, 2017 230
Season Thirty-Four September 11, 2017 July 27, 2018 230
Season Thirty-Five September 10, 2018 July 26, 2019 230
Season Thirty-Six September 9, 2019 June 12, 2020 190
Season Thirty-Seven September 14, 2020 August 13, 2021 230
Season Thirty-Eight September 13, 2021 July 29, 2022 230
Season Thirty-Nine September 12, 2022 July 28, 2023 230
Season Forty September 11, 2023 July 26, 2024 230
Season Forty-One September 9, 2024 — —
Season Forty-Two September 2025 — —
Season Forty-Three September 2026 — —
Season Forty-Four September 2027 — —

Network Tournaments

The following are tournaments that aired on network television during the run of this syndicated version of Jeopardy!

In Depth

  • At a Glance: Additional information about the series
  • Stations: A list of stations airing the series.
  • Tournaments and Events: Information on the various tournaments and events featured on the series
  • Stats: A list of statistics and records pertaining to the series

DVD Releases

Title Release Discs
Episode Collections  (Region 1)
An Inside Look at America's Favorite Quiz Show November 8, 2005 purchase 1

External Sites

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