History Trivia / Jeopardy

** Trebek was a producer for first three years he hosted the revival. He even came up with the tournament format entirely on his own.

* LifeImitatesArt: After winning 2002's Million Dollar Masters tournament, Brad Rutter took a page from Alex Trebek's playbook and became a game show host of his own, on the regional Pennsylvania quiz bowl series ''Inquizitive with Brad Rutter'', and was introduced as a TV quiz show host during 2005's Ultimate Tournament of Champions. He has also been informally suggested by some fans as a candidate to replace Alex on ''Jeopardy!'' when the time comes.

** ''Saturday Night Live'''s popular ''Celebrity Jeopardy!'' sketches always featured an inaccurate board layout, with four clues in each, rather than five. When ''Sports Jeopardy!'' premiered in 2014, it too only had four clues a category, though in this case, any similarity to SNL is likely coincidental (especially with different clue values, and one less category than SNL's ''seven''.)

** ''Rock and Roll Jeopardy!'' host Jeff Probst appeared on the regular ''Jeopardy!'' as a celebrity contestant twice, losing to Joshua Malina in a runaway in 2001 (during ''R&R J!'''s final season) and to Martha Stewart in a closer 2003 episode. He also provided at least one category's worth of video clues in each year from seasons 18-24, though typically in a ''Survivor'' context.

** Season 37 seven-time champion shares his name with another contestant who played 11 years prior.

** Detroit NBC affiliate WDIV-TV often prioritizes ''Jeopardy!'' over all of their other programming, even NBC network shows at times. Any time the 7:30 PM slot is pre-empted (including when Thursday Night Football aired on NBC, and during the Summer and Winter Olympics for pre-show ''The Olympic Zone''), ''Jeopardy!'' moves to 7:00 PM, pre-empting ''Wheel of Fortune''. At least once, this even happened on a day where ''Wheel'' had a contestant from Detroit. There were also at least two instances of WDIV airing ''Jeopardy!'' in primetime slots, pre-empting the NBC network feed. At one point in May 2019, during James Holzhauer's run, WDIV aired a one-hour local special at 7:00 and aired ''Wheel'' and ''Jeopardy!'' at 8:00 and 8:30 PM, pre-empting a new episode of ''Series/TheBlacklist''. In May 2022, when a speech from President Joe Biden pre-empted most of ''Jeopardy!'s'' slot, WDIV ran the show in its entirety following the speech, pre-empting about half of a repeat of ''Series/LawAndOrder''.

** Although a rotating selection of Trebek-era episodes were available for streaming on Netflix and Hulu starting in 2018, they were removed in Summer 2021, and there is no word if the show will ever return to either service. Currently, no episodes of ''Jeopardy!'' are legally available for streaming, although this will likely change once ''Jeopardy! National College Championship'' premieres in 2022.

** Then on July 11, 2022, streaming service [=PlutoTV=] [[https://www.vulture.com/2022/07/pluto-tv-streaming-jeopardy-wheel-of-fortune-24-7.html announced]] a channel featuring classic episodes will launch on August 1. It is currently not known which episodes will start airing.

** Then a major rule change implied this in Season 31, the first after Sony's hacking incident. After four shows where co-champions were crowned, [[ExecutiveMeddling the show axed the co-champion rule]]. Instead of the tied players returning the following day with the same amount of winnings, all ties are now decided with a tie-breaker clue. The winner keeps their bank and plays on while the loser [[SecondPlaceIsForLosers goes home with $2,000]]. Many fans qualified it as this trope, seeing it as a cheap way to save money in the wake of the Sony hacking incident, considering that the co-champion rule worked well since the original Fleming version and up to the Trebek version's first 30 years.

** In 2015, [=YouTube=] channel gr18vidz uploaded a video called "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9g3--WYH8SY Jeffpardy]]", in which all names, clues, and responses are dubbed over by the contestants and Alex saying the name "Jeff". This has been acknowledged twice:

** All of the 2021 guest hosts, except for Mayim and Ken, have not been acknowledged or reran since their stints. This isn't helped by Levar Burton publicly stating that he was no longer interested in hosting the show (guest or otherwise), despite his popularity.

** All of the 2021 guest hosts, except for Mayim and Ken, have not been acknowledged or reran since their stints. This isn't helped by Levar Burton publicly stating that he was no longer interested in hosting the show (guest or otherwise), despite his popularity. While ''Jeopardy!'s'' daytime and weekend runs have almost-always been episodes from the previous season (guaranteeing that nearly every episode would rerun at least once), they are now forced to air episodes from the ''current'' season in order to have them only feature games hosted by Mayim or Ken, or special events (including the half-hour syndicated edits of ''Jeopardy!: Greatest of All Time'', the only games hosted by Trebek to have aired in the daytime run this season). ''Daytime Jeopardy!'' can now be as recent as episodes from ''one month ago'', rather than a year ago. Even the first 75 episodes of Season 37 hosted by Trebek before his death have not been rerun in either rotation.

* DistancedFromCurrentEvents: On March 4, 2022, a clue made reference to the now-troubled border between Russia and Ukraine. A disclaimer showing the episode's tape date of January 11, 2022 was displayed while the clue was in play.

** In May 2022, ABC picked up a primetime version of ''Celebrity Jeopardy!'' to air alongside the third season of ''Celebrity Wheel of Fortune''. Its intended timeslot will be Sunday nights at 8:00 pm in the fall, against ''Sunday Night Football'' on NBC and part of ''Series/SixtyMinutes'' if following NFL on CBS.

** In May 2022, ABC picked up a primetime version of ''Celebrity Jeopardy!'' to air alongside the third season of ''Celebrity Wheel of Fortune''. Its intended timeslot will be Sunday nights at 8:00 pm in the fall, against ''Sunday Night Football'' on NBC and part of ''Series/SixtyMinutes'' if following NFL on that network.

* FridayNightDeathSlot: In an aversion during seasons 17-18, 21, 23, 25, 27-29 and 33, many of ''Jeopardy!''s traditional two-week tournaments would begin on a Wednesday and end on a Tuesday two weeks later (starting with the November 2000 College Championship), rather than the usual scheduling of two full, self-contained weeks of tournament play from Monday of one week to Friday of the next. While this often occurs in November to avoid conflicting with the US presidential election and Thanksgiving-related pre-emptions, this can also allow tournament finals to take place on a Monday and Tuesday, which traditionally get bigger television audiences than Thursdays and Fridays. After over three seasons of typical tournament scheduling, ''Jeopardy!'' brought back a Wednesday-Tuesday format for November 2016's Teen Tournament.

* RoleEndingMisdemeanor: Mike Richards resigned from being the full-time new host just a week after he was officially announced to be taking the job. His selection as host was almost uniformly rejected by fans amid allegations that he perverted the host selection process to give himself the job, so after sexist behavior during his time on ''Series/ThePriceIsRight'', including a lawsuit over demeaning comments and harassments toward the show's models as well as provocative statements he made on his old podcast ''The Randumb Show'' were brought to light, it was game over. He was fired from the show (as well as ''Series/WheelOfFortune'') entirely just another week later. Ken Jennings was also said to have lost his chance to become the new host, despite being an incredibly popular choice, due to controversial statements he'd made on Twitter, as well as his association with John Roderick, who at the time of Jennings' guest hosting tenure was involved in a social media controversy as "Bean Dad". However, that hasn't stopped them from bringing Jennings back as a substitute host starting in November 2021.

** A clue in a video games category on October 7, 2019 fell victim to a hoax image on Twitter claiming that the pieces in ''VideoGame/{{Tetris}}'' have such names as "Orange Ricky" and "Smashboy". Officially, the pieces are named after the letters they resemble.

** Averted with the Greatest Of All Time tournament. The first three episodes aired from Tuesday to Thursday the week of January 7nd, 2020, and any remaining episodes would air starting the following Tuesday.

* FanNickname:
** Some of the sets have specific nicknames coined by fans (with the first set usually just being called "the original", lacking any distinct nicknames):
*** 1991-1996: The "Grid" set, named due to its heavy use of grid aesthetics
*** 1996-2002: The "Sushi Bar" set, named for its overall wooden and window-heavy aesthetic that looks a bit like a sushi bar
*** 2002-2009: The "Metallic" set, which makes heavy use of more shiny and metallic fixtures
*** 2009-2013: The "CES" set, due to this one debuting at the Consumer Electronics Show and becoming permanent afterwards
*** 2013-Present: The "30th Anniversary" set, named after the MilestoneCelebration this set first debuted on
** Fans have coined various techniques associated with the show, mostly applying to wagers in Final Jeopardy!. [[http://www.j-archive.com/help.php J! Archive]] has a glossary.

** The contestant coordinator hosts "rehearsal games", recorded under actual taping conditions and designed to let the contestants "warm up" on clues taken from past episodes. For the first Trebek season (1984-85), the role was filled by former ''Series/{{Starcade}}'' host [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkYzUosREpk Mark Richards]] and the clues were primarily from the 1983 pilot; coincidentally, Richards got the job for ''Starcade'' after Trebek became busy with ''Series/{{Battlestars}}'' following a trio of pilots...which means that in another universe Richards is a legend, Trebek is a semi-remembered host whose career began fizzling out after ''High Rollers'', and [[Series/TreasureHuntUS Geoff]] [[Series/{{Jackpot}} Edwards]] never played a single video game. The horror!

** Only one Tournament of Champions winner has been absent from every later "best-of" tournament on ''Jeopardy!'': 1985 winner Jerry Frankel, though this is sadly due to his death from AIDS in 1987. Similarly, Richard Kaplan, who won $73,202 in his 5 day reign in 1992, also died of AIDS not long after his TOC run (and, rather sweetly, [[http://24.99.222.151:591/FMRes/FMPro?-db=search%20the%20quilt.fp5&-sortfield=block%20number&PMDB%20Online%3a%3aPanel%20Listing=richard%20kaplan&-format=ZFormVw.htm&-lay=Large%20Display&-max=1&-skip=0&-token=25&-find his AIDS quilt panel pays subtle tribute to his "Jeopardy!" appearance]]), making him the highest earning regular player that was absent from 2005's Ultimate Tournament of Champions. Would either have held their own against ''Jeopardy!'' greats of later seasons?
** Jack Lechner, a 4-day champion from 1988, came tantalizingly close to an unbelievable one-game score of $42,500 (''$85,000'' inflated) during his runaway third victory, after picking up $12,000 in the Daily Doubles in Double Jeopardy! ($8,000 of which came on the second) and wagering $15,000 in Final Jeopardy! However, Jack missed the Final clue, dropping him to only $12,500. Until James Holzhauer came along, Lechner's total would have been #1 today when adjusting for inflation, and assuming he still won 4 games, would have earned enough to qualify for the 1989 TOC.
** As every Tournament of Champions qualifying period is different, there are many TOC fields where a high earning 3- or 4-day champion (and potential strong contender) will miss the cut, where they would have been slam dunks to make the event in other years. Notably, Jason Parker won $59,800 as a 4-day champion in 2000, but did so in a qualifying period with ''16'' 5 day champions, shutting him out of the 2001 TOC. Another high earning absentee: Matt Handel, who set a record for winnings by a 3-day champion with $63,801 (''$127,602'' inflated) in September 1994, which was higher than ''eight'' of that year's TOC's 12 regular play qualifiers. However, the 1994 TOC had no room for a 3-day champion.
** This comes up often for the Jeopardy!'s reunion tournaments, where dream matchups might not get made due to how matchups are scheduled, contestant eliminations, or returning contestant availability. For example, imagine if Frank Spangenberg had made the Ultimate Tournament of Champions final with Ken and Brad in 2005 instead of Jerome Vered? Or, would Frank have won 1993's Tenth Anniversary Tournament had the random contestant drawings for each season swung a different way?
** In ''Jeopardy!'' tournaments, there is always an alternate contestant for each round in the event of an emergency that prevents a regular contestant from competing (in the quarterfinals, it's typically the winningest contestant in the qualifying period that missed the TOC field, while in later rounds, it's the contestant with the highest score from the prior round that didn't advance.) Such a replacement has never been needed, but what if it was? For example, 2014 20 day champion Julia Collins was battling the flu during that year's Tournament of Champions, but played on and made the finals. Had she have dropped out prior to any of the three rounds, her replacement would have been either Mike Lewis, Rani Peffer, or Terry O'Shea.
** Most living upper-level contestants from Jeopardy!'s first 5 seasons were invited to their special ''Super Jeopardy!'' tournament on ABC in 1990, but notable absences included 1986 TOC finalist Marvin Shinkman, eventual 1990 TOC finalists Steve Berman and Larry Mcknight, and notable regular play contestants like Paul Boymel, Richard Cordray, Roy Holliday, and John Ryan. Given the unique rules and formatting of this event, would any of them had taken advantage to make a long run?
** With more 5-day champions than available slots in the qualifying period for the 2001 Tournament of Champions, the last two (Mark Dawson and Alan Bailey) were held over for the 2003 event, but also served as alternates for the 2001 TOC due to uncertainty over travel restrictions for competitors in the wake of the September 11th attacks. If needed to fill in, how would either have done in the 2001 field? Mark won the 2003 TOC, but would he have been similarly successful against the likes of Brad Rutter and Pam Mueller in 2001? Also, had he not have been in the 2003 field, would runner-up Brian Weikle (the then-one day winnings record holder) have won the tournament instead?
*** September 2001 4-day champion Ramsey Campbell won $49,201 in his pre-doubled reign (including $20,000 in his debut), which came in the period between the filling out of the 2001 TOC field in July and when that TOC was held in October. In qualifying periods this packed, ''Jeopardy!'' rules only guarantee surfeit 5 timers (in this case, Dawson and Bailey) a slot for the next TOC, even though Campbell's score (adjusted for inflation) was higher than all 4 timers in the 2003 TOC field. How would Ramsey have done in the 2003 TOC had he been carried over too?
** 2002's Million Dollar Masters tournament featured 15 4+ day champions or tournament winners from the show's first 17 seasons, and while all were at least Tournament of Champions semifinalists, memorable and fan favourite contestants gained precedence over show results. Notably, 1998 TOC winner Dan Melia wasn't in the field, despite defeating ''two'' of the Million Dollar Masters competitors (Bob Harris and Claudia Perry) in his TOC run. How would the tournament had played out had Jeopardy! invited contestants based on their winnings?

*** To be invited to the UTOC, competitors must have won a Jeopardy! tournament or 5 games, with regular-play contestants invited in order by earnings in their original championship reigns. As a result, 5 day champions that earned less than the eventual cutoff of $48,401 ($96,802 inflated) were not invited to compete unless they won a TOC, nor were 4 day champions. How would the tournament had went if contestants were invited based on prior tournament success?

*** Also from 2006, 5 day champion (and TOC semifinalist) Bob Mesko's last 2 wins came after he was invited back to the show three months after his original loss due to a poorly worded Daily Double. Had he lost without issue, or had producers chose not to bring back, his 3 day score would not have been enough to qualify for the 2006 TOC, and 2005 3 day champion Bud Humphrey would have qualified in his place.

** 2014's Battle of the Decades tournament featured fan favourite voting for one contestant from each decade out of 15 candidates. Among the losing candidates: Tournament of Champions finalists Eugene Finerman, Michael Daunt, and Brian Weikle, as well as Catherine Ramen (who competed on Jeopardy! as ''Fred'' Ramen before coming out as transgender.) How would the tournament have played out if they had won the fan vote? Also, notable past Jeopardy! champions like Bob Blake, John Cuthbertson, Jason Keller, David Madden, Chris Miller, Eric Newhouse, Bruce Seymour, and David Siegel weren't in the field in any form, but would any of them made a deep run?
** Due to the Sony Pictures Entertainment hack in November 2014 and its potential impact on their annual online testing, ''Jeopardy!'' did not hold the College Championship in the 2014-15 season. This opened up an extra slot for the 2015 TOC that was filled by 3 day champion Michael Bilow, who became the first 3 day champ to qualify for a TOC since 2007. Would a hypothetical College Champion in season 31 have made a run in that event in Michael's place?
** Despite battling stage IV colon cancer, a fever, and a blood infection, the late Cindy Stowell won over $100,000 as a 6 day champion in games that aired in December 2016 (sadly airing just over ''one week'' following her death.) Given the medical difficulties that she dealt with while on the show, the fact that she became a super-champion is remarkable, but would she have won even more had she competed on ''Jeopardy!'' healthy? Also, how well would Cindy have done had she lived long enough to compete in the 2017 Tournament of Champions?
** Since the 5-day winning limit was abolished, there have been two cases of defending champions at the end of a Tournament of Champions qualifying period that would have qualified for that TOC, rather than the one afterwards, had they lost the last game beforehand (Ken Jennings in 2004 and Joshua Brakhage in 2013.) Had either done so, Tom Baker and Dan [=McShane=] would have been eliminated from the 2004 and 2013 fields respectively, and 4 day champion Mike Lewis (who won ''$102,800'' as a 4 day champion in a tough qualifying period) would have made the 2014 TOC in Joshua's place.
*** Conversely, had Paul Glaser won his sixth game just prior to the beginning of the 2007 TOC, he'd have been held over to the 2009 field. If this has occurred, 3 day champion Julie Dunlevy would have qualified for the 2007 TOC in his place, and 4 day champion Deborah Fitzgerald would have missed the 2009 TOC.

** Brayden Smith, a 24 year old, 5 day champion who earned $115,000, noted as Alex Trebek’s “last great champion,” and nicknamed Billy Buzzsaw by Alex for his quick hand on the buzzer, died February 5, 2021 due to complications from surgery. Brayden was on the show during the last week of Alex's shows and was scheduled to be in the 2021 Tournament of Champions, and he also lost to Zach Newkirk in regular play (Zach was originally on the show in 2020 as champion before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down production). It is unknown how far Brayden would have gone if not for Zach returning or how well he would have done in the tournament.

* HypotheticalCasting: In two separate interviews, Alex listed Alex Faust, Laura Coates and [[Creator/TurnerClassicMovies Ben Mankiewicz]] as names he thought would be good at hosting. None were chosen for the Season 37 guest host rotation.

* HypotheticalCasting: In his autobiography, Alex listed Alex Faust, Laura Coates and Ben Mankiewicz as names to succeed him. Neither was chosen for the Season 37 guest host rotation.