Earlier this season, the writers in Hollywood went on strike, putting every show on television in limbo. This was not limited to dramas and comedies; talk shows and game shows were impacted as well from the lack of new content. The venerable game show Jeopardy! was not immune to the work stoppage. The producers of the show were faced with the conundrum: do we show interminable reruns or do we bring on new contestants and use recycled clues? They eventually found a third alternative: they brought back former One, Two, and Three Day Champions from Seasons 37 and 38 in the brand-new Jeopardy! Champions Wild Card Tournament. To avert any semblance of strikebreaking, they used clues from the archive that had ostensibly never been used before. I am fortunate to have been one of the Champions that got invited to the Tournament (I won in April OF 2021).
Every Jeopardy! Champion eventually loses, either to a superior opponent, a less than ideal pair of Boards with Categories that confound, or a combination of the two. Unless you qualify for the annual Tournament of Champions (by winning four Consecutive games), the ecstasy of winning is eventually tempered by the realization that you will never again be able to play the game you love and spent your life trying to get on. It’s a finality that is almost like death—permanent. That’s why in late-summer, when my phone rang and the caller ID showed that it was one of the contestant coordinators from Jeopardy!, I felt like a Death Row convict getting a stay of execution. I was really going to get another chance at something most players can only dream about—going back to the Alex Trebek Stage to compete! Only this time, the stakes were much higher as I was guaranteed to play against two other former Champions for a chance at entry into the next Tournament of Champions.
I was thrilled for the opportunity for so many reasons. So few of us get to play once on the show; still fewer become Champions, and a miniscule amount of us get invited back. Regardless of the outcome, I knew that I would be part of a small but elite group; even smaller when you consider that this Wild Card format was essentially four separate tournaments, each designated with one of the Suits from a deck of cards. I am one of the Diamonds and let me tell you my fellow cohorts really shine in so many ways. I had the pleasure of playing in the Second Quarterfinal game and while I did not win, there was no shame in losing to my two opponents. While the end result didn’t bear it out, statistically, I played a very strong game; I was first on the buzzer more times than my two opponents and had the most correct responses (17). However, when you factor in that I also had the most incorrect responses (7, including a Daily Double and Final Jeopardy) and that clues have varying values to them, it makes sense that I lost. Ironically, I had more fun this time around.
I was one of the Covid Era/Guest Host era Champions and my first experience was diminished by the lack of a studio audience and the forced isolation of contestants backstage; no such thing this time.
Contestants watched the games together in the Green Room, cheering on our fellow Champions and experiencing the same highs and lows as whoever was on stage at the time. Having a studio audience provided a palpable energy to the studio and I got a thrill out of making them laugh between my banter with Host Ken Jennings and the way I said the name of a category (Stupid Proverbs) and some of my mannerisms in failure.
For those of you looking for a peek backstage of the show, here are a few nuggets for you (in no particular order):
- Up to 5 shows are taped in one day.
- Contestants are not given the Categories ahead of time (it is a felony to cheat on a game show; see the 1950s Quiz Show scandals)
- Each game’s contestants are chosen at random; in tournaments, this also includes which Podium they are positioned at.
- The game is filmed in real time; only egregious errors cause filming to pause. The errors are quickly corrected and the game resumes.
- The Board you see at home is the Board that contestants read the clues from; viewers at home have the advantage of each clue filling the entire screen.
- There is a scoreboard to the left of the Board that allows contestants to see what the current scores are; this is why you’ll see players looking that way when they are deciding on their Daily Double wagers.
- Also not seen at home is a set of blue lights to either side of the Board. These lights indicate when the signaling device is active.
- The signaling device is the key to winning the game. You may only ring in when they are active; if you ring in too early, you are locked out for ¼ of a second. In a game where speed and accuracy are paramount, this can be an eternity.
I will cherish my Jeopardy! experience for the rest of my life. I will always hold tremendous memories and have a whole host of new friends. And as always, I will never lose the title of Jeopardy! Champion. That alone makes all of this worth it.
