Jeopardy!

So-do-so-do-do-so-do-so. These eight notes ring out across America as regularly as church bells. However, instead of calling parishioners to worship, they invite television viewers to “think,” the name creator Merv Griffin gave to the thirty-second ditty that counts down to the final Jeopardy! question of the evening. How much will the contestants wager? And will they be able to dredge up the correct question from the recesses of their minds during that terrifying thirty seconds? 

 

Approximately ten million Americans  push away from the dinner table each night in time to settle down in front of the television with a cup of coffee or a slice of pie, ready to exercise their brain cells in the pursuit of trivia. It’s hard to remember that Jeopardy! was actually cancelled many years ago, since it’s now such a staple of American life. When Griffin was attempting to revive the game show in 1983, he wanted its original host, Art Fleming, to return, but he declined, and Fleming’s friend Alex Trebek got the gig. While no longer interested in hosting the show, Fleming did express his opinion about the reincarnation, suggesting the writers were making the questions too easy by inserting hints. Hasn’t helped me too much!

 

I was surprised to learn that 150,000 people take Jeopardy’s contestant test each year, known to be quite the challenge to their brainpower. Considering there are only about four hundred annual slots for contestants, those are not very good odds. I’ve decided to pass on the opportunity to apply – while I often know the answers, I’m not quick enough to retrieve the needed fact before the contestants buzz in.

 

Nearly four decades after Trebek took the reins of Jeopardy, his death on November 8, 2020, left its producers with a tough decision: who could possibly replace the iconic host? He was the Jeopardy franchise. He had hosted for thirty-seven years. Would viewers accept a new host in place of Trebek? 

 

The question is getting good traction, but not nearly as much as the monster television question of 1980, “Who shot J.R.?” Eighty-three million viewers tuned in for the answer to that question on the Dallas episode that aired eight months after the bullets left his sister-in-law’s gun. And yes, had I been given that answer on Jeopardy!, I would not have known the question. Google it, Barbara!

 

While it’s not as much of a cliff-hanger as Dallas created, the strategy to choose a replacement for Trebek is brilliant. Introduce a number of guest hosts, let them audition for a week or two on the show, and create new energy for a game show often thought of as an after-dinner gathering of the old folks at home. Jeopardy! is good for keeping those aging brain cells active, so it is popular with the older generation, but people of all ages tune in to test their skills against the week’s contestants, certain they could succeed too if given the chance.

 

So far, the hosts have spanned the spectrum of “show business.” Ken Jennings is a homegrown Jeopardy favorite, the winningest contestant ever, while Mike Richards is a long-time executive producer of the show. Katie Couric and Anderson Cooper come from the world of news, with Couric the first-ever female host. Dr. Oz raised some eyebrows as to credibility, while NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers displayed his expertise at studying playbooks, calling audibles, and being good on his feet. Now, by popular demand, LeVar Burton has garnered an invitation too. The long-time Reading Rainbow host and actor (Roots, Star Trek: The Next Generation), will appear July 26-30. 

 

This season of Jeopardy! is a precious microcosm of life. The grief of loss, the realization that change is inevitable, the comfort of routine, the challenge to think, the joy of catching up with old friends like Jennings, the chance to explore new possibilities, and the anticipation of waiting for what is to come – it’s all there. So cue up the music, grab a slice of pie from the Lyn-Way and some Goldberry coffee, and settle in to hear Johnny Gilbert welcome us home. “And now, here is the host of Jeopardy! . . .”