Are you a Jeopardy! junkie? Do you tune in religiously to see how folks from around the country will perform under pressure and how wide their knowledge is?
I know I do! I love shouting along as Alex Trebek hosts the iconic show, and I’m always excited to see what the categories will be for the night.
Well, if you’ve ever wanted to take a really deep dive – and I mean really deep – into the show’s quizology, you need to check out a website called the J! Archive. Some diehard Jeopardy! fans created the website, which, as of today, contains a total of 384,440 questions from 36 seasons of the incredibly popular game show. The archive dates back to when Alex Trebek started hosting the show in 1984.
The website was founded 15 years ago by a patent attorney named Robert Schmidt. Since then, Schmidt has had help updating the J! Archive from a small group of hardcore fans of the show.
One of the people involved in the site is a man named Mark Barrett who has spent countless hours watching old VHS tapes of past Jeopardy! episodes in order to update the site (and, we assume, because he likes to). Barrett said that he has about 150 episodes that he taped to go through, but that there could be as many as 1,400 episodes worth of questions that need to be cataloged and added to the site.
Alex Trebek has hosted the hit TV show Jeopardy! since 1984, and in those three-and-a-half decades, he’s become a beloved figure. His name and face are so synonymous with the television program, it’s hard to imagine anyone else hosting the show.
It was revealed last year that the 79-year-old Trebek has stage 4 pancreatic cancer, and since then the public has been rallying by his side and hoping for a happy outcome as he has gone through multiple rounds of chemotherapy.
Trebek has said he doesn’t have a particular date in mind for his exit from Jeopardy!, but he added that when he leaves it will be “a significant moment for me, but I’ve kind of, in my mind, rehearsed it already. What I would do on that day is tell the director, ‘Time the show down to leave me 30 seconds at the end.’ That’s all I want.”
Trebek continued, “And I will say my goodbyes [and] I will tell people, ‘Don’t ask me who’s going to replace me because I have no say whatsoever. But I’m sure that if you give them the same love and attention, and respect that you have shown me…then they will be a success and the show will continue being a success. And until we meet again, God bless you and goodbye.’”
Here is the video of Trebek’s interview with Michael Strahan where he discusses his farewell.
We’re going to miss you, Mr. Trebek! Thanks for all the great entertainment throughout the years!
Alex Trebek has hosted the hit TV show Jeopardy! since 1984, and in those three-and-a-half decades, he’s become a beloved figure. His name and face are so synonymous with the television program, it’s hard to imagine anyone else hosting the show.
It was revealed last year that the 79-year-old Trebek has stage 4 pancreatic cancer, and since then the public has been rallying by his side and hoping for a happy outcome as he has gone through multiple rounds of chemotherapy.
Trebek has said he doesn’t have a particular date in mind for his exit from Jeopardy!, but he added that when he leaves it will be “a significant moment for me, but I’ve kind of, in my mind, rehearsed it already. What I would do on that day is tell the director, ‘Time the show down to leave me 30 seconds at the end.’ That’s all I want.”
Trebek continued, “And I will say my goodbyes [and] I will tell people, ‘Don’t ask me who’s going to replace me because I have no say whatsoever. But I’m sure that if you give them the same love and attention, and respect that you have shown me…then they will be a success and the show will continue being a success. And until we meet again, God bless you and goodbye.’”
Here is the video of Trebek’s interview with Michael Strahan where he discusses his farewell.
We’re going to miss you, Mr. Trebek! Thanks for all the great entertainment throughout the years!
James Holzhauer dominated 10 single-day record totals as he won $2,462,216 over 33 appearances on Jeopardy!
His reign ended only because he used Final Jeopardy to finish with scores referencing his wedding anniversary, his daughter’s birthday and other important dates.
So, how did he do it?
Obviously, he knows a lo-ot of stuff. Outside of an excellent run in high school quiz bowl, he devours children’s books and Jeopardy! episodes. He has an extensive knowledge base covering many subjects…and that’s how you get on the show.
This is absolutely insane. I've always wanted to see someone try Jeopardy! wagering this way who had the skills to back it up. https://t.co/PYj6MDsXjs
According to The Ringer, it was Holzhauer’s speed at buzzer usage that put him on top. He apparently drilled with a homemade buzzer made of a mechanical pencil wrapped in masking tape, while wearing his Jeopardy! shoes in front of the TV.
Fellow record-holder Ken Jennings (74 straight games) said most contestants know the answers (questions, really) to the questions (answers, really), so buzzer speed is what it’s going to take to be the one who gets the money.
Another one of Holzhauer’s strengths was board control. He explained his method in this NPR article. What he would do was always start at the bottom with the highest value clues. Those answers would build up his account fast. After he got past a certain amount, he would start looking for the Daily Doubles. When he found one, he would wager everything he had.
James just passed $1,000,000 in Jeopardy! winnings, so we're launching the official James Tracker! Click here to follow his progress: bit.ly/James-Official-Tracker
Risky? Sure, but he had enough confidence to know that even if he lost everything, he could build it right back up. Such self assurance likely comes from how he makes his living–sports betting. Successful gamblers know they have to bet big to win big. It’s all in the strategy.
As Holzhauer told NPR, “All good professional gamblers are selectively aggressive. You need to pick your spots and bet big when you identify them.”
To him, winning over $2,000,000 is all a game to him. But it’s also work he finds supremely satisfying.
Terri says that the nerves conspired to make it hard to sleep or eat a good breakfast, which can lead to physical and mental exhaustion. The first episode, then, was her freshest – but as her adrenaline wore off and her nerves emerged, the second and third episodes were full of mistakes that wouldn’t have been made earlier in the day.
#12. You’ll beat yourself up afterward, no matter how many answers you got right.
“I was amused at first, but then I sort of wanted to scream. I worked my butt off to compete on one of the nerdiest TV shows that exists, and all you can focus on is what’s under my (high-necked, billowy) shirt? What does it take to rise above virtual catcalls? It didn’t taint the experience, by any means, but it was a side effect of putting myself on national TV that I didn’t expect.”
You have to take an online test (it’s only available once a year) and answer 50 questions in 15 minutes. They never reveal your score, but if you land above a certain percentage (people think 80-85%) you’re put into a pool. Names are drawn from the pool to complete the second step, which is an in-person audition.
Jeopardy! tapes 5 episodes in a day two days in a row, then takes a two-week break. Contestants spend the early morning filling out paperwork, getting your makeup done, and practicing your “fun facts” while casing the other contestants and doing practice rounds.
If you win the first episode you’re on, you have about 10 minutes to change your clothes and touch up your makeup before taping episode number two.
So yes, you need to pack more than one outfit.
#8. Studying how to wager will go a long way.
You’ll want to brush up on more than your category answers – it’s important to think about your wagering strategy as well.
Terri’s wager on this Double Jeopardy haunts her still (the video is below), so she recommends checking out a site like The Final Wager beforehand to avoid making mistakes that have been made.
#7. You don’t get much one-on-one time with Alex Trebek.
If you’re thinking about taking the online test just to see, Terri says go ahead!
“I stepped out of my box, got to share a special life event with my parents, and went home with a sick Jeopardy! baseball cap. …It was a thrilling rollercoaster that, in some ways, I still feel like I’m riding.”
Contestants fill out a huge form asking for personal information – vacation stories, how you met your significant other, etc and then producers probe deeper in search of the gem that might make you stand out.
“I felt like my stories were pretty mundane. During the audition, I remember people talking about owning pig farms, meeting spouses on airplanes, and having bizarre landscaping fails (Alex Trebek loves home improvement stories) and feeling thoroughly unimpressive in comparison.”
#4. You don’t know the questions or categories in advance.
There’s a false rumor that contestants are told in the greenroom what categories to expect, but Terri says that’s not true.
“Those babies are under lock and key – writers create six sets of questions for each week of shows, and then an outside company comes in to choose a question set at random before each episode airs.”
#3. It’s totally harder to play in person than at home on your couch.
The nerves make a lot of difference, and being on set doesn’t compare to answering every question right in your living room without an audience or Alex Trebek staring you down.
“You’re supposed to buzz in during the sweet spot after Alex Trebek finishes reading a clue, but before lights on the side of the game board flash. But actively trying to do that while thinking of the correct answer and remembering to phrase it as a question is a tricky little game in itself. Add in the glare of the studio lights and the invisible pressure of your family in the audience? Forget about it.”
#2. You’ll be amazed at the facts lodged in your brain.
Terri didn’t revisit topics she felt confident about while prepping, choosing instead to “learn about operas, ancient gods, and poets” but in the moment, none of the unfamiliar topics came up.
“In the heat of the moment, what you actually remember is random shit you’ve unconsciously had stored away for years.”
You’ll need to file taxes in two states after winning (unless you live in California) which is time-consuming and frustrating (unless it’s your field of expertise). And, winning costs you.
“I got my winnings check three months after my episode aired, and that was already missing the 7% state of California withholding. Federal taxes took another 30% of the winnings. Again, not complaining, but it’s worth knowing if you think winning a million dollars means you can accurately call yourself a millionaire.”
I’d still take my chances for some extra cash – how about you?
In 1967 a man appeared on Jeopardy! intending to win just enough money to buy an engagement ring. He won that amount halfway through and kept his mouth shut from there on. To prevent a recurrence, the rules were changed shortly thereafter, allowing only the winner to keep all his/her winnings. 00
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