Fan of ‘Jeopardy’? See If You Could Pass the ‘Jeopardy’ Screening Test
Answer: This is TV’s most popular game show.
Question: What is Jeopardy!?
Merv Griffin’s clever idea was a winner from the start. The idea was simple: Instead of asking a question, give the answer and make the contestant identify the person, place, thing or idea. The game show debuted on March 30, 1964, filling an NBC daytime slot for almost 11 years, with host Art Fleming at the forefront. In 1974, a syndicated nighttime version of the show was introduced that ran for a year, followed by The All-New Jeopardy!, which ran weeknights on NBC from October 1978 to March 1979.
Announcer Don Pardo’s enthused introduction, “And here’s the star of Jeopardy!, Art Fleming,” gave personality to the cerebral Fleming — the holder of multiple college degrees and a voracious reader — who viewers trusted and loved as the game show’s first host. Fleming would turn down Griffin’s offer to come back and host the revival version of Jeopardy! in 1983, sharing that he didn’t like the direction of the new version and wasn’t happy that the show was moving from New York to Los Angeles. It was Fleming’s friend Alex Trebek who would take the show to its height of popularity, which we know today.
The unflappable Alex Trebek hosted Jeopardy! for a record-setting 37 years. He was the first host of the revival series that launched in 1984 and only missed one episode, on April Fools’ Day in 1997, when he swapped places with Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak. As the years went on, fans aged right along with the stoic intellect, appreciating his quick wit and trusted demeanor for his entire tenure. Despite losing his battle with pancreatic cancer at age 80 on Nov. 8, 2020, episodes featuring Trebek ran for an additional two months, with his final pre-taped episode airing on Jan. 8, 2021. The multiple Emmy winner and TV’s master of trivia will forever be remembered as one of the greatest game show hosts ever.
Now, if you’re a fan of Jeopardy! we’re sure you’ve given thought to whether or not you could make a run on the show as a contestant.
Remind 
Courtesy of Everett
Before September 2003, contestants could only win a maximum of five games, earning a guaranteed spot as a future tournament champion. That rule was eliminated with the show’s 20th season. That opened the door for Ken Jennings, who won 74 games straight in 2004, before he was defeated in Final Jeopardy! by Nancy Zerg. Ken, of course, went on to further Jeopardy! fame as the show’s current host.
To qualify for an audition on the show, fans must complete a 50-question online test that includes 50 clues from 50 different categories. Here are a few questions they use in the preview test (which can be taken at jeopardy.com) and in the actual game. How many can you answer?
TAKE THIS JEOPARDY! SCREENING TEST (scroll down for answers)
1. Category: ABBREVIATIONS
When going on a journey, your ETA is this.
2. Category: “D”-VIDE
Hot dog! In the 1980s, the mustard market splintered into three types: yellow, spicy brown and this one, like Grey Poupon.
3. Category: HOTELS
The Drake Hotel in this Midwestern city offers lovely views of Lake Michigan.
4. Category: IT HAPPENS EVERY YEAR
A band concert is a highlight of the celebration of this June holiday at the Betsy Ross House in Philadelphia.
5. Category: RHYME TIME
An excuse for betraying your government.
6. Category: AFRICAN-AMERICAN LIT
Works by this Nobel Prize winner include Song of Solomon and Beloved.
7. Category: COLORFUL TERMS
It’s the colorful term for a misleading clue in a murder mystery.
8. Category: WEBSITES
After a frustrating day of shoe shopping at the mall, Nick Swinmurn founded this website.
9. Category: LIKE A ROCK
A record of past performance; some people start over with a clean one.
10. Category: TV RERUNS
She was bottled in Baghdad some 2,000 years ago by the Blue Djinn.
JEOPARDY! TEST Answers:
1. Estimated time of arrival
2. Dijon
3. Chicago
4. Flag Day
5. Treason reason
6. Toni Morrison
7. Red herring
8. Zappos
9. Slate
10. Jeannie
Game Shows
November 2020
Enjoy trivia, giant crosswords, word sudoku, brainteasers and more all themed around your favorite TV game shows.
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