Celebrity Jeopardy
From LoveToKnow Celebrity
While the game show Jeopardy! first aired in 1964, the first Celebrity Jeopardy! edition wasn't broadcast until 1993.
History
Jeopardy! was created by Merv Griffin, who also developed Wheel of Fortune. The show began in 1964, moved to syndication until 1975, and then made a return in 1978. Alex Trebek took on hosting duties of the syndicated game show in 1984. The popular trivia show started its twenty-third season in September 2006 and ranks among the top-rated syndicated shows.
Griffin’s quiz show format came on the heels of the game show scandals of the 1950s, when producers would rig the shows to give contestants the answers. Networks were not thrilled by the quiz show concept, but Griffin pitched a spin on the traditional format by giving the clues in the form of answers. Contestants were expected to give responses in the form of questions.
Trivia categories vary from show to show, but there are three contestants who solve the clues on the game board. Jeopardy! consists of three rounds; the first is called “Jeopardy,” the second is known as “Double Jeopardy,” and the final round is “Final Jeopardy.”
Celebrity Tournament
In 1993, the first Celebrity Jeopardy! competition featured Carol Burnett, Regis Philbin, and Donna Mills. Burnett won the first tournament, with the week’s winning honor going to Cheech Marin.
The weeklong celebrity tournament features three different celebrities each day, competing for the charity (or charities) of their choice. Each is awarded a minimum dollar value as their winnings, regardless of their placement in the competition. The week’s winner is given an additional bonus. This amount has varied over the years, but recently, celebrities received $25,000 for their charity, with the week’s winner receiving $50,000.
The rounds of "Jeopardy," "Double Jeopardy," and "Final Jeopardy" still stand for the celebrity edition. Game play is very similar, with clues given in the form of an answer. In a traditional Jeopardy! game, contestants with a zero or negative score can not play the Final Jeopardy round, but Celebrity Jeopardy contestants all play. Those with zero or negative scores are given a small amount to wager for the final round.
Celebrity tournaments typically air for one week each year, although there have been seasons where more than one week of celebrity shows were broadcast.
Saturday Night Live Parody
Celebrity Jeopardy has often been parodied on Saturday Night Live. Will Ferrell plays host Alex Trebek, with a number of cast members and guest hosts playing the roles of other celebrities. Most often, Darrell Hammond plays Sean Connery as a nemesis to Trebek. The parody pokes fun at celebrities who participate by featuring significantly dumbed-down categories and clues. The celebrities are shown having great difficulty answering even the easiest clues, with humorous results. Trebek appeared on Ferrell’s final episode of SNL as himself.
2006 Celebrity Jeopardy
The most recent celebrity lineup celebrated Jeopardy!’s 5,000 episode. The celebrity tournament was held over two weeks and taped at Radio City Music Hall in New York City in October 2006. Thirty stars were involved, raising over a million dollars for charity. Participants included:
- James Denton, Desperate Housewives
- Mario Cantone, Sex and the City
- Joely Fisher, ‘Til Death
- Nancy Grace, Headline News
- Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother
- Drew Lachey, Dancing With the Stars
- Christopher Meloni, Law & Order: SVU
- Isaac Mizrahi, fashion designer
- Soledad O’Brien, American Morning
- Regis Philbin, Live with Regis and Kelly
- Curt Schilling, Boston Red Sox pitcher
- Paul Shaffer, The Late Show with David Letterman
- Martin Short, actor and comedian
- And many others
Facts
- TV Guide ranked Jeopardy! number two on their list of "50 Greatest Game Shows of All Time" in 2001.
- Jeopardy! won its 11th Daytime Emmy for best game show in 2006.
- Ken Jennings appeared seventy-four times and won over $2.5 million, becoming a game show record breaker.
- Regis Philbin has appeared three times on Celebrity Jeopardy!, more than any other person.
- Rachael Ray, television host and author, was supposed to appear in the 2006 tournament, but did not play. Harry Smith appeared in her place.
- Celebrity Jeopardy! is seen as a regular skit on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
Learn More
This page has been accessed 1,194 times. This page was last modified 00:52, 22 July 2008.
© 2006-2008 LoveToKnow Corp.
