Jeopardy!

Jeopardy! is a long-running game show currently airing on ABC that is hosted by Alex Trebek and well known for its popular count down ditty and theme song. Jeopardy! first went on the air on NBC in 1964 with host Art Fleming. Since then, it has been through many incantations, the most famous being the current one on ABC. Unlike other quiz shows, Jeopardy! gives the contestants the answers and they must come up with the questions. How the contestants phrase their questions is very important, and a group of judges are on hand for every episode to judge both the validity and the phraseology of everything the contestants say. Categories for the clues vary and some past topics have included literature, science, technology, film, and word play. In the first round, the contestants answer questions for cash values of $200, $400, $600, $800, and $1,000. In the second round, Double Jeopardy!, the cash prizes are doubled for each question. Contestants must wait for each answer to be read before they can buzz in to give their question. The first to buzz is given the first chance to win the cash prize allotted for that particular clue. Occasionally, contestants will choose a clue only to be chosen for a Daily Double instead. They are then the only contestant able to solve their clue, and they have to wager some of their winnings to be able to get the chance to speak. The last round of the game, Final Jeopardy!, consists of only one question. Like in the Daily Double, the contestants must wager some of their own winnings to play in this round. Jeopardy! has had many special events, such as Teen Tournament, College Championship, and Celebrity Jeopardy!. Winners of one game come back to compete in the next day's episode, and the show's most successful champion was Ken Jennings, who won seventy-four games in a row before being defeated by Nancy Zerg in 2004. Another famous champion was Eddie Timanus, the first blind contestant, in 1999. MORE