The Quiz Show Scandal, or Why Jeopardy! is Played Backwards
Some perspective on why Alex Trebek makes contestants answer in question form
Abstract: The game show Jeopardy! was shaped by a scandal that had destroyed America’s trust in all quiz shows. Everything that seems counter-intuitive about it is there for good reason. It may not have ever been made otherwise.
Ah, Jeopardy! The nerdy little quiz show that just won’t quit. The game where your most valuable resource is your mind. The pace is lightning quick, there’s no multiple choice, and there’s no phoning a friend.
In the words of Ken Jennings, the show’s biggest winner-to-date:
Jeopardy! is an oddity, beamed into your home every night from an eggheaded, alternate-reality America where television never dumbed down.
But there’s that one thing, though. The thing where every clue has to be answered is in the form of a question. Like “What is Albania?” or “Who is Anne Boleyn?” Ever wonder what’s up with that?
Well, to get to the bottom of it, we’ve got to go way back. Back before the Alex Trebek reboot of Jeopardy! in the ’80s. Even back before Art Fleming hosted the show when it first aired in the ‘60s.
