It’s been 59 years since “Jeopardy!” debuted. Though the popular quiz show has been around for nearly six decades, it’s only recently that “Jeopardy!” officially began celebrating its birthday.
Last year, Michael Davies – who served as the show’s executive producer after Sony fired Mike Richards in 2021 – announced the first “JeoparDAY” to celebrate the show’s 58th anniversary.
“‘Danger!’ was born on March 30, 1964 when the very first episode aired at 11:30 am on NBC,” Davies wrote in a message in the Deseret News last year. “Biological parents were Merv and Julann Griffin and Art Fleming was present. The NBC daytime version of the show (which ran until 1975) paved the way for the current syndicated program, which debuted in 1984. ‘Jeopardy!’ has never celebrated his birthday and we have decided to change that.”
Now the new annual tradition continues.
On March 30, “Danger!” encouraged fans to celebrate the show’s 59th birthday in a variety of ways — including trying out for the show and watching the late host Alex Trebek’s first ever “Jeopardy!” Follow on YouTube. The show also alluded to a “special announcement” about an upcoming episode of the Inside Jeopardy! podcast.
How to Audition for Jeopardy!
The online Jopardy! test program — the first step in getting into the quiz show — used to only be available once or twice a year. In March 2020, the show made the online test available year-round, the Deseret News reported.
“Danger!” encourages aspiring candidates to take the test on March 30th. The test can usually only be taken once in a one-year period, but the show lets all fans take the test regardless of when it was last taken, according to Jeopardy! Website.
“Danger!” donates $5.90 to the Alex Trebek Fund at Stand Up to Cancer for the first 10,000 tests. Trebek died of pancreatic cancer on November 8, 2020.
‘Danger!’ Host Ken Jennings shares tips for the ‘Jeopardy!’ online test
“Danger!” Host Ken Jennings previously shared some tips for taking the online test with the Deseret News. Below are some highlights from this interview.
- “If you’ve seen the show, you know the things you really need to know,” Jennings said in 2019. “There are only 45 presidents; There’s no reason not to spend some time studying the Presidents. Know their years, know their vice presidents, know their home states and first ladies. And capitals of the world, that’s kind of like the other big ones. Be able to know the capital for any country in the world. This is the best bang for your buck.”
He also recommended studying Shakespeare, Olympic cities, opera, orchestral conductors, constitutional amendments, and university cities.
The 50-question online test is fast-paced – you only have 15 seconds to answer each clue. Jennings recommended reading the notes on efficiency quickly.
- “Pick out the most relevant parts of the clue — the proper nouns, the place names, the dates, the titles,” Jennings said. “Choose these asap, see if you can come up with an idea of who or what (the clue) is talking about, then plug that back into the clue and see if it all fits and works.” .”
You don’t get an official score after the test, but if you answer 35 of the 50 questions correctly, your name will be added to a pool of potential candidates. Jennings told fans not to get discouraged if they don’t make it.
- “It’s super selective every year,” he said. “I think judging by the numbers it’s 10 times harder to play ‘Jeopardy!’ to join. than coming to Yale. I know a lot of really good players who failed auditions five times before they finally got on the show and were great. So don’t beat yourself up.”
Alex Trebek’s first Jeopardy! episode
“Danger!” will premiere Trebek’s first episode – which aired September 10, 1984 – on March 30 at 7 p.m. MDT on YouTube.
The first game hosted by Trebek had categories such as lakes and rivers, inventions, animals, foreign cuisines and actors, the Deseret News previously reported. The first lead chosen was, “These rodents first came to America by hiding on ships.”
(The answer: rats).
After a few weeks of low viewership, the show’s distribution company was concerned that “Jeopardy!” was too harsh and people were having trouble connecting with the quiz show, Trebek shared in his memoir, according to Deseret News. That company’s head, Michael King, asked Trebek to change the footage – but the presenter had already taped two months’ worth of shows.
When Trebek next watched King, the presenter said, “Did you notice the fabric got a lot lighter?”
“Yes!” king said. “Thank you for doing this. It plays much better now.”
But Trebek hadn’t changed anything.
In his memoir, The Answer Is… Reflections on my Life, Trebek wrote of the continued success and popularity of “Jeopardy!”, attributing it in part to its longevity and familiarity — the show really hasn’t changed all that much over the years.
“The show has become a part of American life,” Trebek wrote, according to the Deseret News. “Eventually – and that happened slowly over the years – we made the transition from being an entertaining quiz show to being a part of your daily life.”
