This Is Jeopardy!: The Story of America’s Favorite Quiz Show podcast

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Robert K S
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This Is Jeopardy!: The Story of America’s Favorite Quiz Show podcast

Post by Robert K S »

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2023-04-26 Episode 1/20: "Back To The Beginning"

This episode covers the game show landscape pre-history of the show, retells the story of its creation, and a gives an abbreviated overview of the Fleming era.
  • Buzzy Cohen - author, dad, husband, and trivia enthusiast (host/narrator)
  • Unidentified female voice on Bob Boden's intercom
  • Bob Boden - co-founder of the National Archives of Game Show History, executive producer of Funny You Should Ask, a syndicated comedy celebrity game show, rehearsal contestant on a run-through for the pilot of the current version of Jeopardy!, in "Weird Al" Yankovic's "I Lost On Jeopardy!" music video, archivist and collector who has many pieces of game show memorabilia, including the flashing "J" from the Jeopardy! set circa 1985 (who has his museum in his home garage)
  • Mia Warren (Somethin' Else podcast producer, heard incidentally and briefly)
  • Lisa Broffman - co-executive producer of Jeopardy!, who worked with Merv Griffin in the '80s
  • Tony Griffin - son of Merv Griffin and Julann Wright
  • Merv Griffin - Jeopardy! creator (2002 interview)
  • Mary Eubanks - first-ever Jeopardy! champion in 1964 (now 84 years old, 26 when she appeared)
  • Jeff Goldstein - production assistant for Bob Rubin and occasional director on Art Fleming version of Jeopardy! (not to be confused with the contestant Jeff Goldstein who fainted during Final in Season 2 of the Trebek era)
7:58 - 9:22: ad for Lectric eBikes read by Buzzy

14:50 - 15:21: professionally read ad for SonderMind Therapy

27:57 - 28:00: break without an ad

Tony Griffin's retelling of the "Think!" music being composed didn't explain the evolution of the song from the lullaby "A Time For Tony".

A caption for this picture misidentifies Jeff Goldstein as a contestant. He and June Henoch (another production assistant) aren't dressed up like contestants.
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Re: This Is Jeopardy!: The Story of America’s Favorite Quiz Show podcast

Post by AndyTheQuizzer »

Episode 1 was a good listen.

Looking forward to what's to come.
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Re: This Is Jeopardy!: The Story of America’s Favorite Quiz Show podcast

Post by Bamaman »

Will definitely give it a listen. I dropped the other one as it wasn’t enjoyable to me.
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Re: This Is Jeopardy!: The Story of America’s Favorite Quiz Show podcast

Post by Game Girl »

it was interesting interesting episode. though apparently the story that usually happens not his apartment with the creation of the idea for the show now happened in a plane. anyhow it was nice to hear love the history. the story about the first contestant was great, I honestly thought when I read a article previously about that her leaving the price is right line to premiere on the show and filming the episode happened the same day. I was wondering about the lullaby thing not mentioned too. maybe he was embarrassed to talk about him having a lullaby as a grown man. (not that he needed to be embarrassed but some people are.) but what was the most interesting part that made me take out my notes immediately was that when they mention the episode that had all 3 not go to final jeopardy. The episode is obviously from the art Fleming one since we definitely have confirmation it did not happen on the current one in the '6 interesting scenarios' page on the jeopardy website. I heard about an episode in which all lost and they had to do "audience interviews" on one of those ask a question sites either of Reddit or quota I think. I found it interesting when I saw it but was not could not find any more mention of the existence of such situation happening elsewhere. but now that is mentioned in the podcast I find the proof enough that it happened and maybe someone can get a date on when the scenario happened even if the footage not exist. (I guess the first step might be to figure out when he went to college and go from there.) why did The host decides for Jeff Goldstein interview to suddenly basically give sentence by sentence commentary most of it really off topic. (The top on that 'off topic' list. "we all know someone like that guy on camera 4." for the camera lens dude comment.) he did not do that with any of the other interviews to that extent. (The intro of the show does not count.) when they said the relaunch I thought for a second they were talking about the short-lived second edition of 1979 (since it was like 6 minutes left I thought I would be quick add to the end.) also with art Fleming but they seem to have skipped that version based on how the podcast ended this episode (they can possibly backtrack). all and all I enjoyed it.
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Re: This Is Jeopardy!: The Story of America’s Favorite Quiz Show podcast

Post by Game Girl »

my thing about buzzy so long and slightly off topic I separated the two. when I heard buzzy he was going to be on I was kind of not looking forward to it. (I am okay with buzzy on the inside podcast but I have a feeling that was a very fast hire after the producer said something so off the charts. when buzzy first appeared I said unpublished. "I have to say I did not like Buzzy usually as a cohost or host of any kind but I cannot blame them." "he was entertaining but it's going to get everyone in trouble if he continues much longer if he has not already." (for some context The producer basically said that week I wrote that, 'super champions should not exist statistically with the amount of stuff that exists.' I tried to sugarcoat it to be respectful but undermine your contestants abilities is probably the worst thing you could say as a producer of a game show.)) I never posted it because I made these notes in September of last year and have cool down about the producer. (it took me awhile to find a location to listen to the podcast.) but on the topic of Buzzy for this one they have time to find someone else. I think we talked about this on the Chase thread and I pretty much agree with what was said there, at least he has finally discovered that he has a insecurity problem in the last few episodes of inside but he also thinks he will get a episode of inside on it when she meant that sarcastically (she also then rush to viewers comments after the idea just in case he just did not understand sarcasm.) weirdly enough as I was writing a comment on the produces behaviour currently on inside I realised this history one might really be a good place to put the producer. it will teach him the history and The reasons why we do not say things that he says. but buzzy in the end did a ok job but that might be more to editors than himself since they definitely left little to chance. The host of the show seems to be more of a curator telling when each clip is going to happen then traditional host so we will see how that goes. till next time this is game girl. (I think this area of the note took an hour to make so.)
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Re: This Is Jeopardy!: The Story of America’s Favorite Quiz Show podcast

Post by Bamaman »

Just got a chance to listen. I really enjoyed it and Buzzy is a good host.

It ended with the cancellation of the original show in 1975 and said the next episode will feature the revival in 1984. Are they forgetting or ignoring the 1978-79 version?
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Re: This Is Jeopardy!: The Story of America’s Favorite Quiz Show podcast

Post by Robert K S »

Probably ignoring. The focus of the show is the Trebek era to present. I think they wanted to acknowledge the Fleming era and the origins of the game without getting too wrapped up in it. One full episode is already a lot to ask for, but they could have done a whole series on the Fleming era alone.
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Re: This Is Jeopardy!: The Story of America’s Favorite Quiz Show podcast

Post by Bamaman »

Robert K S wrote: Tue May 02, 2023 3:49 pm Probably ignoring. The focus of the show is the Trebek era to present. I think they wanted to acknowledge the Fleming era and the origins of the game without getting too wrapped up in it. One full episode is already a lot to ask for, but they could have done a whole series on the Fleming era alone.
The Fleming era certainly deserved a full episode as many may not know how it started. A small mention in passing (“NBC tried a revival in 1978 with slightly different rules, but it got poor ratings and was quickly cancelled”) might be nice.

I’d imagine the lack of data from the original show and the fact only a handful of episodes actually exist makes it hard to go too deep into the subject.

Not to mention many of those involved in it are dead or very old. Hearing from the first champ and the guy from the production staff was fun to hear.

I hope they do an episode on the archive.
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Re: This Is Jeopardy!: The Story of America’s Favorite Quiz Show podcast

Post by Robert K S »

2023-05-03 Episode 2/20: "Here's Your Host, Alex Trebek"

This episode covers the end of the Jeopardy! revival with Art Fleming, the hiring of Alex Trebek, initial audience skepticism of Alex, and finally audience acceptance of Alex as Jeopardy! slowly became a hit in syndication.
  • Buzzy Cohen (host/narrator)
  • Bob Boden - game show aficionado who remembers watching the Jeopardy! revival
  • Peter Marshall - former host of Hollywood Squares who became one of Alex Trebek's closest friends
  • Dave Williger - producer on Jeopardy! in 1984 who also worked on Wheel of Fortune
  • Oprah Winfrey (1984 interview with Alex Trebek)
  • Art Fleming (1980s interview, date not given)
  • Lisa Broffman - longtime Jeopardy! producer
  • Suzanne Stone - former senior researcher with Jeopardy!
  • Alex Trebek (from different interviews, one with the Television Academy, years not always given; a clip of his first Emmy Award win acceptance speech)
  • Fritz Holznagel (in teaser for next episode about the buzzer)
4:43 - 5:51: ad for Babel language learning read by Buzzy - go to babel.com/jeopardy for up to 50% off

12:55 - 13:25: ad for Inside Jeopardy! podcast read by Buzzy, immediately followed by

13:26 - 14:08: professionally read ad for FanDuel.com with brief gambling addiction PSA

21:44 - 22:16: professionally read ad for BJs Wholesale Club

I will take the big red X with the buzzer for predicting that the podcast would ignore the Fleming revival.
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Re: This Is Jeopardy!: The Story of America’s Favorite Quiz Show podcast

Post by Robert K S »

2023-05-10 Episode 3/20: "Both Sides of the Buzzer"

This episode covers the buzzer, and Fritz is the star of the show this week.
  • Buzzy Cohen (host/narrator)
  • Ken Jennings (quick clip)
  • James Holzhauer (quick clip)
  • Amy Schneider (quick clip)
  • Fritz Holznagel - the current accepted authority on buzzing in the United States, freelance writer from Somerville, Massachusetts, author of Secrets of the Buzzer ("the buzzer bible for Jeopardy! hopefuls")
  • Alex Trebek (from different show clips and promotional clips--listen for the word "turducken")
  • Julia Doyle - temporarily caffeine-free podcast producer with a 282 ms average buzz speed; improved to 226 ms after coffee
  • Sylvie Lubow - pre-caffeinated podcast producer
  • Ryan Haas - Jeopardy! game material manager and, for five years until 2017, "enabler", the Jeopardy! staffer who activates signal device lights
  • Michael Harris - Jeopardy! senior researcher, gameplay analyst, current enabler since 2017, human man
  • Matt Amodio - 38-game Jeopardy! champion
2:52 - 4:14: ad for Lectric eBikes read by Buzzy

15:40 - 16:47: ad for Babel language learning read by Buzzy - go to babel.com/jeopardy for up to 50% off, immediately followed by

16:48 - 18:00: ad for Hello Fresh meal ingredient delivery service by Buzzy - go to hellofresh.com/jeopardy16 and use code jeopardy16 for 16 free meals

25:18 - 26:36: ad for Mattea Roach's The Back Bench podcast read by Buzzy

40:49 - 41:20: professionally read ad for Breezeline cell phone service [NOTE: A week later, this was changed to an ad for Indochino custom clothing.]

Here's the game mentioned in the teaser for next week's episode.
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Re: This Is Jeopardy!: The Story of America’s Favorite Quiz Show podcast

Post by mfc248 »

Robert K S wrote: Wed May 10, 2023 8:42 pm
If I may have your attention. Paging Mary Beth Shetz — please pick up the white courtesy phone.
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Re: This Is Jeopardy!: The Story of America’s Favorite Quiz Show podcast

Post by Robert K S »

2023-05-17 Episode 4/20: "The Trebek Effect"

This episode covers Alex, his "traits", "moments", and icon status. (Theme doesn't seem to follow from the teaser from last week, which hinted at a show about material development, so I wonder if the release order has changed a bit from what may have been previously intended.)
  • Buzzy Cohen (host/narrator)
  • Alex Trebek (in clips from The X-Files, Golden Girls, Rugrats, The Simpsons, White Men Can't Jump, Larry King Live, and various other archive sources)
  • Lisa Broffman - co-executive producer of Jeopardy!
  • Harry Friedman - former executive producer of Jeopardy!
  • Renee Ferruggia - Alex's longtime hairstylist
  • Johnny Gilbert - legendary Jeopardy! announcer
  • Jerome Vered - Ultimate Tournament of Champions finalist
  • Suzanne Prete - executive vice president of game shows at Sony
  • Gene Simmons (archive clip)
  • Pat Sajak (archive clip from 1997 April Fools host swap)
  • Michelle Loud - one of the co-head writers of Jeopardy!
  • Laura Sikes Jambon - contestant (archive clip of Quikrete-eating goat interview story)
  • Corina Nusu - former contestant producer
  • Ken Jennings (archive clip from "What's a hoe?" show)
  • Al Lindke (ditto)
  • Ryan Fenster (archive clip from TALKIN' FOOTBALL category from show #7689)
  • Will Farrell (archive clip from SNL Celebrity Jeopardy!)
  • Maggie Speak - former producer
  • Dan Melia - 5-time champion and Tournament of Champions winner who was married on the Jeopardy! set
  • Mark Nasielski (archive clip from show #8177)
  • Paul Trifiletti (ditto)
  • Suzanne Stone - former senior researcher with Jeopardy!
Next week: the contestant experience.

4:38 - 5:51: ad for Hello Fresh meal ingredient delivery service by Buzzy - go to hellofresh.com/jeopardy16 and use code jeopardy16 for 16 free meals

15:38 - 16:53: ad for Mattea Roach's The Back Bench podcast read by Buzzy

16:54 - 17:58: professionally read ad for Talkspace online therapy service

26:17 - 26:50: ad for podcast Dinner's On Me read by Jesse Tyler Ferguson
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Re: This Is Jeopardy!: The Story of America’s Favorite Quiz Show podcast

Post by MarkBarrett »

The audio clarity on both the WoF set and J! set was not the best. Perhaps someone who has not been a contestant will get more out of the episode. I found it old hat.

Buzzy said Brian Henegar would be back the next day. He lost on a Friday.

Anyone know if Jimmy uses the same, "Welcome to Dancing with the Stars" each taping session or does he mix it up with other shows?
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Re: This Is Jeopardy!: The Story of America’s Favorite Quiz Show podcast

Post by Bamaman »

MarkBarrett wrote: Wed May 24, 2023 7:38 pm The audio clarity on both the WoF set and J! set was not the best. Perhaps someone who has not been a contestant will get more out of the episode. I found it old hat.

Buzzy said Brian Henegar would be back the next day. He lost on a Friday.

Anyone know if Jimmy uses the same, "Welcome to Dancing with the Stars" each taping session or does he mix it up with other shows?
Never been on the show but most of what I heard wasn’t really new from reading comments on here over the years. The lecture from the S&P guy was new information and interesting to hear.

I agree putting a mic on Jimmy would have been a good idea.
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Re: This Is Jeopardy!: The Story of America’s Favorite Quiz Show podcast

Post by Game Girl »

Bamaman wrote: Tue May 02, 2023 4:10 pm
Robert K S wrote: Tue May 02, 2023 3:49 pm Probably ignoring. The focus of the show is the Trebek era to present. I think they wanted to acknowledge the Fleming era and the origins of the game without getting too wrapped up in it. One full episode is already a lot to ask for, but they could have done a whole series on the Fleming era alone.
The Fleming era certainly deserved a full episode as many may not know how it started. A small mention in passing (“NBC tried a revival in 1978 with slightly different rules, but it got poor ratings and was quickly cancelled”) might be nice.

I’d imagine the lack of data from the original show and the fact only a handful of episodes actually exist makes it hard to go too deep into the subject.

Not to mention many of those involved in it are dead or very old. Hearing from the first champ and the guy from the production staff was fun to hear.

I hope they do an episode on the archive.
I would not think a archive episode would be possible as it is 'technically unofficial' but they have been name dropping us for quite a while so maybe it might happen.

The passing comment for the 1970s version was what I was thinking above too.

in terms of the buzzer episode this one was kind of cool to watch but did not answer any of my favourite questions that I have like what happens if two people buzz at the same time (something I have been wondering for a while). but did give me another question definitely after watching the contestants on masters look depressed repetitively pressing of what happens if you slam the button on the podium and if that would be faster. (they look durable enough to survive a slam and you probably have more 'leverage' of Ruff Housing if you are in the masters rather than a regular contestant in which case I would not recommend.)
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Re: This Is Jeopardy!: The Story of America’s Favorite Quiz Show podcast

Post by MarkBarrett »

The 5/31 ep. is wonderful as it covers Ken Jennings regular run. Buzzy and the guests do a great job bringing back the memories of a special time in J!'s history.
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Re: This Is Jeopardy!: The Story of America’s Favorite Quiz Show podcast

Post by Game Girl »

this was a great episode and I loved the Switcheroo April fools thing. (I remember it but it is nice to hear about it from the other side.) I wish they went a little deeper in there but they were obviously covering a lot I did not even finished the episode yet but I am curious if anyone knows where site:j-archive.com "medical file of Alex Trebek" is. I having trouble finding categories and The show did not give that well with a range of years.
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Re: This Is Jeopardy!: The Story of America’s Favorite Quiz Show podcast

Post by seaborgium »

Game Girl wrote: Fri Jun 02, 2023 3:22 am site:j-archive.com "medical file of Alex Trebek"
If you Google exactly what I quoted, you'll get J! Archive links to the episode that had that as a category.
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Re: This Is Jeopardy!: The Story of America’s Favorite Quiz Show podcast

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MarkBarrett wrote: Wed May 31, 2023 12:01 pm The 5/31 ep. is wonderful as it covers Ken Jennings regular run. Buzzy and the guests do a great job bringing back the memories of a special time in J!'s history.
Suchard keeps hope alive at the very end!
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