Welcome to the โTODAY Archives,โ where we revisit memories from our show when celebrities and newsmakers started discourse, made us laugh or shaped our culture. This latest installment features a behind-the-scenes look at โJeopardy!โ on Jan. 6, 1989.
โJeopardy!โ was already cementing itself as an institution of the small screen when TODAY went behind the scenes of the popular game show on Jan. 6, 1989.
The cheeky segment gave viewers an inside look at just what was involved in putting the show together, from host Alex Trebekโs suit fittings to researching clues to what a person has to go through to become a contestant.
โIt pays to be smart, and quick and always on the ball,โ correspondent Mike Leonard reported.
What Did Alex Trebek Say About โJeopardy!โ?
Alex Trebek, then 48, had recently hosted his 1,000th episode and was in his fifth year hosting the show, a job he would keep until his death on Nov. 8, 2020.
โAs I like to say, we are the one television quiz show that people are not ashamed of admitting they watch,โ he said.
Trebek became the face of the show, which, at that point in time, featured 15,000 questions per year, while taping 10 episodes in two days.
How Did โJeopardy!โ Come Together?
Leonard highlighted how each category is โthoroughly researchedโ and information is โchecked and rechecked, edited and re-edited,โ while noting the importance of challenging contestants instead of leaving them โdumbfounded.โ
โYou start acquiring all of this knowledge, then you have problems remembering your phone number sometimes,โ editorial associate producer Harry Eisenberg said.
Before they actually made the cut to be contestants, people had to take a written test, show off their personality to see how it played out on TV, and play a fake game on the actual set with a pretend host.
What Part of the Job Did Alex Trebek Like Least?
When asked what part of the job he liked least, the famed โJeopardy!โ music played while he pondered the question.
โPart of the job that I like least. Give me a second to think about that one,โ he said without coming up with an answer.
He did concede, however, that he does hear something similar from a lot of fans that is not in line with the proper way to phrase a guess on โJeopardy!โ
โโAlex, the answer is,โโ he said mimicking the voice of fans, perhaps alluding to the lack of starting the response on the show with โWhat is?โ
