Jeopardy! has become popular due to its unorthodox format. Contestants don’t receive questions; they receive clues. Their answers must come in the form of a question. Category names contain hints about the correct answer. There are many peculiar rules that Jeopardy! contestants need to follow.
In this article, we will look at all the official and unofficial rules of Jeopardy!. This will help you if you plan on making it on the show or simply want to recreate the game show experience at home. Let’s start with the most obvious rule…
Phrase Answers as Questions
You could have attended a hundred trivia quizzes, and not one of them would prepare you for this rule. If you’ve seen even one episode of Jeopardy!, you know that the answer has to be offered in the form of a question. For example, let’s say the answer the host is looking for is “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Phrasing it this way will likely not get you a point. The right way to phrase your answer would be: “What is To Kill a Mockingbird?” Because the questions are clues, the answers are questions. The more you watch the show, the more sense it makes.
An article posted on Jeopardy!.com in 2016 mentioned that a contestant replying to a non-Daily Double clue in the wrong way will simply be reminded to phrase their answer like a question. The host will not be as forgiving during Double Jeopardy!, Final Jeopardy!, or Daily Double, and the answer will be ruled wrong.
Answers Must Be Phonetically Correct
The competition is open to people with dyslexia; you don’t need to win a Spelling Bee to sign up. However, when you write your answers down, they have to at least sound correct. A misspelled word will still be counted as long as there is no question about what you meant. However, adding or removing syllables is not allowed. If you think you know the answer but have no idea how to spell it, just give it a go. It’ll be up to the jury to decide whether the answer you want to give is apparent from the answer you wrote down.
Correct Yourself Quickly
Sometimes you say things you don’t want to say. Other times words just seem to come out, and you have no control over them. If that happens to you on the Jeopardy! stage, don’t worry. You can correct yourself before a ruling has been made by any member of the jury, including the host. If you’re quick enough, you can get away with giving a wrong answer by accident.
Buzz in First
In the first question rounds, before Double Jeopardy!, the first contestant to buzz will be the first to get a shot at answering the question. It doesn’t matter who chose the question or category; all three contestants have an equal chance to answer. Then, of course, if you get the question right, you get to choose the next category. The rule is that whoever buzzes in first gets to answer. Speed is as important as accuracy.
Wager on a Daily Double
You must declare a wager on your answer if you’re the lucky contestant who selected the Daily Double. The wages have to be at least $5 and at most the value of your available winnings. Should you answer correctly, the amount will be added to your winnings. If you answer incorrectly, the amount you wagered is taken from your winnings.
Buzz After the Clue
You’ll find that some trivia games allow contestants to submit their answers before the question is fully revealed. That gives the extra-fast and experienced trivia players an advantage, as they can tell where the question is going to go from the first couple of words. Jeopardy! used to belong to this club but changed direction in 1985. Since then, contestants have to wait for the clue to be revealed to buzz in their answers.
To help contestants adhere to this standard, the game board now features lights that signify when it’s ok to buzz—buzzing in your answer before the lights turn on locks you out of answering for half a second. In the world of Jeopardy!, half a second can set you back significantly. This change was made to make the show more interesting for viewers who wanted to answer questions along with the contestants on TV. Additionally, it ensures that the less experienced players are not disadvantaged.
Finish Double Jeopardy!
Contestants who have $0 or less in their winnings by the time Double Jeopardy! is finished will be eliminated. If all three contestants have $0 or less, they should all be eliminated and no Final Jeopardy! would take place. As Jeopardy! is still a show, this rule can be overlooked by the production crew. If the show must go on, it will go on, even if all the contestants have $0 in their earnings.
Wager on Final Jeopardy!
In Final Jeopardy!, all contestants are asked the same question. Before the clue is revealed, the contestants decide how much they want to wager. This time, the wager can be as low as $0. There are different strategies contestants have employed to try and win this round. It all depends on how big or small your wager is compared to other contestants. If, for example, you’re in the lead and the runner-up’s score is less than half of yours, you can get away with wagering $0.
Controversial Answers
Jeopardy! provides a very high-pressure environment. There is a live studio audience; you’re competing against two incredibly smart individuals and possibly even sharing a stage with your personal hero. The stakes are high! It’s no wonder that the wrong answer slips out sometimes. Here is a list of some of the most controversial answers ever, though not all of them are wrong. Remember these guys if you’re ever embarrassed about giving an incorrect answer at a pub quiz. I guarantee you will feel better about yourself!
Aleksandr who?
Only two weeks ago, all three contestants failed to answer a question correctly, not because they didn’t know the answer, but because they couldn’t pronounce it. When asked “An author & former prisoner: ‘Socialism of any type & shade leads to a total destruction of the human spirit.’” in the category “The Quotable Alex,” each contestant produced her own way of butchering the Russian author’s last name—Solzhenitsyn. It’s a shame, as all of them knew the answer! But rules are rules. As per one of the rules mentioned above, answers must be phonetically correct.
The Hebrews vs. The Romans
The following clue divided Jeopardy! fans into two camps: “Paul’s letter to them is the New Testament epistle with the most Old Testament quotations.” The answer that was deemed correct on the show was, “Who are the Hebrews.” An alternative answer, “Who are the Romans,” was presented by another contestant and deemed incorrect. Biblical scholars had a field day arguing which one was the correct answer. It seems there is no consensus and both answers could be right, as the clue was also not worded very clearly.
It’s a rake!
In 2004, Ken Jennings won the hearts of all Jeopardy! lovers with his hilarious answer to this question: “This term for a long-handled gardening tool can also mean an immoral pleasure seeker.” His hilarious answer, “What’s a hoe?” gave everyone in that studio a reason to laugh. That didn’t stop Jennings’ growth, as he later became one of the most successful Jeopardy! contestants in the history of the show. He has gone on to become a host on the show!
Embarrassing to say the least
Tom Imler went viral in 2015, when he attempted to answer the following Jeopardy! clue: “In common law, the age of this, signaling adulthood, is presumed to be 14 in boys and 12 in girls.” His answer, “The age of consent,” was a little creepy to say the least. The answer the jury was looking for was puberty, by the way. Luckily, everybody understood that it was an honest mistake on Tom’s behalf.
Getting kinky
2015 was a good year for viral answers, with Choyon Manjrekar’s, “What is Kinky Boots?”, making everybody laugh. Just for information, the question was: “A Christian hymn and a Jewish holiday hymn are both titled this, also the name of a 2009 Tony-nominated musical.” Luckily, he wagered $0. The correct answer would have been “What is Rock of Ages?”
Who are you?
Ari Voukydis lost $2,700 of his wagered winnings in 2014, when he attempted to answer this question: “In 1891, this European said, ‘Perhaps my factories will put an end to war sooner than your congress.’” His answer, complete with him shrugging and smiling, and an arrowing pointing at him, was “Who is this handsome gentleman?” Ari knew damn well he didn’t say those words, and he didn’t know who did either. Props to him for still trying to answer, even though his answer was obviously wrong.
The most epic answer
The title of the most epic answer goes to Leonard Cooper’s iconic line, “Who is some guy in Normandy. But I just won $75,000!” It was a smart move to wager $0. It’s like he knew that the question would be, “On June 6, 1944 he said, ‘The eyes of the world are upon you.’” The correct answer would have been “Who is General Dwight D. Eisenhower?”, but that doesn’t matter. Leonard still won $75,000!
Unofficial Rules for Answering
Like in any game, there are some unwritten rules Jeopardy! contestants have to follow. Some of them will seem totally obvious and logical to you, while others raise some questions. For example, why can’t you wear jeans on the set of Jeopardy!? The ’90s are gone, and jeans are the new business casual! Clearly, Jeopardy! producers wouldn’t agree with me…
Select clues from low to high
Contestants are encouraged to answer questions in each category from the top to the bottom or from lowest value to highest value. It is not an official rule, but it makes the most sense for the game, as sometimes, the questions follow a certain chronological order, from first to last. Not sticking to this unofficial rule and bouncing around the board, going from 5th question to 3rd and so on, is referred to as the Forrest Bounce.
The strategy was introduced by Chuck Forrest in 1985 and has since been used by other successful contestants like Arthur Chu and James Holzhauer. Though unorthodox, this method yields results, allowing players to maximize their winnings in the beginning.
No jeans
Sam Harley, a Jeopardy! contestant wrote a very interesting bit on Quora in an effort to answer someone’s question. What Sam mentioned twice is the strict no-jeans policy on the set of Jeopardy!. You are not allowed to wear jeans to your taping. Pick a smart pair of trousers, or a dress or skirt if you’re a lady. No jeans!
Sam also mentioned that he was asked to bring three shirts just in case he’d win. That is because the crew usually tapes three episodes of Jeopardy! in one sitting. It may look like it’s a different day to the viewers, especially when we see the episodes on different days. The new shirt adds to that appeal.
No changing your wager
Another interesting tidbit of information Sam Harley shared was that you cannot change your wager on Final Jeopardy!. Once you’ve reached Final Jeopardy!, you get to write your wager and go on a short 15-minute break. During that break, the staff ensures all the totals are correct, and any issues with answers have been solved. You might be tempted to change your wager. Don’t! It’s extremely frowned upon, and you will bear the consequences. Staff members will walk around to make sure you don’t try to break the rules.
Answer 35/50 questions to get on Jeopardy!
Adam Holquist, a 3-time Jeopardy! champion shared his suspicion that when you’re auditioning to be on Jeopardy!, you need to get at least 35 out of 50 questions right on the quiz. Nobody has been able to confirm that. Besides, there are way more people that can “pass” this test than get to go to an audition. Either way, it seems like a good rule of thumb: if you want to get to auditions, make sure you answer at least 35 questions on that quiz correctly. The only problem is that it’s easier said than done.
Final Words
Surprisingly, most of these rules seem reasonable and forgiving. For example, I didn’t know that contestants were allowed to correct themselves before the judges had a chance to speak on their answers. From the very obvious to the unwritten rules, which one do you find the most surprising or unreasonable? Share your opinion with us in the comments!
James Thompson says
Would it be OK to start all jeopardy responses with “is it”?