Everybody knows that Jeopardy! has rules, but do you know just how specific and obscure some of these rules are? You cannot know these things if you’ve never been a contestant on the show. Lucky for us, some ex-Jeopardy! contestants are not shy about sharing their experiences on the internet. That’s how we learned what you can’t wear on set and who you can’t speak to before the episode starts taping.
Doesn’t that sound intriguing? Keep reading to find the six things that are forbidden on Jeopardy!, lest you want to be on one controversial episode of the show, and learn all about the repercussions of breaking the rules.
You Can’t Sing Your Answer
This Reddit thread discusses in detail how Jeopardy! contestants are not allowed to sing their answers. A contestant sang the words “What is Alexander Hamilton” on an episode and was asked not to do that.
Another contestant on the show spoke up about a situation they witnessed during the taping. Around five years ago, a contestant sang their answer, and that scene was immediately reshot. It appears that the issue with contestants singing their answers has to do with copyright. The showrunners don’t want to pay royalties associated with using music they don’t own the copyright to.
You Can’t Spoil the Results Online
This should come as no surprise—contestants are expected to keep the results of their games to themselves until the air date. Sarah Rayburn shared her experience on a Reddit thread. She said that contestants are asked to sign several documents, presumably preventing them from publicly speaking up about their episodes’ results.
These documents only really pertain to speaking publicly or sharing information with communities online. It would be difficult to hide your excitement from your husband or wife when you get home after a successful day of taping. You would also have difficulty finding an excuse to take another day off work. Naturally, you can tell the people in your life all about your experience, assuming you trust them not to share that information with others.
Contestants only get paid for their episodes 2-3 months after aired, so the showrunners have that leverage over them. Though it’s never happened, they could potentially withhold your winnings for breaching the contract. If you find yourself on the show, be smart about it! The producers don’t want spoilers to circulate on the internet before the show has aired, ruining the viewing experience. Your telling your family how much money you’ve won won’t cause a problem.
You Can’t Wear a White Top
In her article about her experience on Jeopardy!, Shannon Younger spoke about the clothing recommendations she received after being invited to the show. She was asked to bring three different outfits. The suggestion said, “No all-white tops, no olive-colored tops, and avoid clothing with busy patterns.” The last one is often ignored, but the first two are taken more seriously.
Wearing a white top will create a green glare around you, which will be difficult to work with on camera. Green will directly interfere with the camera work. Busy patterns will create a distraction on the TV screen and pull all the attention towards the clothing, removing the composition’s balance.
You Can’t Buzz in Too Early
If you’ve ever participated in a pub quiz or a trivia game with friends, you might think that answering before the host asks the question will win you extra points. In some cases, it does! Some games will reward you for providing the right answer before you’ve heard the entirety of the question. Jeopardy! won’t.
All contestants must wait for the host to finish sharing the clue before they hit their buzzers. There’s a helpful light on the stage that only the contestants can see. When the lights turn on, that’s when they know they can start buzzing. Hitting your buzzer before will lock you out of answering for half a second or so. Though that might seem awfully short to regular folk, it is just enough for a skilled Jeopardy! contestant to lose a round to a competitor.
You Can’t Wear Makeup
Shannon Young shared that everyone is asked to come not wearing makeup. Don’t freak out just yet—you’ll get your time in the makeup chair! This might come as terrible news to the people who are used to doing their own makeup every day.
To make matters worse, the makeup artist on the show doesn’t offer any eye makeup to prevent black tracks and smudges around the eyes. It can get hot on the stage. Being nervous can make you feel even hotter, causing some contestants to sweat profusely. Because most scenes are shot in one take, and you only get a few commercial breaks, you won’t have a makeup artist running around and powdering your face every few minutes.
You Can’t Communicate With… Anyone
Back in the day of Alex Trebek, getting on the show as a contestant posed a great opportunity to get to know the legendary host. Unfortunately, that was never really the case. Shannon Young shared that interactions with the host are very limited. Before the show starts taping, you’re put in a room with your competitors, where you’re “quarantined” to prevent cheating. You can exchange a few words with the host during commercial breaks but don’t expect them to keep the conversation going with pleasant small talk. All these measures are implemented to prevent cheating, so don’t take it personally!
Contestants are welcome to invite guests to accompany them to the studio. Don’t take that too literally. Your guests can go to the studio to watch the taping of your episode, but you have to arrive separately. Once they get there, they are instructed not to interact with the contestants. In other words, don’t treat Jeopardy! as a networking opportunity, as you’ll get very little talking done with the cameras off.
What if You Violate Jeopardy! Rules—Can They Withhold Payment?
The short answer is yes, they certainly can. When you get to the set, you are asked to sign several documents telling you exactly what you can and can’t do. Because you only get paid a couple of months after your episode airs, the producers get to use your paycheck or winnings as leverage. You don’t want to breach the contract because you want to get paid.
Of course, everything depends on how you violate the rules, what rules you violate, and what the contract actually says. We cannot know exactly what the contract covers, but we can assume.
Let’s say you broke the first rule of Jeopardy! and did not answer in the form of a question. The host will let that slide in the first round and still award you your right answer. In Final Jeopardy!, you’ll be in trouble and get the question wrong even if your answer was technically right. Nevertheless, nobody will take them away from you if you’re entitled to some winnings.
At the same time, if you wrote a tell-all post about your experience on Jeopardy!, spoiling the episode with its categories, questions, and contestants, and shared that publicly with your large following on the internet, causing the show to lose viewership, the producers would probably withhold your payment. That has never happened in the history of Jeopardy!, but we think this offense would be big enough to warrant serious repercussions.
What Are the Five Amounts Banned from Jeopardy!?
There are five specific dollar wager amounts that are banned on Jeopardy! Each number has a pretty good explanation. The wagers are: $69, $666, $14, $88, and $1,488. Ken Jennings shared that you are not allowed to wager $69 anymore because of the implications of that number. The showrunners don’t want to take away from the show with its clues. Contestants can find other way to attract attention but using a funny “sex number” won’t be one of them.
The numbers 1488, 88, and 14 are all associated with racist slogans. Specifically, 14 refers to the 14 Words slogan, which promotes the white supremacist agenda. 88 stands for Heil Hitler. 1488 is a combination of the two. 666 is a famously satanic number. It seems that the producers of Jeopardy! are focused on preventing something far bigger and eviler than internet memes.
Can You Bet 420 in Jeopardy!?
You can still bet $420 in Jeopardy! If you want to be the funniest guy or girl on the show and bet every smoker’s favorite number, don’t miss your opportunity to do that. Seeing what happened with the number 69, 420 might be met with the same fate.
Final Words
There are so many rules, and each one of them has a good reason behind it! Now, if you’re ever going to be on Jeopardy! as a contestant, you’ll know how to behave without any cheat sheets or official contracts. One question remains unanswered: why don’t people wager $420 more often? It looks like an opportunity missed!
Now that you know almost everything that goes on when the cameras are off, you can form your own opinion about the rules of Jeopardy! What do you think is the most ridiculous rule? Which rules make the most sense to you? Share your take with us in the comments below!
And for more game show insider secrets, check out these articles on how much money Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings makes, the secret location where Jeopardy! is filmed, why Jeopardy! contestants don’t get to keep their winnings, how much money Jeopardy! winners actually get, what countries Who Wants to be a Millionaire has aired in, and whether or not Who Wants to Be a Millionaire winnings are tax-free.
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