‘Jeopardy!’ Writers Have Backup Questions for Each Category
When you watch Jeopardy!, every category has five clues of increasing difficulty for higher dollar amounts. The writers of Jeopardy! questions write more than five to whittle them down to the ones that the host reads on air. They also keep backup clues on hand in the event that something goes wrong.
Suzanne Stone was head researcher for Jeopardy! for 38 years. She appeared on the Hollywood and Levine podcast on June 29 to discuss her time behind the scenes. During the interview, she detailed the process for categories, questions and backup questions.
‘Jeopardy!’ tasks writers with more than five clues and questions
On Jeopardy!, there are head writers who manage teams of writers. Those writers and researchers turn in more material than makes it onto the show.
“When you watch the show, you have five clues in each category,” Stone said on Hollywood and Levine. “But when it’s in the writing process, the writers have to submit seven clues, if not more to the categories that they submit to the head writer. That way the head writers can go over and discuss what needs to be positioned in the right place.”
‘Jeopardy!’ may need backup questions in case of emergency
Usually, Jeopardy! runs smoothly. However, occasionally questions arise in which the judges debate answers contestants gave, and sometimes questions may be stricken from the game. In those cases, they have a queue of backup questions to replace them.
“There’s always extras written, researched and programmed into the computers in case there’s a technical problem or a judgment problem,” Stone said. “We don’t have to scramble around. That way, the writers have to produce seven or eight clues per category. I don’t know what the current quota or expectation is. It could be three categories a day and once a week they would go over their material with the head writers.”
Unused extra questions could be used later
If everything goes according to plan on Jeopardy!, those extra questions won’t be needed. But, they’re not just thrown in the trash. If nothing else, Jeopardy! writers save their extra clues for a later game.
“There’s always extras,” Stone said. “People have their cache of perennials or evergreen categories, evergreen clues, finals that maybe were not looked upon as lovingly as they could have been or rewritten. And they get in and do very well. So there’s always a mysterious way of filling out a game.”
Stone said Jeopardy! allows writers the freedom to create categories on any topic. However, there are some go-to topics in which Jeopardy! writers should be well versed.
“There’s enough leeway to have a writer create their own categories, their own ideas which they submit, discuss with others, discuss with the head writers,” Stone said. “Then there’s always going to be what we call the meat and potato categories, the history, geography, music.”
