Jeopardy! Season 36 (2019-2020)

[Prevailing Wind]

I don't think Dawber ever got enough credit for her acting skills - keeping a straight face with all that Robin Williams nonsense going on takes a woman with strength & control!

[M. Darcy]

Don’t forget - tonight we get to see Alex’s very first episode! 

[Clanstarling]

1 hour ago, M. Darcy said:

Don’t forget - tonight we get to see Alex’s very first episode! 

Changed our recording set up so we could get it. It'll be fun!

[opus]

Can we start up the FJ contest? Nailed it.

[rubaco]

That was so frantic, and Alex really was "young and fast-talking," like my TV listing said (lol). And contestant Greg did a show-and-tell for his interview segment. 

Such fun to see. I miss the '80s.

[Browncoat]

My DVR thinks the shows this week are new, and is recording them.  

I loved the show-and-tell interview, but boy, am I glad they changed the buzzer rule.  And the audience noises were very annoying.

Instaget FJ, although I might not have gotten it in 1984.  The judges were awfully lenient on that.  Good to know that some things haven't changed.

[M. Darcy]

So many thoughts!

Alex was talking so fast and the audience was very enthusiastic.  I am so happy they got rid of the walk to the podium bit. And props! I didn’t get to bring props! 

[Katy M]

I'm not sure why there were so many clues left. Maybe the audience clapping after every question slowed them down?  I'm glad they don't do that any  more.  And the incredulous gasps at wrong answers was a bit much.  I remember when they used to walk on. I think I prefer them already up there, but I remember when they first changed it I didn't like it.  I don't like change.  I find it very disconcerting:)

[junemeatcleaver]

I don't remember the early-early episodes, but I did love the contestants coming in and walking to their podiums when I was a kid.  It was very exciting and dramatic to me.

The gasping is hilarious.  I do miss the ooohs and aahhs on Wheel of Fortune so the over-the-top gasps are appreciated.

Did they do that speed up thing they do to old shows to make room for more commercials.  The fast talking was weird.

Edited July 21, 2020 by junemeatcleaver

[UYI]

I love the gasping whenever someone misses an answer or runs out of time. It makes it feel much more like a run of the mill daytime game show from back in the day than the institution that it is now (although I wouldn't like it on the show as it is today; waiting to clap until the round is over is MUCH better as it is in its current form). It feels like I'm watching old school GSN (back before it started to suck, that is) or Buzzr.

And I still miss the old category sound and the original FJ! theme to this day. 

Edited July 21, 2020 by UYI

[proserpina65]

That was a real blast from the past.  I loved it.  And Chuck Forrest on Wednesday and Frank Spangenberg on Thursday!  Yay!

[Snow Apple]

So many clues left on the boards. The first dramatic gasp startled me and I wondered what terrible thing happened. 

I liked it though. So fun to see the changes. Early technology and the fashion!

[MrAtoz]

1 hour ago, Katy M said:

I'm not sure why there were so many clues left. Maybe the audience clapping after every question slowed them down?

I think it's because, in addition to the audience reactions, Alex talked a lot more between clues.  He was saying a lot of "Sorry, Frank, we have to take money away from you for that incorrect question," and stuff like that.  These days they take for granted that everyone understands how the game works.  It seemed like they felt the need to explain it more in the early days.

Speaking of not knowing how the game works, I was surprised that none of the three contestants picked up on the rather blatant use of the word "pop" (complete with quotation marks) in the Animals clue to come up with "weasel."  These days that would be the sort of obvious hint that any contestant would be expected to get.

Interesting that the very first game was a runaway.  And interesting that, when it was revealed that the leader had only bet $300, so as to not risk losing his lead, Alex called him a "chicken!"  That sort of betting, of course, would become perfectly common in runaway games.

[kav]

Did anyone wonder how they could ask a question that mentions 1986 in 1984?  I had to ask someone who was actually alive then, and apparently the president passed the law making it a holiday on the 3rd Monday in 1986 in 1983, so it had not even been a holiday yet at time of taping.  

[lb60]

Alex certainly was a chatterbox, back in the day.

I found the game really stressful to watch. Glad they calmed things down.

FJ=instaget.

[Hpmec]

Did anyone else notice that Alex forgot the name of the contestant who came in 3rd. As he was signing off,he mentioned the woman in the middle by name and then mumbled something about the other man. I was embarrassed for the poor guy. Also, it was obvious the game was a runaway, but Alex felt the need to pretend that the championship was up for grabs. I'm just glad things calmed down over the years. The audience no longer gasps or applauds the answers and alex has hosting down to a science. A fun look back, but I'm glad the game has evolved. 

[Phebemarie]

I thought the oohs and awws and gasps seemed a bit canned.  You’d be surprised what you could find on a ‘80s era sound effect cassette.  

[Cherpumple]

This was so much fun! I loved how tacky the old set was, with the glittery frames around the clue screens and what looked like carpet (!) on the contestant podiums. And wow, those players were really bad at using those FJ pens! It's amazing that Johnny Gilbert's intonation when he announces Alex is almost unchanged after all these years. Alex's voice has changed a lot, but Johnny sounds almost the same.

I liked the contestants (even though the balloon thing gave me secondhand embarrassment), but was annoyed that the two men were asked about their jobs, and the woman was asked about... her husband. Lame!

Maybe I'm just dimwitted, but I never realized that the title of the show referred to the "jeopardy" of losing money when you get the question wrong. Thank you 1984-Alex for letting me know! 

[Katy M]

9 hours ago, MrAtoz said:

Speaking of not knowing how the game works, I was surprised that none of the three contestants picked up on the rather blatant use of the word "pop" (complete with quotation marks) in the Animals clue to come up with "weasel."  These days that would be the sort of obvious hint that any contestant would be expected to get.

I actually didn't either.  

[Trey]

19 minutes ago, Katy M said:

I actually didn't either.  

Neither did I.  I said stoat.

I am so glad they got rid of the audience noises, although a gasp from the audience would be fitting for some of the wrong answers we've heard over the years.

It was very entertaining for a change but I'm glad the game has settled down.

 

[Clanstarling]

 

12 hours ago, Katy M said:

I'm not sure why there were so many clues left. Maybe the audience clapping after every question slowed them down?  I'm glad they don't do that any  more.  And the incredulous gasps at wrong answers was a bit much.  I remember when they used to walk on. I think I prefer them already up there, but I remember when they first changed it I didn't like it.  I don't like change.  I find it very disconcerting:)

I'm not fond of change either - until I get used to it. Every season when they redesign the intro images, I hate it, until I'm used to it.😂

10 hours ago, MrAtoz said:

Interesting that the very first game was a runaway.  And interesting that, when it was revealed that the leader had only bet $300, so as to not risk losing his lead, Alex called him a "chicken!"  That sort of betting, of course, would become perfectly common in runaway games.

So even in the first episode, we see what Alex likes, and why he liked James so much.

10 hours ago, kav said:

Did anyone wonder how they could ask a question that mentions 1986 in 1984?  I had to ask someone who was actually alive then, and apparently the president passed the law making it a holiday on the 3rd Monday in 1986 in 1983, so it had not even been a holiday yet at time of taping.  

I was more surprised it wasn't already a holiday. The 80's kind of blur together for me. But it was pretty controversial at the time, given who it was honoring (and adding a national holiday is a pretty big deal). Not everybody was on board, to put it mildly.  Kind of like Harriet Tubman and the $20 bill (or was it $10?). So I think most people who paid attention to the news would get it.

And boy, the "actually alive then" made me feel really old. But then, I am. 🤣

Edited July 21, 2020 by Clanstarling

[DXD526]

That was a lot of fun. So much more game-showy, with the fast pace and audience reactions. I'm glad it's settled into the more studious show it is, but fun to see how it started.

Interesting that they allowed the contestants to buzz in before Alex was done reading the clues. I remember when watching the Art Fleming daytime version with my mom as a little kid how contestants buzzing in as soon as the answer was revealed confused me. I asked mom why anyone would buzz in without knowing what they're being asked, and she said they want to be first bad enough to take the chance that they'll get it right. It didn't bother her, she seemed to regard it as part of the strategy of the game. To barely-past-toddler me, it made no sense.

When I think of where I was and what I was doing in September of '84. Yikes. That was a looong time ago. Hard to believe Alex has been at this all that time. 

[catlover79]

In September 1984, I had just started kindergarten!! My baby brother was less than a month old. Time flies!!

Did anyone else giggle when Sean Connery was a clue in the very first round? Who would have guessed then that he would be forever linked to the show thanks to SNL? 😁

[Scott]

16 hours ago, Browncoat said:

My DVR thinks the shows this week are new, and is recording them.

I changed my recording parameters to make sure I caught these (I hadn't been recording the previous repeats), but I did notice that it listed last night's as Season 36, Episode two hundred and something, so I'm guessing that was their intent.  Technically, I suppose it is a new show, since it had Alex's intro.

A number of people mentioned that Alex didn't comment on the runaway--I seem to remember that was explicitly not done for quite a while, as if to not give any "help" on people's wagering.  I could be completely wrong on that, of course.

I also was listening to see if there were any responses that would be different today, and I didn't catch any.  (Well, other than Alex's correction of "Who is Eve Arden?", of course.)

[UYI]

Speaking of Eve Arden: She died in 1990, six years after this episode aired. 

[saber5055]

I was tickled to see the stage was originally covered in carpet, so now I know it was in the late '80s when I was in the Jeopardy audience. I googled it, and the carpeting was changed to the shiny black linoleum in 1990. As I've posted here before, Trebek would talk to the audience during commercials and when players were being switched, and I was aghast and highly offended when he told us that the carpet "sucked" and needed to go.

I'd never heard such blasphemy in my life, even with me having been out of college a few years. It really colored my opinion of Mr. Trebek, and still does today, although I've cut him some slack lately. No one (except the stereotypical sailor) spoke words like that in public back then.

My biggest thing about the very first episode is Trebek's voice. It was like a staged announcer voice, very nasally and fake, like people do when they are pretending to be a radio announcer at a party or when joking among friends. I'm glad he got over that.

All those categories still left on the board! Not that anyone on this board would mention that these days. *cough*

I was stunned one player jumped down to choose the highest-value clue. Shades of James! (Sorry for that mention, some of you posters.)

Some of the answers (one?) got a BMS while others that should have gotten a BMS just got a big 'ole WRONG.

It gave me a bit of vertigo when clues were revealed and the camera did a fast pan slide to show the clue up close. Glad that's been fixed.

Trebek's tendency toward rudeness showed early with the Eve Arden was/is snark.

HATED the balloon animal demo. WTH. What a jerk.

Does anyone know that the "wonderful prizes" were for second and third place? Those big ceramic Dalmatian dogs Wheel used to have as prizes came to mind. Or, a year's supply of Rice A Roni, the San Francisco treat?

[dgpolo]

The board looked so small!

[UYI]

54 minutes ago, saber5055 said:

Does anyone know that the "wonderful prizes" were for second and third place? Those big ceramic Dalmatian dogs Wheel used to have as prizes came to mind. Or, a year's supply of Rice A Roni, the San Francisco treat?

I tried to find the closing credits for the first episode with the sponsor tags, but couldn't. Here are some examples from 1986, though:

 

[proserpina65]

7 hours ago, Katy M said:

I actually didn't either.  

Me neither.  I was just lucky to know that ermines are members of the weasel family.

1 hour ago, saber5055 said:

Does anyone know that the "wonderful prizes" were for second and third place? Those big ceramic Dalmatian dogs Wheel used to have as prizes came to mind. Or, a year's supply of Rice A Roni, the San Francisco treat?

Definitely the Rice A Roni.  Can't remember what the other things they used to give away were, but that one I remember very well.  Edited to note that a home version of the game was probably included later on, though maybe not in that first syndicated season.

6 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

Kind of like Harriet Tubman and the $20 bill (or was it $10?).

Was originally supposed to be the $10, but was changed to the $20 when the Treasury Department found out how popular Alexander Hamilton was (long before "Hamilton", btw).  Few people would argue that replacing Andrew Jackson on the $20 isn't long overdue.

4 hours ago, DXD526 said:

That was a lot of fun. So much more game-showy, with the fast pace and audience reactions. I'm glad it's settled into the more studious show it is, but fun to see how it started.

Interesting that they allowed the contestants to buzz in before Alex was done reading the clues. I remember when watching the Art Fleming daytime version with my mom as a little kid how contestants buzzing in as soon as the answer was revealed confused me. I asked mom why anyone would buzz in without knowing what they're being asked, and she said they want to be first bad enough to take the chance that they'll get it right. It didn't bother her, she seemed to regard it as part of the strategy of the game. To barely-past-toddler me, it made no sense.

When I think of where I was and what I was doing in September of '84. Yikes. That was a looong time ago. Hard to believe Alex has been at this all that time. 

I was in my second year of community college.  God, I'm old.

Edited July 21, 2020 by proserpina65

[Katy M]

1 minute ago, proserpina65 said:

Definitely the Rice A Roni.  Can't remember what the other things they used to give away were, but that one I remember very well.

I don't know about this early on, but I specifically remember watching in college (early '90s) and they gave second place a plane trip somewhere.  I can't even remember if it was domestic or foreign.  The third place prize was the home game (I wouldn't mind that) and probably Rice a Roni. Did anybody actually buy that stuff, or was it just given away as game show prizes?

Anyway, my friend made a comment about the third place prize being stupid.  And I think I said "well they lost."  Apparently either participation trophies weren't a thing yet, or I wasn't into them.  

[proserpina65]

2 minutes ago, Katy M said:

Did anybody actually buy that stuff, or was it just given away as game show prizes?

I did, up until maybe 10 years ago.  It's tasty, but full of salt, no matter which flavor you buy.

[Browncoat]

21 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

I was in my second year of community college.  God, I'm old.

I was just starting my Junior year of college.  I don't remember if I watched regularly that year, but I know I did during my Senior year.  We'd watch Love Connection, followed appropriately by Divorce Court, then the news, Wheel, and Jeopardy.  And if it was a Thursday, we'd stick around for Cosby, Family Ties, Cheers, and Night Court. 

[saber5055]

Thanks @UYI for the clips. So the second- and third-place players got Lipton rice, Shake and Bake (Ha, I remember that!), Mr. Turkey hot dogs and bologna (Yum! not) and St. Ives hair care. So funny looking back. The show had nine corporate sponsors so Q-Tips and Cheerios made six, then three others probably had commercials during the episode,

The Wheel intro was fun too. Up for grabs, an entertainment center worth more than $4,000 and a $32,000 silver Corvette, which is probably worth 10 times that now. Who knew?

I remember Rice a Roni, not sure if it's still around. I never could figure what was such a "treat" about it.

ETA: Mary Kitchen was a sponsor/gifter too. It's still around today, 40 years later. It was as difficult to find in stores as TP was at the beginning of lock down.

Edited July 21, 2020 by saber5055

[saber5055]

20 hours ago, M. Darcy said:

And props! I didn’t get to bring props! 

Let us know what props you would have brought. Inquiring minds want to know! Just remember balloons have already been done.

I guess there wasn't time to clear the board back then what with all the promos given companies that provided second- and third-place prizes plus commercials inserted at the end for other corporate sponsors.

[UYI]

15 hours ago, Cherpumple said:

It's amazing that Johnny Gilbert's intonation when he announces Alex is almost unchanged after all these years. Alex's voice has changed a lot, but Johnny sounds almost the same.

For a man who just turned 96 (!!!!) on July 13th, Johnny Gilbert sounds as crisp and clear now as he did back then. It is truly amazing. 

Apparently Sarah from the Clue Crew does a lot of the announcements in the studio when they do morning tapings, and then they dub Johnny's voice in later on; he does still do announcements later in the day, though.

To think that he STILL hasn't retired though, despite being four years shy of 100. I can't imagine Jeopardy! without Alex, but I can't imagine it without Johnny's voice, either. 

[Snow Apple]

I'm watching the second episode right now and noticing more things now that a day has passed. Alex talking fast, making comments in between clues, and the players seem to have less time to spit out the answers.

Spoiler below.

 

Today's FJ. Woah! And the audience reminding Alex for the correct answer (I mean question). The audience interaction is so weird. I knew the FJ but that's only because there was a big deal about it in 2000.

[Gimmick Genius]

I was working in Canada in '84 so I'm certain I never saw these very earliest shows. I'm a child of the '60s, though, so still remember the Art Fleming days. One thing that is glaring(!) in these shows is how annoyingly reflective were the CRT monitors that displayed the clues! In fact, they very obviously subbed in 'modern' flat screen graphics for many - but not all! - of the clues. (They do a similar thing on MeTV's STAR TREK reruns, updating the special effects of the ships in flight, the weapons, and giving the Gorn Captain blinking eyes!!) But as I say, I also remember the board in the Fleming days with cardboard signs revealed by an out-of-sight stage hand ... after the whole board was revealed by an opening curtain.

[PaulaO]

These first games exhausted me.  Alex was on speed!  Thanks to whoever said Frank S. and Chuck F. will be on later this week.  Those I will be happy to watch.

[Quickbeam]

These shows are so frenetic. And the fashion was so awful. 

[Robert Lynch]

So this is the first time when nobody won in 1984! The male audience member saying what was the answer was pure gold. 

[SoMuchTV]

Oh, Alex, don’t ever change. “There must be some mixup on our introductions “ when there was a male RN and a female carpenter. 

[ams1001]

18 hours ago, Cherpumple said:

And wow, those players were really bad at using those FJ pens! 

I was thinking those screens have come a long way in 36 years!

8 hours ago, catlover79 said:

In September 1984, I had just started kindergarten!! My baby brother was less than a month old. Time flies!!

I was in 4th grade. I know my parents watched when I was a kid but I don't remember them walking onto the set for the intros. I commented on the carpeted podiums elsewhere last night. I said "that set could not be more 80s if they tried!" 😄 

6 hours ago, Scott said:

A number of people mentioned that Alex didn't comment on the runaway--I seem to remember that was explicitly not done for quite a while, as if to not give any "help" on people's wagering.  I could be completely wrong on that, of course.

I don't like it when he does that. If the players don't realize it that's their own fault.

I was mildly amused that on game two, the male challenger was an RN and the female challenger was a carpenter, and Alex thought they might have accidentally switched their cards. Then I was annoyed that even today, some might think that. (Male RNs are certainly more common but female carpenters, probably still not so much.)

[Ailianna]

6 hours ago, saber5055 said:

Some of the answers (one?) got a BMS while others that should have gotten a BMS just got a big 'ole WRONG.

Philadelphia for where John Hancock signed definitely deserved a BMS.  It WAS in Philly--just also in a specific place in Philly.  Ugh.  That one is bothering me now, though it's 36 years tool late.

[Driad]

"This Old House" had a female carpenter for a bit. The host asked if she had had any problems. She said the male carpenters used to steal her tools. She bought rubber tool handle dip, a can of white and a can of red, and gave all her tools pink handles. The men stopped stealing her tools.

[M. Darcy]

3 hours ago, saber5055 said:

Let us know what props you would have brought. Inquiring minds want to know! Just remember balloons have already been done.

 

Heh, I was so nervous I probably would have loved to have brought one of my stuffed animals for comfort. Or a cocktail.
 

That was a shocking ending! I did get FJ right but it was easier since now we’ve lived through a century change. 

[Browncoat]

Another onstage FJ for me today!  I would have gotten it back in the day, too.  Returning champ made a bad wager, though.  He only needed to bet enough to cover if the carpenter doubled her score.  Good to know, too, that Alex's sexist attitude goes way back.

Too much chit-chat during game play!  I am glad they cut most of that out.  And it bears repeating -- oy, with the audience reactions.

[saber5055]

3 hours ago, Gimmick Genius said:

But as I say, I also remember the board in the Fleming days with cardboard signs revealed by an out-of-sight stage hand ... after the whole board was revealed by an opening curtain.

Thanks for saying that since I absolutely remember the cards concealing the clue being slid up by some guy in the back.

As a victim of sexual harassment in the office, I was insulted by Trebek's jackassery about the carpenter vs. nurse occupation. After federal dress code was changed so women could wear pantsuits in my (government) office (top and bottom had to match) and me being the first to do so, I was so horribly verbally attacked by all of my male managers (because no woman could actually BE a manager) that I spent hours in the bathroom bawling my eyes out, afraid to go back to my desk. So I say: "Screw you, Trebek."

At least yesterday's The 50's was changed to The '40s today.

Was V8 juice so new in the '80s that it was a TS?

I guess it was common for at least six clues to be left on both boards at end of game. And money was one half of what it is now. I wonder how they split the second- and third-place cans of hash and packets of Lipton rice among three losers.

ETA: When Greg added the 101 Dalmatians and seven dwarfs, he answered "The total is 108," which is NOT in the form of a questions. Yet he got a pass. Seemed the timer buzzer was pretty inconsistent on some of those clues too. Trebek no sooner called on a person to answer than the TIME'S UP buzzer sounded.

Edited July 22, 2020 by saber5055

[saber5055]

43 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

Returning champ made a bad wager, though.  He only needed to bet enough to cover if the carpenter doubled her score.

He was cocky and greedy, a bad combo. I could see it in his face and via his smirky grin. So I say "Good on ya, buddy. Don't let the door hit you on the way out, and enjoy your Rice a Roni." Glad he lost. Wonder if he was the inspiration for the Cheers Cliff Clavin Jeopardy episode.

[ams1001]

It would be neat if they could get those first three players back for a rematch... (they all looked young enough that they could still be alive, I think...)

[SoMuchTV]

31 minutes ago, saber5055 said:

After federal dress code was changed so women could wear pantsuits in my (government) office (top and bottom had to match) and me being the first to do so, I was so horribly verbally attacked by all of my male managers (because no woman could actually BE a manager) that I spent hours in the bathroom bawling my eyes out, afraid to go back to my desk. So I say: "Screw you, Trebek."

Wish there were a thumb’s up or hang in there response because nothing else really seems to fit. 

“Was V8 juice so new in the '80s that it was a TS?“

l think the “cocktail” threw me off - I was thinking of something alcoholic.