Jeopardy! continues to be America’s No.1 quiz show in syndication as it enters its 29th season on September 17, 2012. Originally created by Merv Griffin in 1964 as an NBC daytime show, Jeopardy! is a daily half-hour series based on trivia with a unique answer-and-question format. Jeopardy! has been hosted by the iconic Alex Trebek since its syndicated debut in 1984. Johnny Gilbert serves as announcer, and Harry Friedman is Executive Producer.

Jeopardy! provides a test of knowledge in a variety of interesting subjects, such as literature, history, science, the arts and pop culture. Each game consists of three rounds:

•  “Single Jeopardy!”: Includes six categories, each with a column of five trivia clues. The “clues” are sorted by varying degrees of difficulty and are matched by increasing dollar values. Three competing contestants are given a “clue” in the form of an answer displayed on the show’s High-Definition game board. Players use a hand-held signaling device and must be the first contestant to ring in and successfully give a response in the form of a question.
•  “Double Jeopardy!”: Similar to the first round, Double Jeopardy! features new categories and “clues” with doubled dollar amounts of each “clue.”
•  “Final Jeopardy!”: One category is revealed by host Alex Trebek prior to the commercial break. The contestants write down a wager ranging between zero and up to their cash winnings accumulated at that point during the show. Once the final “clue” is revealed, players have 30 seconds to write a response in the traditional form of a question. Each daily winner returns to the next day’s program as a defending champion. With no limit on appearances, returning champions may continue amassing winnings on Jeopardy! as long as they remain victorious.

Jeopardy! offers a wide array of special competitions throughout the season. Examples include:

•  Kids Week: An audience favorite, it features 15 10 to 12-year-olds from across the country competing for cash prizes.
•  Teen Tournament: Fifteen teenagers compete in a two-week tournament for a grand prize of $75,000.
•  College Championship: Fifteen of the brightest undergraduate students from colleges and universities across the U.S. vie for a grand prize of $100,000.
•  Tournament of Champions: A tournament featuring 15 of the show’s highest money winners from the current season competing for a grand prize of $250,000.
•  Teachers Tournament: Introduced in 2011, the Teachers Tournament puts a national spotlight on the importance and impact of educators with 15 of the nation’s brightest K-12 teachers.
•  Celebrity Jeopardy!: Top newsmakers, TV stars and pop culture icons “battle it out” for championship status and cash prizes that are donated to their favorite charities.

Jeopardy!, the winner of a 2011 Peabody award and 30 Emmy awards, including the 2012 Emmy for Outstanding Game/Audience Participation Program, was inducted into the Guinness Book of World Records for the most awards won by a TV Game Show. The series is the #1-rated quiz show in syndication with 25 million viewers each week.  Jeopardy! is produced by Sony Pictures Television, a Sony Pictures Entertainment Company. It is distributed domestically by CBS Television Distribution and internationally by CBS Television International, both units of CBS Corp.  

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