What Is: Unforgettable?
Beloved game show Jeopardy! follows a pretty tight formula, and every stalwart fan knows what’s coming once that theme song starts every night. Regardless, there have been a number of unexpected surprises, impressive milestones, awkward contestant introductions, and other memorable moments throughout its long run. Do you remember witnessing any of these?
For many fans, Jeopardy! is forever tied in viewer’s minds with its host, Alex Trebek—but he was actually not the first host of the show. Previous iterations of Jeopardy aired from 1964-1975 and 1978-1979 and were hosted by Art Fleming, with legendary announcer Don Pardo working with him for the first series.
There were some major differences with the Jeopardy! we know and love today, including that all three contestants were able to bring home the cash they won at the end of the game.
1984: The First “Modern” Episode
And though Alex Trebek seems like he was born to host Jeopardy!, his ease and skill in front of the camera actually came from his experience hosting a whopping 11 game shows before he was hired on as the host for Jeopardy!’s 1984 debut. It’s possible he might have thought he’d be there for a year or two, like the shows he’d hosted before—but as we now know, the new Jeopardy! became an absolute juggernaut.
1992: The First “Celebrity Jeopardy!” Episode
In 1992, Celebrity Jeopardy! first made its debut—and the world was never the same. The original episode saw Carol Burnett, Regis Philbin, and Knots Landing’s Donna Mills going head to head for charity. We’re sure it was entertaining—but more importantly, the format change inspired one of the most hilarious SNL skits of all time.
1997: April Fools Episode
On the night of April 1, 1997, viewers who tuned in Jeopardy! were in for a big surprise—because Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak walked out on stage that night. And the same was true for Wheel of Fortune viewers, who were astounded to see Alex Trebek taking Sajak’s place. The successful swap made for an especially entertaining game show block on a Tuesday night.
2001: The Mustache Surprise
Trebek’s April Fools prank was nothing compared to the shock he gave viewers in 2001 when he walked out on stage without his signature mustache for the first time in Jeopardy!’s long run. Trebek admitted it was a spur of the moment decision and was himself stunned by the response, saying he never expected for his choice to land him in newspapers across the country.
2004: The Ken Jennings Streak Begins
Prior to September of 2003, there was a five-game win limit on contestants, but when it was lifted, it was only a matter of time before a competitor came along who blew all previous records out of the water. On June 2, 2004, Jennings appeared for the first time—but few people know that his run nearly ended before it ever began.
In Final Jeopardy, for a question about athlete Marion Jones, Jennings wrote “Who is Jones?" The producers decided to accept the admittedly vague answer, and Jennings’ big streak began.
2004: The Jennings Streak Ends
In sports, it can get boring to watch a team dominate without giving any competitors a chance—but watching Jennings’ streak was absolutely electric. Finally, in November of 2004, it all came to an end on Jennings’ 75th episode after contestant Nancy Zerg beat him in Final Jeopardy, leading to audible gasps of surprise in the audience—and visible shock on Zerg’s face.
2005: Ultimate Tournament Of Champions
During the Ultimate Tournament of Champions in 2005, Trebek overheard returning contestants Jennings, Brad Rutter, and Jerome Vered backstage discussing how nerve-wracking filming the show was—and how one possible way to diffuse the tension would be to go out on stage pants-less. That’s when Trebek decided to one-up them, and went out in his boxers.
Unsurprisingly, the audience was thrilled.
2007: The Three-Way Tie
Ties are not common, though not unheard of, in Final Jeopardy—but even Trebek was left shocked in 2007 when an episode ended in a three-way tie between contestants Scott Weiss, James Kirby, and Anders Martinson. Each ended Final Jeopardy with $16,000, meaning they all got to come back the next day. It was the first time there was a three-way tie in the show’s 23-year history.
2009: Celebrity Jeopardy Tournament
Any solid Jeopardy! fan knows that the questions that are used during Celebrity Jeopardy! episodes can be a bit softball—after all, they’re playing for charity. But that didn’t stop CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer from an absolutely humiliating loss against Dana Delaney and Andy Richter in 2009.
By the end of regular play, Blitzer was $4,600 in the red, and Trebek actually “lent” him money so that he could finish the game.
2016: The Three-Way Loss
That record was finally matched—in a sense—nine years later when all three contestants playing ended the Final Jeopardy round with $0, meaning that there was no returning champion the next day.
2019: We Love You, Alex!
In March of 2019, Trebek announced that he was battling pancreatic cancer, and that while his prognosis wasn’t great, he hoped to continue hosting Jeopardy! as long as possible. Later that year, Trebek announced he was undergoing another round of chemotherapy to treat the cancer, and on an episode taped later that week, a contestant made a heartbreaking tribute to the beleaguered host.
2019: We Love You, Alex! (cont’d)
Contestant Dharav Gaur was appearing in the Tournament of Champions and later confessed that he could tell that the treatment was wearing on Trebek when he met him before they began taping. When he realized during Final Jeopardy that he wasn’t going to be able to win the game, he wrote “We [Heart] You, Alex” in the answer field, drawing a visibly emotional response from the host.
It was a heartbreaking moment for dedicated Jeopardy! fans following Trebek through his battle with cancer.
2020: The Greatest Of All Time
In 2020, a special tournament series titled The Greatest of All Time took place, pitting champions Ken Jennings, Brad Rutter, and James Holzhauer against each other. Trebek was visibly delighted to have the old contestants back, later admitting to how enjoyable he found it.
2021: Trebek’s Final Episode
Alex Trebek passed away in November of 2020, just 10 days after filming his final episode. The show paid tribute to him that night, and continued airing pre-taped episodes featuring Trebek. In early 2021, it was finally time to air his final episode, which producers ended with a touching tribute, featuring clips from his 37-year, 8,000+ episode tenure.