What is...? A Jeopardy! Podcast

Latest Episodes:

BONUS: The 2024 Masters w/ Juveria Zaheer Jun 03, 2024

Show notes

As promised, we recap the entire 2024 Masters tournament in one episode with none other than Second Chance and Champions Wildcard winner (and ToC quarterfinalist!) Juveria Zaheer! While we do discuss the Masters and Victoria proving she is truly the Queen of Quiz, this episode is so much more than that as we dig into Juveria's Jeopardy! journey, what J! fame can mean and how to deal with it, game theory, and Juveria wildly impresses us with a game we invented just for her. It's an episode you absolutely do NOT want to miss!

Week of May 20: Ham Kinison May 28, 2024

Show notes

The 3-day curse is broken, but Grant DeYoung runs into the dreaded 4-day curse, falling one win short of a guaranteed TOC invite. But that's ok, as Amar Kakirde is here to pick up the slack and starts a 3-day run of his own, to be continued this week. The games barely matter this week as we are enthralled by Ellen Klages' "Scary Ham" story, one we liked so much that we break the "Final Jeopardy! Deep Dive" to go deep on that instead. Plus, it's a new entry in the "Response of the Year" category as all 3 players can't remember who fronted Van Halen, we learn Ken Jennings and Drew Carey share a birthday, and John finally gets to watch a Calgarian play the game.

And a quick programming note: our Masters recap will be coming out early next week with a VERY special guest. Get excited!

Source: Reactor Magazine: "The Scary Ham" by Ellen Klages.

Virginia Living: "The Ham Man" by Richard Ernsberger Jr.

Special thanks to the J-Archive and The Jeopardy! Fan.

This episode was produced by Producer Dan. Music by Nate Heller. Art by Max Wittert.

Week of May 13: The Three Game-y Problem May 21, 2024

Show notes

We are back to start the week with our friend Will Stewart, who succumbs to the same problem that has befallen many a champion to start this Season 40: winning the fourth game. He falls just shy, and passes the torch to a new three-gamer, Grant DeYoung. Will he have what it takes to...break the fourth wall? Plus, it's the mini-return of Emily's Garden Show, we zero in on Will's anecdote where he is forced to do stand-up comedy as a punishment, and we learn about Canada's finest beverage export: Canada Dry Ginger Ale.

Source: Mashed: "The Untold Truth of Canada Dry" by Brian Boone.

The Canadian Encyclopedia: "John J. McLaughlin" by Jamie Bradburn.

Special thanks to J-Archive and The Jeopardy! Fan.

This episode is produced by Producer Dan. Art by Max Wittert. Music by Nate Heller.

Week of May 6: Cabbage Patch Kidding May 14, 2024

Show notes

It's a week of almosts on Jeopardy!, as Weckiai Rannila and Alison Gross both have impressive 3-day runs, but ultimately fall short of the automatic entry to the Tournament of Champions. But it's ok, because we love the vibe of Friday's game and we love our new champion Will, who learned everything there is to know from The Simpsons. Emily also learned something brand new about her parents this week, and John got a taste of Alberta living. Plus, we found out that Jeopardy! fans were very upset with a Final Jeopardy clue, and the Cabbage Patch Kids made some people an awful lot of money. Oh, and that Emily looked like one when she was a baby.

Source: TIME: "The Strange Cabbage Patch Craze" by Otto Friedrich.

Associated Press: "Cleveland's Cabbage Patch Kids Turn 25".

Special thanks to The Jeopardy! Fan and J-Archive.

This episode is produced by Producer Dan. Music by Nate Heller. Art by Max Wittert.

Week of April 29: The One Percentie May 07, 2024

Show notes

Are you rich and got even richer by winning on Jeopardy!? Give us a call! It's a great showing and a sure Second Chance invite for Ferdinand Percentie as Amy Hummel gets the 3rd TOC invite of the season–the second from regular play–and Weckiai Rannila starts a streak of her own after knowing how to dance the Macarena and some poor FJ! wagering from her opponent. We learn a LOT about the Macarena this week including the insane Canadian history of the song, Jeopardy! fans are fuming about a Triple Stumper, and we make a lot of Occupy Wall Street jokes on a podcast in 2024. We get it.

Special note this week: we will be covering the ongoing Jeopardy! Masters, but all at once, when it's over, with a special guest. So stay tuned for that.

Source: Stereogum: "The Number Ones: 'Macarena' by Los Del Rio" by Tom Breihan.

Special thanks to The Jeopardy! Fan and J-Archive.

This episode is produced by Producer Dan. Art by Max Wittert. Music by Nate Heller.

Week of April 22: "Oh, the Humanity!" Apr 30, 2024

Show notes

It's the week of Amy Hummel! We have a new 3-game champion and we also have one of our favorite responses of the week...EVER. We also learn a lot about our contestants' musical pursuits, Ken has a new Final Jeopardy! tic we are enjoying, and we wildly screw up once again in our new closing segment of the show, "Final Final Jeopardy!" Plus, you'll find out why Jeopardy! fans are apparently imagining Alex Trebek rolling over in his grave and we learn a lot about the luxurious and disastrous Hindenburg.

You can follow the show on Instagram at @whatisajeopardypodcast and on Twitter at @jeopardypodcast. And if you like the show, please rate it 5 stars wherever you're listening to it, and tell a friend!

Source: Airships.net: "LZ-129 Hindenburg: A Detailed History" by Dan Grossman.

Special Thanks to The Jeopardy! Fan and the J-Archive.

This episode is produced by Producer Dan. Music by Nate Heller. Art by Max Wittert.

Week of April 15: Foghorn Leghorn Apr 23, 2024

Show notes

We have our first entrant into the Season 40 Tournament of Champions, and it's Alison Betts! After a few runaways and one close game, Alison wins her fifth game and punches her ticket to the ToC, but she is dethroned by another strong player, Marko Saric. We break down all the games as usual, plus Emily reveals her history with The Lonely Island, curling gets mentioned on the show, J! fans are Joker-fied after the Harley Quinn FJ! clue, and we conclude it all with a little parley at the Summit.

You can follow us on Instagram at @whatisajeopardypodcast and on Twitter at @jeopardypodcast.

Source: International Churchill Society: "Churchill and the 'German Question'" by Klaus Larres.

Special Thanks to The Jeopardy! Fan and J-Archive.

This episode is produced by Producer Dan. Music by Nate Heller. Art by Max Wittert.

Week of April 8: Back to Life, Back to Regular Jeopardy! Apr 16, 2024

Show notes

It's baaaaaaacckkkkk! Regular games have returned after the completion of the JIT...but the first game back leaves us wondering if maybe the tournaments should come back, actually. We cover Victoria's triumphant victory at the JIT, the emergence of our first great player of the new season, and some hilarities that could only ensue on a regular-play game of J! We also dig into the controversy surrounding the Producer's Pick for the Masters, and we learn about Xolo dogs.

You can follow us on Instagram at @whatisajeopardypodcast and on Twitter at @jeopardypodcast.

Source: American Kennel Club: Xoloitzcuintli Dog Breed Information.

Special thanks to The Jeopardy! Fan and J-Archive.

Produced by Producer Dan. Music by Nate Heller. Art by Max Wittert.

Week of April 1: Two JIT-Heads Apr 09, 2024

Show notes

We are back to regularly scheduled programming after last week's first-ever guest, and it's time to start JIT-ting everywhere as we cover the final QF game, all the semifinals, and Finals Game 1. Victoria Groce knocks off Sam Buttrey to ensure the possibility of a new Masters contestant, Amy gets two $400 clues correct that save her tournament life, and Andrew continues true-Daily-Doubling his way to the top, with some great anecdotes along the way. In JFAF, the Canadian fans are pissed off about a Triple Stumper on Gordon Lightfoot and we go deep on The Golden Horde.

Special thanks to The Jeopardy! Fan and the J-Archive.

Produced by Producer Dan, Music by Nate Heller, Art by Max Wittert.

Week of March 25: Game Show Activism w/ Alex Jacob & Laurie Kilmartin Apr 02, 2024

Show notes

It's our first episode with a guest and we go extra long as Alex Jacob, 2015 Tournament of Champions winner and recent JIT competitor, joins us to break down his game in detail and all of the games last week as the JIT quarterfinals near their conclusion. And if one guest wasn't enough, Laurie Kilmartin (comedian) also very quickly joins us to discuss how good it felt to be a Jeopardy! clue last week, and how she hopes it leads to good things. This episode is full of good things as Chuck Forrest returns to the Alex Trebek stage, a few Chasers return after long layoffs, and David Madden gives one of the best anecdotes in recent memory. In JFAF, Ken shows off his tie collection, and John dives deep into the wild life of Al Capone.

Sources: History.com: "Al Capone - Scarface" and "8 Things You Should Know About Al Capone" by Elizabeth Nix.

The Mob Museum: "Al Capone"

My Al Capone Museum: "Origins of the Scars" by Mario Gomes.

Special thanks to The Jeopardy! Fan and J-Archive.

Produced by Producer Dan

Music by Nate Heller

Art by Max Wittert