What is...? A Jeopardy! Podcast

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Week of September 15: [Borat voice] Sep 23, 2025

Show notes

Obviously if there is a Final Jeopardy! about Borat, we are going to discuss Borat. And we talk about some other stuff this week too, as Paolo Pasco continues his fantastic run all the way to a Tournament of Champions berth, we have a new player in the JFAF game (The National Enquirer!) and a contestant has a reaction to missing a clue that greatly tickles us both.

If you want to be tickled by more content, head on over to our Patreon at patreon.com/jeopardypodcast and support the show! You'll get a bunch of bonus episodes, access to our Discord, and more fantastic bonus content on the way. Don't miss out!

SOURCE: NPR: "Kazahstan Embassy Responds to Borat" by Phyllis Fletcher and "'Very Nice!': Kazahstan, Outraged No More, Embraces Borat In New Slogan" by Bill Chappell; BBC Culture: "What Kazakhstan Really Thought of Borat" by Yerlan Askarbekov

This episode was produced by Producer Dan. Music by Nate Heller. Art by Max Wittert. Special thank you to The Jeopardy! Fan and J-Archive.

Week of September 8: W-E-'-R-E-B-A-C-K-! Sep 16, 2025

Show notes

That's right, your very favorite comedy podcast about America's Favorite Quiz Show is BACK for Season 3 of our show and Season 42 of Jeopardy!'s. And we go all the way deep on this one as we reconnect with Jonathan Hugendubler, we meet a few listeners of our show who find success on the J! stage, and the week proves ripe for anecdote and response of the week candidates. Plus, J! fans are fuming over Ken becoming an empty nester and we dive deep on the Spelling Bee.

For our patrons, of course, our show never stopped, as we did bonus episodes all summer long over at patreon.com/jeopardypodcast, and had a blast doing it. John got a crash course in Broadway from Louis Peitzman, we watched Matt LeBlanc's porno, and we got lots more where that came from. Join today and never miss a new bonus episode PLUS hang out in our Discord with our very cool listeners!

SOURCE: The Outline: "When Spellers Became Athletes" by Ann-Derrick Gaillot; The Boston Globe: "At This Year's Spelling Bee, Make Way for Meaning" by Ben Zimmer; New York Times: "Frank Neuhauser, A Speller's Speller" by Margalit Fox

This episode was produced by Producer Dan. Music by Nate Heller. Art by Max Wittert. Special thank you to the J-Archive and The Jeopardy! Fan.

The 2025 Jeoppys Sep 03, 2025

Show notes

The most prestigious night in show business is here, it's the 2nd Annual Jeoppy Awards, presented by What Is...? A Jeopardy! Podcast. All the stars are out as we hand out the coveted awards to the surprise of the season, the Ken's Korner Award for Ken Jenningsism, and of course, the legendary Anecdote and Response of the Year. Plus, we introduce a few new awards, get our first-ever live acceptance speech, and we start the show with a monologue, featuring jokes about this past season of the show, written by professional TV writers! And John.

The show will return for Season 42 next week, and our podcast will return for Season 3 on September 16th. Until then, join our Patreon, won't you? It's a great way to support the show and catch up on all the bonus episodes you missed before a new season gets underway. Head on over to patreon.com/jeopardypodcast for all the details!

This episode was produced by Producer Dan. Music by Nate Heller. Art by Max Wittert. Additional material by Peter Miller.

The 2025 WIAJP Player of the Year: Drew Goins Aug 13, 2025

Show notes

The most prestigious awards season in television is here, as we kick off the 2025 Jeoppys with an interview with our second-ever Player of the Year, Drew Goins! From a tough loss in his initial game against David Erb to a surprise entry in the Tournament of Champions, we talk to Drew about it all. We learn how he has become friends with Lisa Ann Walter, how he monopolizes the children's section of his local library to prepare for the show, and of course, the Tinder/Grindr thing. Plus, we give Drew the chance to play everyone's favorite WIAJP Game: Jeoparedemption!, where he gets a chance to right some of the wrongs from the Alex Trebek Stage.

And of course, we will return later this summer with the rest of the 2025 Jeoppy Awards, but until then, you can subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/jeopardypodcast. $5/month gets you access to our entire back catalogue of bonus episodes and every new one, including last month when Louis Peitzman and Blocked Party co-host Stefan Heck joined Emily and John to help John prep for the ATS stage himself. And as you know, our first-ever live episode is fast approaching, as we will be watching Matt Leblanc's softcore porno and the only way to get in is to be a patron! So join today!

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

Week of July 21: Andrew Dice Clay Impressions Jul 29, 2025

Show notes

We made it! It's the final week of Season 41 of Jeopardy!, and the first FULL season of WIAJP is in the books with this extra-long episode as Scott Riccardi aims to keep his superchampion streak through the summer break. Can he do it?! We find out here, as we definitely do impressions of Andrew Dice Clay, Scott definitely runs out of anecdotes, and Jeopardy! fans are fuming about the IRONCLAD LAW of the show. Plus, we dive deep on William Randolph Hearst.

Please support the show over on our Patreon. It's just $5/month at patreon.com/jeopardypodcast for a bunch of bonus episodes with new ones coming up, access to our Discord, and access to our first-ever Zoom live show in August. We can't wait! Join today!

SOURCE: Biography: "William Randolph Hearst"; American Aristocracy: "William Randolph Hearst"

Special thank you as always 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 July 14: Triumphant Little Crumpet Jul 22, 2025

Show notes

It's another huge week for Scott Riccardi on Jeopardy! as he becomes a super-champion and looks to carry his run all the way into Season 42 as we head into the final week of Season 41 gameplay. We have a fun time getting sidetracked on this episode as we discuss Love Island, Emily's stoned journey in Las Vegas becoming a reality, and the show's continued insistence on shoehorning Harry Potter content into so many clues, week after week. But we leave room to discuss the show too, as Scott is stretching for anecdotes, we get a Response of the Year candidate from Dave, and we dive deep on Disneyland.

Support the show at patreon.com/jeopardypodcast, where $5/month gets you a new bonus episode every month! We have some live play coming up as John tries to brush up on some weak areas in his own J! play, and August will see our first-ever Zoom live episode, which will be a ton of fun and patrons-only. So join today!

SOURCE: The Walt Disney Family Museum: "The Genesis of Disneyland" by David Mumford and Bruce Gordon.

Special thank you 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 July 7: Great Scott! Jul 15, 2025

Show notes

It's Scott Riccardi Week on Jeopardy! as the champion goes on a wildly impressive run, winning every game and racking up a very impressive money total. And the games are great too, with some more excellent competitors with even better names lined up to play against Scott. Plus, we get a Jeopardy! poem, a guy who hates music, a Justin Bieber lyric mishap, and we dive deep on the Hope Diamond.

If you want to feel as rich as owning the Hope, donate to the show! Head on over to patreon.com/jeopardypodcast and for just $5, get all of our bonus episodes as well as a new one every damn month! This month, John gets his J! prep put to the test with some fresh boards created by hosts and guest hosts of this show, and next month, we have our first-ever live Zoom show planned. You won't wanna miss it!

SOURCE: Smithsonian: "The Hope Diamond"; Forbes: "The Secret History of The Hope Diamond: How Pierre Cartier Sold A Cursed Jewel" by Francesca Cartier Brickell

Special thank you as always to the J-Archive and The Jeopardy! Fan.

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

Week of June 30: JCAF Jul 08, 2025

Show notes

That's right, it's the first edition of Jeopardy! Couples Are Fuming, as the claim made by several news outlets that Jason Singer and his wife Susan McMillan were the first married couple to both win on Jeopardy! causes a stir between former players, J! fans, and the news outlets themselves. It's a dramatic week on the Alex Trebek Stage as well, as we tie the one-day champion streak, Jason's expressiveness leads to some wonderful "we feel you" moments, and we dive deep on the calamity that was Bush v. Gore.

Speaking of calamities, you can donate to our Patreon and support the show! Just kidding. It's not a calamity. It rules. At patreon.com/jeopardypodcast, you can support us AND get at least one bonus episode every month. Last month, it was TWO as we recapped Masters and did a wonderful interview with Victoria Groce. You'll also get access to our very fun Discord, all of our back catalogue, and more fun stuff, so don't miss out!

SOURCE: Vanity Fair: "The Path to Florida" by David Margolick.

Special thank you as always to J-Archive and The Jeopardy! Fan.

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

Week of June 23: The Contraption Jul 01, 2025

Show notes

It's a milestone week in Jeopardy! history as a Final Jeopardy! clue asks a contestant about her great aunt, whom she is also named after. It's serendipitous for that one-day champion who shares a theme with every other champion this week: they win one game. Jeopardy! closes in on the longest such streak in the show's history and we continue our streak of being stupid about this show as we discuss a few tricky Finals (and the fans who fume about them), speed stacking, a potential Response of the Year candidate, and we dive deep on Henry Clay Folger.

SOURCE: Folger Shakespeare Library: "Our Founders"; Smithsonian Magazine: "How the Soon-to-Reopen Folger Shakespeare Library Came To Be" by Andrea Mays and James L. Swanson.

Special thank you as always to The Jeopardy! Fan and J-Archive.

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

Week of June 16: We're Tired Jun 24, 2025

Show notes

Don't worry, we aren't tired of Jeopardy! at all. But we are life-tired as John is still jet-lagged from his trip to Iceland and Emily is shaking off the effects of a long weekend camp reunion. And of course, that means this episode is as chaotic as Thursday's Final Jeopardy! was, as we have tons of bleary-eyed laughs covering a wild week of games and one of the most memorable FJs since we started doing the show. Plus, J! fans are loving Phineas & Ferb, Dan captures our attention with some very funny anecdotes, and we dive deep on the Biltmore estate.

If you want to dive deep on our Masters coverage, there's only one way to do it: our Patreon! Head on over to patreon.com/jeopardypodcast to support the show and you'll get last week's episode recapping the entire Masters journey, and this week's episode, our exclusive interview with the Queen herself, Victoria Groce! It's so good and you will not wanna miss it, so join today and support the show!

SOURCE: The Biltmore: "Our Story" by Bill Cecil.

Special thank you as always to the J-Archive and The Jeopardy! Fan.

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

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