What is...? A Jeopardy! Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Week of June 9: Blubbering Up the Pups w/ Louis Peitzman Jun 17, 2025

Show notes

On this very special John-less episode of WIAJP, Emily is joined once again by writer, podcaster, Jeopardy! fan, and certified good driver Louis Peitzman. We recap a fun week of runaway games and enjoy Matt Massie's 3-game run. Matt, are you listening?? One contestant's anecdote has us saying mazel tov and the fans speculate about Ken's star meter rising. Plus, in lieu of a deep dive, an extremely shallow dive as we dream-cast our favorite Jeopardy! players into various reality tv shows.

You should dream-cast yourself as a patron of our very own podcast! Not only do you get the joy of knowing you're supporting us, but you also get bonus episodes! At patreon.com/jeopardypodcast, with a $5/month donation, you'll get immediate access to our full back catalogue of bonus episodes plus our 2-part Masters recap coming this week and next and featuring an exclusive interview with Victoria Groce. You can't miss it!

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

Week of June 2: Everybody in the Pool Jun 10, 2025

Show notes

The world has gone mad as John officially enters the Jeopardy! contestant pool and we discuss this week of games with another spate of new champs as we say goodbye to Geoff Barnes and hello to "sullen, emo 'over it'" contestants Stella Trout and Joey Quismorio. We also have a conspiracy theory about the seemingly increased difficulty of this week's clues, Emily gets to see Dance Hall Crashers, J! fans are excited about the news of streaming, and we dive deep on the CN Tower (oo OOOOOO).

The Jeopardy! Masters has just concluded and the only place to hear us talk about it is on our Patreon! Head on over to patreon.com/jeopardypodcast to support the show but also to hear our coverage (coming later this week) of the excellent Masters tournament AND an exclusive interview with the J! queen herself, Victoria Groce. Plus, you'll get access to all of our previous bonus episodes, access to our Discord, and MORE!

SOURCE: The Torontoist: "The CN Tower is Dead. Long Live the CN Tower" by Kevin Plummer.

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

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

Week of May 26: What is The Space Jam? Jun 03, 2025

Show notes

It's another week with multiple champions, and for some reason, the Jeopardy! fans are FUMING about it! They complain when a champ wins too many games, but also when they win not enough. But hey, we have a nice time, as we get to meet a slew of new players this week, almost all of whom we like. Ken also basically says "shitpoo" on national TV, the noble "dik-dik" once again appears, and we go very, very deep on Dred Scott.

If you want to go deeper on our show, why not donate to the Patreon? By donating $5/month at patreon.com/jeopardypodcast, you'll get a brand-new bonus episode every month, access to our Discord, and MORE! With the Masters almost over, we will have our exclusive coverage of the tournament only available on our Patreon, and last month, Andy Richter joined us to discuss his three appearances on Celebrity Jeopardy! It was a blast and you won't wanna miss it.

SOURCE: Missouri Digital Heritage: "Missouri's Dred Scott Case:, 1846-1857"

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 May 19: The Vancouver Conspiracy May 27, 2025

Show notes

It's a big week for John on the pod, as he gets to set his own personal record and we wonder if the J! producers have it out for Vancouverites, as Brendan Liaw's great run comes to a harrowing end. We also get a couple of great games, John gives us an update on his Jeopardy! test experience, and J! fans are fuming (sort of?) about Jim's preparation for his Friday game. Plus, we dive deep on the first-ever woman to grace a professional British stage, Margaret Hughes!

Support the show by donating to our Patreon! It's the only place to get our Masters coverage (coming up at the tournament's end!) and the only place to hear our exclusive interview with Andy Richter about his time on the show. Plus, you'll get immediate access to our entire back catalogue and our wonderful Discord. Join today at patreon.com/jeopardypodcast!

SOURCE: Guinness World Records: "The Original Desdemona: The Scandalous Story of the First Stage Actress Ever" by Eleonora Pilastro

Special thank you 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 12: Hotties Night May 20, 2025

Show notes

It's an up-and-down week on J! as no champion really gains control of the left podium but we have a ton of fun with Ken going hard on referencing an anecdote, Andrew eats a lot of sandwiches, and J! continues to get horny with a "what is peen?" response. Plus, J! fans are upset with a Triple Stumper in FJ and we dive deep on Michael Dell.

Join our Patreon! It's an exciting time as Andy Richter joined us for an interview last week, discussing his three appearances on Celebrity Jeopardy!, the Sony catalogue, and he tells us what it was really like to beat Wolf Blitzer real bad. You also get access to our entire back catalogue of bonuses and immediate access to our super fun and rad Discord. Come join the fun at patreon.com/jeopardypodcast.

SOURCE: Academy of Achievement: "Michael S. Dell: Giant of the PC Industry"; Forbes: "Deal of the Century: How Michael Dell Turned His Declining PC Business Into a $40B Windfall" by Antoine Gara

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

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

Week of May 5: Pork E. Pig May 13, 2025

Show notes

It's a scattered week on Jeopardy! as we say goodbye to Ben Ganger and hello to a cavalcade of new champs, both deserving and perhaps a little bit lucky. We also deal with the most cringe game of the year as John's Canadian and Vancouver brother Keegan has one of the most devastating games in recent memory. Jeopardy! fans predictably fume about that game and a judges' ruling, we get an anecdote about birds, and we dive deep on The Beatles and their history at the Grammys.

Support the show by heading over to patreon.com/jeopardypodcast, where $5/month gets you a new bonus episode every month, access to our entire back catalogue, and access to our wonderful Discord. We have a very special interview coming up on this month's bonus episode and all of our Masters coverage is going behind the paywall. So click on over and check it out!

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times: "The Untold Story Behind the Last Beatles Song" by Stephen Thomas Erlewine; The Telegraph: "The Beatles, Now and Then, Review: A Loving but Dreary Attempt to Recapture the Magic" by Neil McCormick

Special thank you as always 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 28: It's Not Grovelling, It's Beseeching May 06, 2025

Show notes

It's been a real run of long-term champions recently and that continues anew this week as we say goodbye to Liam Starnes and hello to Ben Ganger, who puts together an impressive 4-game win streak. We also get a trifecta of hilarious Final Jeopardy! answers, a contestant tries valiantly to pronounce "Nate Bargatze", and friend of the show Alison Betts' innocuous comment on a Reddit post gets the J! fans fuming. Plus, we dive deep on Lee Child's creation, "Jack Reacher".

Support the show! Head on over to patreon.com/jeopardypodcast, where your $5 donation will get you access to our entire back catalogue, access to our Discord, and access to our Masters coverage, which will join our usual monthly bonus episode this month (and that bonus episode is a DOOZY with a VERY special celebrity guest!). Help keep the show going and get more glorious content! Everyone wins!

SOURCE: The Guardian: "Sacked at 40 and On the Scrapheap. Now Brummie Tops the US Book Charts" by David Smith; January Magazine: "The Persuasive Lee Child" by Ali Karim; Grantland: "The Curious Case of Lee Child" by Bryan Curtis

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

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

Week of April 21: Disgusting, Ageist, Gen Z Slang Apr 29, 2025

Show notes

It's Liam Starnes week on Jeopardy! as the 20 year-old goes on a run for the ages, and we love every second of it, from his Jeopardy!-themed birthday party to his endearing lack of knowledge about anything pop culture. John and Emily are reunited as Emily is on the mend from surgery and John is back home, and we revel in each other's company with the usual cavalcade of dumb jokes and observations. Plus, we get a contender for Response of the Year from Liam, Jeopardy! fans are very upset with a particular category, and we dive deep on the League of Nations.

Join the Patreon! For just $5/month at patreon.com/jeopardypodcast, you'll get a new bonus episode every month, access to our Discord, and MORE! This month, we had Isaac Hirsch and Juveria Zaheer join us for some pre-Masters prep with our first-ever Live Play episode. It was a total blast. We also announce on this episode that all of our Masters coverage is going behind the paywall. Can't hear it if you don't have a membership! Join today!

SOURCE: The US Office of the Historian: "The League of Nations, 1920"; History Channel: "The League of Nations"

Special thank you as always 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 14: Holy Sweater, Batman! w/ Becca Apr 22, 2025

Show notes

With Emily continuing to recover from ass surgery, it's the famous "Wife of the Pod" Becca who joins the show to break down the week that was, from Andrew Hayes locking up a ToC berth to Steven Hoying wearing perhaps the brightest sweater in Jeopardy! history. Becca tells us her history with the show and how it's been woven into the fabric of her relationship with John, and John gets so distracted having to do the episode write-ups for the show, he forgets to do the Deep Dive. Oops! Meanwhile, Becca takes the reins of JFAF to review a tough Final and she relates to one of Andrew's anecdotes in a sincere and adorable way.

Join the Patreon! This week, we released our latest bonus episode at patreon.com/jeopardypodcast, and it was our first Live Play edition of the show where Masters contestants Juveria Zaheer and Isaac Hirsch join us to warm up for the big tourney! John writes two boards for the occasion, and the episode is a ton of fun, as you'd expect with those two on tap. Plus, the episode is available in video so you can play along! That's available now along with our entire bonus episode back catalogue, access to our Discord, and more. Join today!

SOURCE: National Geographic: "Jane Goodall" by Sarah Appleton.

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

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

Week of April 7: Heel Turns w/ Handsome Kevin Seccia Apr 15, 2025

Show notes

On a very special John-less episode, Emily is joined by a friend of the pod & true hunk connoisseur: Handsome Kevin Seccia™️! We recap an exciting week of games as we bid goodbye to Mike Dawson and say hello to Andrew Hayes. We also succumb to Anise's charms, finally find out how tall Mike is, dive deep on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and set the record for most wrestling analogies ever made on this show. Do you smell what the pod is cooking?

Join the Patreon! We've got a new bonus episode coming this week that you're going to love! For $5/month, you'll get all our bonus episodes, access to the Discord to hang with John and Emily and talk J!, and lots more! Head on over to patreon.com/jeopardypodcast and support the show!

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

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

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