What is...? A Jeopardy! Podcast

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Week of March 31: An Outrageously Biased Episode Apr 08, 2025

Show notes

Look, past guest host of this show and our great friend Guy Branum was on Jeopardy! this week. In theory, some other stuff happened too, but we are mostly focused on Guy's Friday appearance, as he does battle with 4-day champion Bryce Wargin and Mike Dawson in a fantastic game. Elsewhere, Mike and Conner give us some great "bad date" anecdotes, JFAF sees the online J! community curious about Guy's bonafides, and we dive deep on Louis Braille. But mostly, Guy was on the show this week, and we just think that's neat.

Join the Patreon! For just $5/month, you'll get a bonus episode every single month, access to our Discord, and way more fun stuff. This month, we have a very unique and very special bonus episode coming you won't wanna miss! Plus, your money goes directly to supporting the show and helping us to keep it going. patreon.com/jeopardypodcast today!

SOURCE: Duxbury Systems: "Louis Braille and the Braille System"

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 March 24: Gold Medal in the Nerd Olympics Apr 01, 2025

Show notes

It's Josh Weikert week on the show, as he goes through a series of Final Jeopardy! misses but it doesn't matter, as a combination of lock games, weird wagers, and good ol' fashioned luck conspire to make him the latest entrant into the 2026 Tournament of Champions. And what a week it is, as Jeopardy! continues to get even hornier with some wild anagrams, we get two insanely nerdy anecdotes, J! fans are fuming about the Masters lineup, and we dive deep on the nicknames of North and South Korea.

Join the Patreon now and support the show! It's easy! Head on over to patreon.com/jeopardypodcast, where your donation will get you access to our bonus episodes, our Discord, and more fun stuff. You simply won't believe the very cool bonus episodes we have coming your way, and as announced on the pod today, Masters content will also be exclusively behind the paywall. Help out the show and help yourself by improving your life with some sweet content now!

SOURCE: "Corea: The Hermit Nation" by William Elliot Griffis; New York Times: "Exploring 'The Land of Morning Calm'" by Adam H. Graham.

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 March 17: The One With Matt Leblanc's Porno Mar 25, 2025

Show notes

Yes, this is a Jeopardy! podcast, and yes, John reminisces about the old softcore pornography show "The Red Shoe Diaries", which yes, does have an episode with Matt Leblanc in it. But enough about that, it's Alex DeFrank week on the show as the former Sports Jeopardy! champ goes on an excellent run and Ken really lets loose this week with multiple interjections including allowing Alex the joy of doing a Butt-Head impression on the Alex Trebek stage. Plus, a Joanna Newsom anecdote leads to follow-up from Mr. Joanna Newsom himself, Andy Samberg, J! fans are upset with clues about Kanye, and we dive deep on Copenhagen the Horse.

Donate to the show at patreon.com/jeopardypodcast to not only support the show, but also to get our latest bonus episode: an interview with Alison Betts! One of our fave players from the last year, Alison tells us all about her initial J! run, her ToC prep, and the whole Foghorn Leghorn thing. Plus, she gets a chance to play the Redemption Game and we have a whole ton of fun. You also get access to the Discord, all previous bonus episodes, and more. Join today!

SOURCE: The Pall Mall Magazine: "Copenhagen and Other Famous Battle-Horses" by Archibald Forbes.

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.

Week of March 10: When I'm Under, I'm So Under Mar 18, 2025

Show notes

We are back, baby! After Emily needed a week off to deal with a butt issue, we have returned and not a moment too soon, as we have an absolutely stellar week of games to recap that had a tournament feel and some very memorable contestants. The H-Bomb looks like he's going to blow up the Jeopardy! stage before running into James Corson, who starts a little run of his own, before the third podium changes hands a few times before the end of the week. We also include some JIT coverage too, so don't fear, as we include Juveria's run-in with Cocaine Bear and Matt's attempt to be the next J! villain. Plus, the very same Jeopardy! insider is once again claiming Ken is threatened by Colin Jost and we dive deep on Twister.

Donate to the show at patreon.com/jeopardypodcast! Our bonus episode for March drops soon, as Alison Betts joins us for an exclusive interview! You also get access to our Discord and we have way more fun stuff coming, so help support the show today!

SOURCE: History: "How Johnny Carson Saved Twister" by Christopher Klein; Smithsonian: "When Twister Was Too Risqué for America" by Michael Waters; The Guardian: "How We Made Twister" by Nancy Waters

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 February 24: John Can Have One Good Joke, As a Treat Mar 04, 2025

Show notes

The JIT continues as we wrap up the quarters and find our way into the first semifinal with some awesome games featuring some of our favorite sweeties! Some of John's favorite Canadians are here too (ooo OOOO) and we have a blast recapping an epic battle between Ben Chan and Shane Whitlock, a buzzer masterclass from Luigi de Guzman, and Ken really having a lot of fun with a category about fascism. Plus, J! fans aren't really fuming but we do get the first instance of a J! player blaming their tiny hands on a loss and we dive deep on Harry Houdini. Or do we? It's magic!

Donate to the show and get our first-ever bonus episode the second you do, plus access to our Discord! patreon.com/jeopardypodcast! Support your favorite J! recappers!

SOURCE: The New Yorker: "Harry Houdini and the Art of Escape" by David Denby; Appleton Post-Crescent: "When Harry Met Edna: 115 Years Ago, Two of Appleton's Most Famous Residents Crossed Paths" by Shane Nyman; Wisconsin Life: "Harry Houdini and His Unbreakable Chain to Appleton" by Corinne Hess; History: "What Killed Harry Houdini?" by Evan Andrews

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 February 17: A Hershey's Kiss Feb 25, 2025

Show notes

Your two favorite JIT-heads are BACK as the Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament rides once again. We have a couple of stunning upsets, the return of many of our sweeties from years' past, and we get very distracted talking about the television show Reacher on this podcast about the television show Jeopardy!. Plus, Roger Craig returns in a big way with an ode to his legendary ToC moment and some news about his love life (which Jeopardy! fans also find a way to fume about, as is their wont), we get some very nice updates about our contestants' lives (Hannah Wilson owns a yarn shop! Troy is a dad now!), and we dive deep on a very unfortunate part of America's history, the Plessy v. Ferguson case.

A reminder you can now donate to support the show and get our first-ever bonus episodes for your troubles! Head on over to patreon.com/jeopardypodcast and you'll get us talking about the first two weeks of this year's Celebrity Jeopardy!, access to our Discord, and more fun stuff. See you there!

SOURCE: National Archives: "Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)"; Legal Information Institute: "Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)"

A 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 February 10: In Life, You Have Certain Photos Feb 18, 2025

Show notes

It's the Tournament of Champions FINAL week and we crown a brand-new champion! We also watch a weird exhibition game for some reason. The games feature some really great play, some real nervous energy, and without spoiling anything here in the synopsis, one of Adriana Harmeyer, Isaac Hirsch, and Neilesh Vinjamuri hoists the ToC crown, winning $250,000 and the right to compete in the J! Masters. It's also a masterful week for our show as Isaac tells an anecdote that was a story he FIRST TOLD on this here podcast, and we get a potential Bat Signal from Ken Jennings himself that maybe, just maybe, he listens to this podcast. Speaking of Ken, Jeopardy! fans are fuming about him yet again, and we dive deep on the Burghers of Calais.

It's also a HUGE week for our podcast as we are OFFICIALLY launching our PATREON! It is live now and THIS THURSDAY we will drop our first-ever bonus episode, covering the first two episodes of this season of Celebrity Jeopardy! You won't wanna miss that, plus all the other goodies you'll get from being a patron like access to an exclusive Discord with us, maybe some live hangouts, and MORE! Donate now at patreon.com/jeopardypodcast and get ready for Bonus Episode 1 this Thursday, of which there is a 10-minute SNEAK PEEK on this episode!

SOURCE: Parisian Fields: "The Story Behind the Sculpture"; The Met: "The Burghers of Calais"

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 February 3: Sexual Water Feb 11, 2025

Show notes

It's a whiplash week of Jeopardy! as we go all the way from the Tournament of Champions quarterfinals to the finals, ending up with a three-way clash for the belt between Adriana Harmeyer, Isaac Hirsch, and Neilesh Vinjamuri. But we have to get their first as Drew gets a few more good bits in, Jeopardy! once again FAILS to beat the horny allegations in their most serious tournament of the year, and we dive deep on the French monarchy. Plus, we discuss the just-announced lineup for this year's JIT and Jeopardy! fans once again point out an Isaac wagering mistake.

SOURCE: Biography.com: "Louis XVI"; History Channel: "This Day in History: Louis XVI Executed"

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

This episode was produced by Producer Dan. Music by Nate Heller. Art by Max Wittert. Follow the show on Instagram at @whatisajeopardypodcast.

Week of January 27: Tournament of Heartbreak Feb 04, 2025

Show notes

After weeks of Second Chance and Champions Wild Card play, the long-awaited Tournament of Champions is finally HERE! And it immediately breaks our hearts, as some of our faves go home early and we are treated to one of the harshest Final Jeopardy! judges' rulings in recent memory as CWC champion Mehal Shah bows out. We also see one of the strongest games of the season so far from Neilesh, and Amy escapes a wild game with a W, thanks in part to one of the toughest FJs we've ever seen. Plus, Jeopardy! fans fume about the games being too "modern" (they must hate our show) and we dive deep on the annis horribilis speech of 1992 (which is how Mehal will probably describe his 2025 moving forward).

SOURCE: History.com: "'Annus Horribilis': Why Queen Elizabeth II Called 1992 a Horrible Year" by Jessica Pearce Rotondi.

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 January 20: It's a Bifecta! Jan 28, 2025

Show notes

John was away for work this week and got sick so this is his "Flu Game", as we recap the final week of the Champions Wild Card, and what a week it was. The week featured one of the games of the year, a wonderful two-game final between three of our favorite competitors in the tournament, and another beautifully connected anecdote and response from Drew. Plus, a successfully pulled-off Arrested Development gag, Jay Fisher cementing his place as one of the best anecdotalists in the show's recent history, and we dive deep on the USS Nautilus–how appropriate.

SOURCE: Naval History and Heritage Command: "Nautilus (SSN-571)"

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.

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