What is...? A Jeopardy! Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Week of January 13: A Woman of Simple Pleasures Jan 21, 2025

Show notes

The Second Chance Tournament is over and now it's time to revisit some of our favorite champs from the past with the Champions Wildcard Tournament, and much like the Second Chance, it does not disappoint. Both Second Chance winners Will and Drew make a good impression, John and Emily imagine what their dream Jeopardy! response would be if they were ever on the show, and Adam Hersh has the most "What is You Doing, Baby?" moment of the season so far. Plus, Emily is fuming at Drew's Instagram (though we still love Drew), Final Jeopardy! clues get tough, and we dive deep on "Silent Spring".

SOURCE: NRDC: "The Story of Silent Spring".

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.

Week of January 6: Winning Personified Jan 14, 2025

Show notes

It was a tough week for the world and California especially, but it was a great week for Jeopardy! fans as we were treated to a fantastic second week of Second Chance play. A bunch of our faves are back and we have a host of good anecdotes including a rare triple crown day where all 3 were actually good, we dive deep on rhesus monkeys in space, and Drew makes up with the Swifties in a Response of the Year candidate.

SOURCE: Space.com: "Monkeys in Space: A Brief Spaceflight History" by Mike Wall

Thanks 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 December 30: Second Chancey Will Yancey Jan 07, 2025

Show notes

The Second Chance Tournament is BACK and with it comes a whole host of our favorites from Season 40, including our man Will Yancey, who we were pulling for back in his first appearance on the show and we pull for him this week as he makes it to the finals. Can he hold off Kaitlin Tarr and Colleen Matthews? We find out here as Kaitlin has a potential harbinger of doom for an anecdote, Colleen becomes a master of wrong answer adlibs, and we learn that David Madden isn't the only Jeopardy! contestant to own several parrots. Plus, J! fans are fuming about the Jeopardy! calendar and we dive deep on Ulysses S. Grant's prolific smoking habit.

SOURCE: Grant Cottage: "Champion of the Weed: A Study of the 'Legendary' Smoking Habit of Ulysses S. Grant"; Oral Cancer Foundation: "Political Figures: Ulysses S. Grant"

Thanks 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.

Instagram: @whatisajeopardypodcast

Bluesky: @jeopardypodcast

Week of December 23: Essential Herbs Dec 31, 2024

Show notes

We got to celebrate Christmas with our listeners, and now it's time to celebrate New Year's, with this NYE episode that has us feeling great about 2025! And it must have Laura Faddah feeling great too, as she retires for a few months a 7-day champ with a little bit of luck and some very timely responses carrying her to a ToC berth as we head into the J! post-season. It was a fun week all around as John vibes with a Québécois contestant, Emily vibes with a particular Daily Double response, and we dive deep on Smokey Bear (not Smokey THE Bear, as you'll learn). Plus, Emily herself fumes as this week sees a near-record number of unread clues.

SOURCE: Alta Journal: "Smokey Bear: More Than an Icon" by Joshua Wheeler; Smokeybear.com: "About the Campaign".

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 December 16: The Christmas Eve Spectacular Dec 24, 2024

Show notes

An episode of your favorite Jeopardy! podcast on Christmas Eve?! What a gift! Emily and John share some memories of Christmas past as we also share some memories of this week of games which see Ashley Chan fall just short of the ToC threshold, but as Ken says: we'll see her again. We also get another couple of NASTY Final Jeopardy! clues that leave J! fans FUMING about the writers maybe being on VACATION (but still writing the clues while doing so apparently), we get some strange wagers from the contestants, and John helps Emily avoid jail time by diving deep on the RICO Act.

SOURCE: Federal Criminal Appeals Law Firm: "What is the RICO Act?"; TIME: "Law: Showdown at Gucci" by Alain L. Sanders and Priscilla Painton

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 December 9: Let's Just Do Our Own Bewitched Dec 17, 2024

Show notes

Look, sometimes we get things wrong. Ok, we get things wrong all the time. But we were very surprised Dave Bond didn't go deeper, as we say goodbye to him on Monday and hello to Bill McKinley and Ashley Chan, who both have a nice week. And we have a nice week too, as John coordinates a Jeopardy! surprise for his Blocked Party cohost Stefan Heck, J! continues their run of Final Jeopardy clues that swing wildly from quite difficult to dead easy, and Emily is really, really committed to getting out of PE. Plus, we dive deep on "I Dream of Jeannie" and its creator, Sidney Sheldon.

SOURCE: Forbes: "'I Dream of Jeannie' Home, A Jim Beam Whiskey Bottle, Expected to Fetch $100,000 At Auction" by Roberta Naas; New York Times: "Sidney Sheldon, Author of Steamy Novels, Dies at 89" by Margalit Fox

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 December 2: I Wish My Birkenstocks Smelled Like That Dec 10, 2024

Show notes

John is back and we have an absolutely fantastic of week of games, as we fall in love with Evan Jones and then fall in love all over again once Stevie Ruiz is introduced. And by the end of the week, it's Bond, Dave Bond, who runs roughshod over the competition and looks like a potential ToC contender while giving us another contender for Response of the Year. Plus, we get an anecdote that makes us feel stupider than some of the clues do, Jeopardy! fans can't believe a clue uses the word boob, and we dive deep on the Pied Piper of Hamelin, who apparently might have been a real guy (???).

SOURCE: BBC Magazine: "On the Trail of the Real Pied Piper" by Lizz Pearson; Medievalists: "The Pied Piper of Hamelin: A Medieval Mass Abduction?"

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.

Week of November 25: Rick Rat's Pizza w/ Guy Branum Dec 03, 2024

Show notes

With John away this week, Emily is joined by comedian, writer, and current Jeopardy contestant-pool member Guy Branum! They break down: the rise and fall of Episcopal priest Kevin Laskowski, the best movies to watch with your family during the holidays, and how to communicate through your Jeopardy! anecdote that you have lived a LIFE. Also discussed: Chuck E. Cheese, and the fortunes made and lost in bringing him to life.

SOURCE: New York Times: "Farewell, Chuck E. Cheese Animatronic Band" by Jesus Jiménez; IEEE.org: "Chuck E. Cheese's Animatronic Band Bows Out" by Allison Marsh.

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 November 18: Double Jeopardy: Folie à Deux Nov 26, 2024

Show notes

It's a Daily Double double this week as Mehal Shah pushes all-in twice in a row to give us one of the season's marquee moments. He also gives one of the responses of the year in FJ, prompting Ken to ask a very pertinent question. We say goodbye to Paul Clauson, who seemed poised to go deeper than he did, and we end the week with a new champion in Adam Hersh, who thankfully didn't throw up. Plus, Jeopardy! fans have finally had enough of video categories (and so have we!), we go deep on Carrie Nation, and we find out who will be in the Champions Wildcard and Tournament of Champions fields, which provokes some...thoughts.

SOURCE: Kansas Historical Society: "Carry A. Nation, Parts 2-8".

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

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

Week of November 11: Dan...Delete That Nov 19, 2024

Show notes

It's an up-and-down week on the show as Joey DeSena goes on a brief run before succumbing to the powers of women's tennis, Evan Dorey can't quite mount a run, and we end the week with "lovable nerd" Paul Clauson looking like a future contender. We also start a brand-new feud with Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla, Jeopardy! Fans Are Fuming about the topography of Scotland, we dive deep on the quietly sinister Sarah Polk, and Steven Czekala pulls off a rare feat...actually landing a joke on Jeopardy!.

SOURCE: Smithsonian Magazine: "How First Lady Sarah Polk Set a Model for Conservative Female Power" by Anna Diamond; Tennessee State Museum: "Sarah Polk: A Natural Politician When Women Couldn't Vote" by Peggy Burch.

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. Additional material by Chris Thayer.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

What is…? A Jeopardy! Podcast

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected