TV Retrospective: "Jeopardy! All-Star Games"

Alex Trebek (center, back) with the contestants

There have been few game shows that have made celebrities quite like Jeopardy! Over the course of 35 years, the show has celebrated intellect while making it host, Alex Trebek, into an icon. Many people will likely know Ken Jennings whose run made him one of the most sought after geniuses in pop culture of the past 15 years. With the All-Star Games, Jeopardy! decided to celebrate this anniversary by bringing back 18 former champions (contestants who have won $100,000 or more in competition) to compete on six teams. For fans of the series, it was a blissful occurrence, embodying fantasy team-ups of fan favorites coming together to determine who was the smartest in the group. While the answer was obvious (Team Brad eeked out a victory), the 10 days building up to that final moment were what Jeopardy! was at its best: friendly competition.

What's incredible to note about the quiz show over the course of its run is how little it has changed. For five nights a week, it has had three rounds programmed to start and end at certain times. Even as they have done various special tournaments, they have stuck to the format with unprecedented diligence. No gaffs in between questions would delay the end of the show. It all had to end on time. In a modern age, that's something that feels unprecedented. What's even more so is that in that time, in between answering thousands of questions, people have become overnight celebrities simply for being eccentric and smart. It's incredible in part because the show's lack of fat makes it difficult to stand out. It's all impulse, answering questions as fast as possible. And yet, figures as recently as Matt Jackson, Buzzy Cohen, and Austin Rogers have turned their big brains into draws for fans by adding small bits of flair. People don't just watch the show for Trebek or to learn new facts. It's to watch the common man celebrating just how smart they truly are.

It's what made the past two weeks all the more exciting. Not only were champions coming back to compete, but the show was going to switch up the format. For the first time in 35 years, Jeopardy! would deconstruct itself before audiences' eyes. Starting with the draft late in 2018, the show has built up this event as must-see TV. Who wouldn't want to see Jennings compete against the younger, more spry winner like Cohen and Rogers? There's excitement in seeing these figures face off. However, there were several loopholes throughout the run that made it more interesting. Along with several behind the scenes videos, Jeopardy! took time away from the program's format to highlight how the teams prepared. They would talk about how each round was planned as well as the difficult way to plan a Final Jeopardy. Even if it was already strange to see nine players in one game, the show's peeking behind the curtain took an often introverted bit and extroverted it, showing that every team was supportive and crucial to making a decision.

Once the games got rolling, it was more of the same. Jeopardy! fans at this point know what to expect when those categories are announced. While the first few episodes, mixed with extensive introductions and interviews, were a bit raggedy and slow compared to an average episode, it was during the second week that things picked up. As teams started becoming eliminated, the show's intensity picked up and the curiosity as to who would be in the final matches became a fun guessing game. Those watching the first few episodes would think that the wild card match would go to Team Austin or Team Buzzy, whose early projections were intimidating. They were the audience favorites, dominating interviews with laughs and playful intimidation. When it was decided that Team Colby Burnett would pull through, it was a genuine shock. As much as it had to do with ambitious players losing money at inopportune times, it was also the strategy of a conservative team, taking each decision seriously. 

With the draft rankings projecting at the bottom of the screen as the credits rolled during every episode, the slow elimination was exciting and frustrating. It was fun to see champions facing off who otherwise had never competed. It was fun to be reminded of second-tier champions swooping in at the last minute to save the day. There were few things certain about a match, save for the dominance of Team Ken and Team Brad, whose trigger finger approach to playing was always a draw to the show. They were dizzying to watch, especially with the one-two punches of Jennings and teammate Jackson, whose persistence gave them a nice control over their competitors. It was frustrating in part because as the game went along, players like Team Austin failed to maintain their early steam in a meaningful way. While it's true that maybe they were just playing for fun, a little more of Rogers goes a long way as one of the show's most memorable contestants of the past two years.

At the end of the day, Jeopardy! has always been about watching contestants have fun being smart. Along with unexpected turns midway through every game, this was a special event in the show's run that highlighted why the show has continued to matter. It isn't just another quiz show with tidbits. It is a show where competition is mixed with personality. Everyone in the tournament has become a fan favorite, forming their own lore as they have won several games. Some have done it through sheer intellect, though there are few contestants who have created memes and given the show a second life through memorable bits. Where shows like Wheel of Fortune get by on having contestants giving ridiculous (and wrong) answers, Jeopardy! strives to take the high road on a regular basis, and to see so many butting personalities is a testament to it. 

With news following not even 24 hours later of Trebek's diagnosis with stage four pancreatic cancer, there's likely a heartwarming yet bittersweet twist to everything. As a celebration of all things Jeopardy!, it was a perfect way to pass the time. As a testament to the legacy that Trebek has bestowed on these 18 contestants (and hundreds more), it's such a beautiful statement. The Final Jeopardy during the final game was merely a way for Trebek to talk lovingly about his time on the show. With his future in uncertainty (though he has a few more years on his contract), it does seem like this has a deeper calculation, as something meant to raise attention towards the show in a loving way. The show was different than anything before because it wasn't just about the game. It was about how it has brought so many together in the love of knowledge and competition. One can hope that with this comes Trebek's recovery. Nobody can replace him. The past two weeks of games have proven that very well.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5