Jeopardy! is a trivia game that started as a game show on television. Due to its continuing popularity, the game has been adapted into several forms. You can find this game to play online and test your knowledge of different kinds of trivia in your free time.
Be sure to check out my recent post about Jeopardy slot machines.
History of Jeopardy!
The game of Jeopardy! is one of the longest running game shows on television. It is a trivia game that has a twist because the contestants must answer in the form of a question. The show was created in the mid-1960’s by Merv Griffen and first was broadcast on NBC. There have been periods in the history of Jeopardy! where the show was not on the air, but it is still broadcasting to this day with Alex Trebek as the host of the show.
Due to the popularity of the game show on television, it was only a matter of time before it was converted to video game form. One of the first game versions of Jeopardy! was on Nintendo’s original NES system, and was released in 1987. There have been many versions of the game on different systems over the years, with one of the most recent being released for the Nintendo Wii and DS in late 2010. There are also a variety of websites where you can play different versions of Jeopardy! online for free. The game continues to be very popular for fans of trivia games.
How to Play Jeopardy!
The game play in Jeopardy! is fairly easy to master. Since it is a trivia game, you will be shown different categories, with different money values. The least amounts of money are the easier ones to answer. When you choose, you will be shown an answer. To get the money value, you need to solve the trivia by answering in the form of a question. This can trip up some players, because you have to think about your phrasing before you answer.
On the computer games, you may be given a list of questions to choose from to complete the answer. This can help because you can make educated guesses if you aren’t completely sure of what the correct question is. As you go through the round you get the cash value for any questions you get right, but if you answer any incorrectly, their cash value is subtracted from your total.
When you are playing Jeopardy! online, you are often playing alone. So the goal is to get the highest score possible. If you have no clue when an answer comes up, you can pass. This can ensure that you don’t lose a lot of your money throughout the game play. On the original game show there was two rounds before getting to the Final Jeopardy! round, but on many of the online games there is only one round and then Final Jeopardy! You can win a lot or lose a lot during that last round, so you have to be careful when you put the money value for the Final Jeopardy! round. You can play in your free time and increase your knowledge of trivia to increase your skill at Jeopardy!
Play Jeopardy! for Real Money
There are several websites on the internet that allow you to play games to win real money. You can play Jeopardy! in this fashion as well. If you have a lot of knowledge that helps you with playing trivia games, you may want to sign up for one of these websites.
Usually you will be playing against someone, but not in the same game. You will play your rounds as will your opponent, and whoever has the highest amount of money at the end is the winner. Trivia games can be very hard, so it’s a good idea to play several practice rounds on the website of your choice before you try to dive into playing for real money right away. By playing practice rounds, you can see what your skill level is on that particular website.
Once you get used to the game play of Jeopardy! on the particular website, you can start playing for real money. You can use your knowledge of trivia to play a fun game in your free time, and win actual money while you are doing it. This is a great reason, if your skill level is high enough, to play Jeopardy! for real money.
Strategy for Playing Jeopardy!
When you are playing Jeopardy! online, you generally aren’t playing against another person in the same game. This means that you can answer all the questions that you want. Usually these online games will give you a list of questions to choose from to complete the answer that was given. For this reason, you can choose to try and answer a question that you may only have a vague idea what the correct response is. Usually you can narrow down the choices that are given to be able to pick the right one. By using this strategy, you can increase the money that you earn throughout the game.
If you do come across an answer you have no idea about, it is best to just pass. It is much better to miss out on the money that you might get than to get it wrong and lose money. This is especially true for the higher money value answers. Also if you get the Daily Double answer, only bid a high amount if you are well versed in the category. The Daily Double can make your cash amount go up fast but only if you get the right answer.
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When you get to the Final Jeopardy! round, you should use the same strategy as with the Daily Double. Only wager a high amount if you know a lot about the category in question. You can gain or lose a lot in this round, so you need to be careful when you make your wager. Especially since the Final Jeopardy! answers are generally harder than the answers in the normal round.
If you follow these strategies, you can use your knowledge of trivia to be able to have fun and win big at the game of Jeopardy! You may even be able to win real money depending on the website you chose to play on.
The Jeopardy music is a big part of the show’s theme and mood. Despite the racing thoughts and mental strain of trying to come up with a quick reply to the Final Jeopardy! clue, the show always has that calm, relaxing song playing in the background. People often ask what the name of the Jeopardy song is and where it came from. The answer might surprise you, along with the number of versions of the Jeopardy theme that have been used over the years.
Original Jeopardy Game Show
Those in the younger generation might not know that the game show Jeopardy! is a lot older than you’d think. The song is the same age. When Jeopardy first came to television in 1964, it was created by the multi-talented Merv Griffin. Merv Griffin was already hosting a talk show at the time, but Griffin’s wife came up with the idea on a flight back in the early 1960s. She mentioned there had been no successful Q&A programs since the “Quiz Show” scandal in the 1950s and suggested the famous answer-as-question and question-as-answer format. Merv Griffin went to NBC and they bought the idea from him without even seeing a pilot. The first iteration of Jeopardy! was hosted by Art Fleming and would remain on the air from 1964 to 1975.
Think Music by Merv Griffin
Merv Griffin’s contribution to the on-air production was to write the Jeopardy music for the Final Jeopardy segment. This tune Merv Griffin called “Think Music”. In the first version of the show, the music only would play during Final Jeopardy!. It was in the later 1980s remake with Alex Trebek that the tune would be incorporated into the opening theme. Here is what the original version of Merv Griffin’s “Think Music” sounded like.
Jeopardy! Think Music of the 1960s and from 1984-1997:
Alex Trebek’s Jeopardy
When the show came back on the air in 1984, Alex Trebek was selected to be the host. The new show had a new opening theme song which incorporated “Think Music”. Here is the first version of the Jeopardy! opening theme to include Merv Griffin’s musical offering.
Jeopardy! Opening Theme Song:
1997-2008 Jeopardy Theme Music
It was during the 1980s and 1990s that Jeopardy became the American game show classic that it’s considered today, though the show is only a little different than it was in the original version. In the increasingly hectic world of the late-20th century, people enjoyed the calm and quiet of a challenging and mentally-stimulating trivia show hosted by the ever-composed Alex Trebek, while “Think Music” adds to the relaxing ambiance.
The theme music changed with the times. An updated and expanded version of Merv Griffin’s tune was composed in 1997 and remained the opening theme from 1997 to 2008, when a third update took place. Here is the 1997 to 2008 version of the opening Jeopardy theme, which many consider the finest version of the song.
Jeopardy! Theme Music 1997-2008:
Post-2008 Jeopardy Music – Song Update
Jeopardy! producers in the 21st century wanted a slightly upbeat version of the Jeopardy song, perhaps hoping to breathe life into the presentation with a livelier adaptation of “Think Music”. You’ll notice the post-2008 version has a faster beat. I still prefer the earlier versions of the song, but I have no major complaints about the version which opens the show these days. Here is the present version you’ll hear every day.
Jeopardy! Theme from 2008 to the Present:
Through it all, the original Jeopardy music penned by Merv Griffin plays in the Final Jeopardy segment of the show. Most people reading this will know the song plays over a span of 30 seconds, as the competitors are given thirty seconds to answer one final question, after first having wagered a percentage of the dollars they’ve already collected over the course of the show. Listening to the Jeopardy tune is a perfect end for a 30-minute break from the cares and concerns of the everyday, as viewers get to challenge themselves by answering trivia questions at the same time as the players on the broadcast do. Nearly 50 years later, Jeopardy! remains a daily refuge of rationality, calmness, and charm. So thank you, Merv Griffin, for giving us the game of Jeopardy! and the song that’s such a major part of the presentation.