Jeopardy! fans are getting much more than just a new reigning champ on Monday, October 14’s episode. For the first time in years, there’s an upgraded set, with quite a few buzzworthy tweaks.
Eamonn Campbell (who ousted five-day winner Mark Fitzpatrick last Friday), Jack Swansey, and Caryn Radick can boast of being the first players to compete on the totally revamped set. Some of the changes to the Alex Trebek stage were announced on last week’s Inside Jeopardy! podcast, while others were saved for a big on-air reveal.
The biggest change is the new game board, which displays all of the 60 clues, six categories, and dollar amounts. For the first time in Jeopardy!’s 60-year history, no longer are there 36 individual monitors. Now, there’s one, single electronic video board. As Ken Jennings walks out, the new high-tech monitor can be seen in action:
As seen above, the category at the top is now highlighted with each clue selection, which makes it easier for fans to keep track and for players who may have minor vision issues.
There’s also an updated music package when the categories are introduced (sorry, it’s not the retro “beep boops”). And the graphics have also been updated overall, including the boxout screen when a player answers a Daily Double.
The biggest non-cosmetic change is that Jennings (finally!) goes over and stands by the contestants during the interview segments. This is a switchback to how things were before the pandemic (and is a first for Jennings as host):
The last major change is that the’s a new Final Jeopardy monitor, AKA the little screen where Jennings reveals the final category before the last commercial break and the clue after the break. The new monitor has a glowing, gold frame and matches the bigger game board (also seen above).
Fans who live in regions where the quiz show airs earlier shared the first-glimpse snaps on social media ahead of EST airtime, with other fans sharing their thoughts in the replies.
“Jeopardy is back with its upgraded set tonight. Looking nice!” one X user wrote sharing preview pics.
“Yes. It’s here. We have a new set on Jeopardy. And for the first time since 2019, the host is walking at the podium’s contestants to chat,” wrote another. “Wow. Mayim Bialik would’ve been proud for the new set, but too bad she’s no longer hosting.”
“It’s time for the podiums to be pushed back together,” begged a third.
“I LOVE that they listened to the fans and inserted a category highlight marker after a contestant verbally says what it is they’re interested in, because those of us at home can’t always believe what we just heard and have to double-check to make sure their selection matches up with what we think we just heard,” wrote a fourth.
Season 41 of Jeopardy! has had a unique production schedule, which would explain why the new set wasn’t paired with the season premiere last month.
The episodes fans have been seeing until now were taped last season before the annual summer hiatus. For the first few weeks of Season 41, Pop Culture Jeopardy! (debuting December 4 on Amazon Prime Video) was being taped in its entirety. This means Monday’s episode is the first actually taped during Season 41, with fresh clues, and the new set.
On the last Inside Jeopardy! podcast, co-hosts Sam Buttrey and Sarah Whitcomb Foss explained that Pop Culture Jeopardy! has a fully redone set, and the producers decided to keep some of the features, like the new game board, for the syndicated (or nightly) show.
Related‘Jeopardy!’ Boss Announces Iconic Game Board Is Getting Replaced – See Photo & Debut Date
“I don’t know if folks know, one of the exciting things about the Pop Culture set is the debut of the electronic board,” Buttrey shared.
“Yes, this was where you first got to get a look at that game board,” producer Foss confirmed. “No longer 36 monitors; a single, giant game board.”
Foss also explained that Pop Culture Jeopardy! doesn’t have a Final Jeopardy monitor because the contestant podiums (for the teams of three) were too chunky for the screen to fit. But (and while nothing else is being kept from the Pop Culture show), they decided to build a “new and improved” Final Jeopardy monitor to match the new game board.
Jeopardy!, Weekdays, check local listings
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