24-05-2025
People are just realizing Jeopardy! nearly had a VERY different name
Game show fans are only just discovering that America's beloved quiz program Jeopardy! was nearly called something completely different.
Television legend Merv Griffin, the creator of the long-running show, originally planned to call his creation 'What's the Question?' before a stroke of genius changed everything.
Most fans have no idea about the fascinating story behind how it got its iconic name.
While brainstorming ideas with his wife Julann back in 1963, Griffin was deeply concerned about the quiz show scandals that had been popular on television in the previous decade.
In the 1950s, popular programs like 'Twenty-One' and 'The $64,000 Question' had been embroiled in controversial cheating scandals when producers were caught secretly giving answers to favored contestants.
This left viewers feeling betrayed and suspicious of quiz shows.
As a result, Julann made an offhand remark that would change television history forever.
She suggested a show where contestants would be given the answers first.
This was the exact opposite approach of other quiz shows at the time, Griffin revealed in the foreword to 1990's 'The Jeopardy! Book.'
'She was kidding, but the thought struck me between the eyes,' he said.
The early concept was still under the title 'What's the Question?'
It featured an ambitious 10-by-10 game board with 100 questions organized into 10 categories.
While NBC executives loved the initial run-through, they worried the massive board wouldn't fit properly on television screens.
But Griffin responded by dividing the categories into shorter rounds of play - but the show's iconic name was still missing.
The breakthrough came during a meeting with NBC producer Ed Vane, who reviewed his notes with Griffin and made a comment that would inadvertently give birth to television history.
Vane 'told me that he liked the premise but that it lacked enough 'jeopardies,'' Griffin shared in his 2007 memoir, 'Merv: Making the Good Life Last,' as reported by the New York Post.
This led Griffin to decide to implement the crucial component of the game which involves contestants actually losing money if they buzzed in with incorrect responses.
Griffin later admitted that Vane had 'inadvertently given me the perfect name for the show'.
Jeopardy! finally made its television debut on March 30, 1964, with original host Fleming at the helm.
The beloved quiz show has seen five official hosts throughout its impressive 39-season run.
But it's best known for its host Alex Trebek, who led the show for an incredible 36 years from 1984 until his death from pancreatic cancer in November 2020.
The show is now famously hosted by Ken Jennings, who took over full-time hosting duties after initially sharing the role with 'The Big Bang Theory' star Mayim Bialik.
