‘Jeopardy!’ Champ Reveals Show Secrets & Insider Tips: What You Don’t See on TV
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Former Jeopardy! champion Pasquale Palumbo, who recently returned to the show for the Champions Wildcard tournament, has opened up about his experience and shared a few behind-the-scenes nuggets and tips for future contestants.
In an article written for LaVoceDiNewYork.com, Palumbo spoke of the thrill of receiving an invite to compete on Champions Wildcard. The currently airing tournament sees brief champs from Seasons 37 and 38 returning to the Alex Trebek Stage to earn a spot in the upcoming Tournament of Champions.
“When my phone rang and the caller ID showed that it was one of the contestant coordinators from Jeopardy!, I felt like a Death Row convict getting a stay of execution. I was really going to get another chance at something most players can only dream about,” said Palumbo, who was a one-day champion in Season 37.
“So few of us get to play once on the show; still fewer become Champions, and a miniscule amount of us get invited back. Regardless of the outcome, I knew that I would be part of a small but elite group,” he continued.
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Palumbo faced off against 2022 National College Championship 3rd runner-up Isaac Applebaum and fellow one-day Season 37 champ Leah Wiegand in the Wildcard quarterfinals game. Sadly for Palumbo, he didn’t win the episode, as Weigand took home the victory and advanced in the competition.
Despite the loss, Palumbo loved the experience, especially as this time, he got to play in front of a studio audience and have Ken Jennings as host. He’d previously played during the COVID/Guest Host era when there was no studio crowd and the contestants were isolated from one another.
“Contestants watched the games together in the Green Room, cheering on our fellow Champions and experiencing the same highs and lows as whoever was on stage at the time,” Palumbo shared. “Having a studio audience provided a palpable energy to the studio and I got a thrill out of making them laugh between my banter with Host Ken Jennings.”
Jeopardy, Inc/YouTube
Palumbo also revealed some interesting behind-the-scenes info, including the show’s taping schedule and what the contestants see compared to the viewers at home.
He said that up to five shows are taped per day and that the games are filmed in real-time and only paused if there is an egregious error. “The errors are quickly corrected and the game resumes,” Palumbo said.
As for whether the contestants are given any off-screen advantages, he explained, “Contestants are not given the Categories ahead of time” and “each game’s contestants are chosen at random; in tournaments, this also includes which Podium they are positioned at.”
He added that the clue board viewers see at home is the same one the contestants read from, except the viewers have the advantage of each clue filling the entire screen.
In terms of what fans don’t see, Palumbo said there is “a scoreboard to the left of the Board that allows contestants to see what the current scores are; this is why you’ll see players looking that way when they are deciding on their Daily Double wagers.”
There is also a set of blue lights to each side of the board, indicating when the signaling device is active.
“The signaling device is the key to winning the game,” Palumbo stated. “You may only ring in when they are active; if you ring in too early, you are locked out for ¼ of a second. In a game where speed and accuracy are paramount, this can be an eternity.”
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