‘Jeopardy!’ Contestants Reveal Show’s Secret Dress Code

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Former Jeopardy! contestants have been opening up about the rules and regulations when it comes to the show’s dress code, including what is and isn’t allowed.

The discussion started on the Jeopardy! Reddit forum when one user asked, “James Holzhauer mentioned how he likes wearing sweaters as it makes him feel comfortable. So what exactly are the rules and limits when it comes to clothing?”

Several contestants chimed in, including 2025 Tournament of Champions competitor Alison Betts, who wrote, “I’ll tell you a secret. On my second day I switched to tennis shoes because I knew I’d be at the far podium and no one would see my feet. I also promptly lost.”

Recent contestant Anise K. Strong-Morse replied, “Nobody in our contestant’s room was wearing heels, I noticed, and generally not even dress shoes. I brought flats in case but wore my regular nice teaching sandals.”

Alison Betts on Jeopardy! (Jeopardy, Inc!)

She added, “It’s worth noting that the pictures with Ken [Jennings] now are done behind the podium, not in front of the Big Board like they used to be, so literally you could be wearing hot pink leather booty shorts on your bottom half and nobody would ever know except maybe if you’re far right and there’s a 1/2 second shot of your side as the camera pans.”

Former host Alex Trebek once poked fun at the idea that contestants could be wearing anything behind their lecterns. In a 2015 Tournament of Champions episode, the late host came out to the stage with nothing on his bottom half except for boxer shorts, socks, and shoes.

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Strong-Morse also revealed that contestants are sent pictures of “acceptable apparel featuring a wide variety of actual Jeopardy! contestants of every gender, size, and a wide variety of fashion tastes,” along with pictures of clothes that wouldn’t work, including “tight patterns and so forth.”

“Once you get there, the amazing wardrobe mistress evaluates everyone’s outfits and approves or disapproves; some folks have to go to a 2nd or 3rd or 4th choice. But she doesn’t pass verdict on shoes at all,” she concluded.

Josh Martin, who competed on the show last July, shared similar thoughts, explaining, “They mostly give examples of what not to wear, like really busy patterns. They tell you to stick to solid colors. There was one contestant our tape day who had a top that didn’t work well with the background when they tested it and had her wear one of her other tops.”

Josh Martin on Jeopardy! (Jeopardy, Inc!)

Rick Terpstra, a three-time champion in 2018, noted how producers made him remove his tie “because it didn’t look right on camera,” adding, “but they didn’t notice until after they’d taken my promotional photo. As a result, my photo is slightly different from how I actually appear in my first episode.”

2024 Champions Wildcard quarterfinalist Dan Wohl added, “They said you’re not supposed to wear jeans but I did every time I was on.”

Maja Vlajnic on Jeopardy!; Jeopardy, Inc!

Maja Vlajnic, who appeared on the show earlier this month, revealed the sweater she wore was one she knitted herself. “I was concerned that it might not get approved due to both color and a listed restriction on “heavy knits” (nice and specific, that one), but as you can see it made it to the stage,” she wrote.

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“Notably, they don’t like you wearing green,” added Second Chance semifinalist Zoe Grobman, likely due to green screen problems.

Recent player Laura Bligh noted how “several” of her tops “got nixed by the wardrobe people, including a solid color sweater, but a blouse with a pattern I would have called “busy” was approved.” She added, “When in doubt they actually test the clothes on camera. Several men had ties that were nixed, to their surprise.”

“As for shoes, I wore black sneakers and felt defensive about it, but was prepared to use the “I’m a little old lady with bad feet” excuse,” she continued. “But half the contestants in the Green Room were in athletic shoes also. The instructions really should state that’s ok. We were all stressed about it.”