Jeopardy! recurring categories

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On the quiz show Jeopardy!, there are some recurring categories that have special rules pertaining to them. In such cases, contestants and viewers are told the specific format to get the clue correct.

[edit] List of recurring categories

  • Quotation mark categories - In these categories, a letter or group of letters will be placed inside quotation marks in the category name; correct responses will begin with, end with, or contain that letter or group of letters. For example, if the category title is THE "EYES" HAVE IT: This popular fight song talks about the 30 million of these in this, the second most populous state. Correct response: What are "The Eyes of Texas"?
  • #-Letter Words - Each correct response would be one word containing the number of letters indicated in the category name. For example, if the category is 16-LETTER WORDS: Breathe into a paper bag to relax the muscles when suffering from this, breathing too fast & too deeply. Correct response: What is hyperventilation?
  • Before and After - Inspired by a Wheel of Fortune category, the first and second parts of the question join together via a mutual word (Clue: Hemorrhoid remedy for an old Baltimore Sun essayist; Response: What is Preparation H.L. Mencken? (Preparation H, H.L. Mencken). A tougher variant is BEFORE, DURING & AFTER, which contains two such joinings.
  • Common Bonds - Three items are listed, all having something in common. (Clue: Bad habits, footballs, buckets; Response: What are things you kick?)
  • Crossword Clues - A specialized "quotation mark" category, in which the category title gives the first letter, the question is the completion of a crossword-style clue that gives the number of letters in the correct question (Clue: Late-night hunger pains (8); Response: What are the munchies?; where the category is CROSSWORD CLUES "M"). Previously known as STARTS WITH or FILE UNDER a given letter of the alphabet, which did not give the expected number of letters.
  • Get Your Facts Straight - Clues in this category present information about two similar-sounding names; at least one of those names is given, and the contestant must supply the other name, or related information (Clue: A gazelle is a graceful animal; this 1841 ballet has been called "the 'Hamlet' of the dance"; Response: What is Giselle?).
  • Homophonic Pairs - The correct question in this category consists of two homonyms (Clue: A hidden collection of money. Response: What is a cash cache?). The contestant must say the word twice.
  • Name's The Same - The two nouns given share either the first or last word (Clue: Jennings, Tomarken; Response: Who is Peter?; where the category is FIRST NAME'S THE SAME).
  • Opera - When this category appears, it is often a subject of humor. The audience often expects the contestants to know nothing about opera. The category has on occasion been renamed acknowledging that assumption. [1] [2]
  • Potent Potables - The ingredients of an alcoholic drink are given, and the contestant must guess the name of the drink. A variant for younger players is NONPOTENT POTABLES, about soft drinks. This category is also a recurring category from the SNL's Celebrity Jeopardy! sketch, though it was never picked by a contestant.
  • Potpourri (sometimes called HODGEPODGE or GOULASH) - A variety of topics inside one category, almost always appearing in the sixth (rightmost) column on the board. A popular variant is LEFTOVERS, which are clues that went unpicked in previous games as time ran out.
  • Rhyme Time - Two consecutive words in the response rhyme with each other (Clue: A chilly swimming basin; Response: What is a cool pool?). Popular variants include CELEBRITY RHYME TIME and BEASTLY RHYME TIME.
  • Spelling (aka THE DREADED SPELLING CATEGORY) - The correct response must be spelled out. Generally, the answer is given, but not shown on the board (Clue: Get hooked on the spelling of... is shown, the word "Phonics" is given; Response: What is P-H-O-N-I-C-S?).
  • Stupid Answers - Contestants can find the correct response within the clue itself. (Clue: Name of the hotel and office complex where the Watergate break-in occurred; Response: What is Watergate?) The correct response may be hidden discreetly to stump the contestants.

[edit] References

  1. ^ J! Archive: Show #4798, aired 2005-06-15
  2. ^ J! Archive: Show #5396, aired 2008-02-11


[edit] External links

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