Jeopardy! Timeline (syndicated version)/Season 14

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Season 14 (1997-1998)

Title card for Season 14 (1997-1998).

A shot of the sushi bar set from Season 14 (1997-1998).

On the October 31, 1997 Halloween-themed episode, Alex Trebek wears a Statue of Liberty costume as he made his entrance.

On September 19, 1997, Jeopardy! celebrated its 3,000th episode.

Season Changes

• Harry Friedman joined the Jeopardy! staff as the producer, replacing George Vosburgh, along with sister show Wheel of Fortune.
• The opening credits have changed to the same CGI flyover of the Sony Pictures Studios complex, and a red cube zooms out, with the floating silver Jeopardy! logo, which is flying over the red floating cubes on a mint green and blue gradient background. The silver Jeopardy! logo flies away, and a red cube zooms in to reveal the 1996-2002 set.
• On early episodes of this season in the first five weeks, the set turned red for Double Jeopardy! and Final Jeopardy!, and reverted to blue in the closing credits.
• On later episodes of this season, the set no longer turns red it stays blue throughout the whole show.
• The main theme and the "Think!" music are rerecorded in a more modern style, and was composed by Steve Kaplan.
• Starting this season, the theme finishes playing when the credits do.
• When the original music package was in use, the credits ended mid-theme.
• This season is both the last season where the set changed from blue to red for Double Jeopardy! and Final Jeopardy!, and the first season where the set stayed blue throughout the whole show.
• This season is also both the last season with the dollar figures popping in at the start of Double Jeopardy!, and the first season where the dollar figures did not pop in, meaning already shown on the board coming out of the second commercial break.
• This is the last full season to have the KingWorld "Spotlights" logo, due to being replaced by the "Star Shooter" logo.
• The winnings limit is doubled from the previous $100,000, in place since Season 7, to $200,000, which remains in place until early Season 18.
• Beginning with this season, and lasting until early Season 18, all five-time champions win their choice of one of three Chevrolet cars. In the first 13 seasons, five-time champions simply retired undefeated without a bonus prize.
• This season also marked minor changes:
  • The contestant podium microphones were removed from the set to make the studio more modern, so the contestants wear clip-on microphones.
  • The glass backdrop on the sushi bar set changed to a lighter shade of pink with the grid in blue.
  • The studio audience is now shown on camera during the host's entrance, in and out of commercial breaks, and the closing credits.
  • The categories were covered by a Jeopardy! logo, the Double Jeopardy! logo, the Final Jeopardy! logo, and a logo for particular tournaments.
  • The logo in the category screens rotated upwards to reveal the categories. In addition, the category heading color became white.
  • Video clues were introduced at the start of the season, in addition to the regular Daily Double clues.
  • The Daily Double, Audio Daily Double, and Video Daily Double graphics gained a new look to match the season's title card.
• Also during this season, the categories are covered by the Jeopardy! and Double Jeopardy! logos, as well as the logo for a particular tournament. From this season until early episodes of Season 17, the category effect screen rotated up.
• This is the first season in which the College Championship is taped on the road. This format remained until Season 24.
• This is also the first time, Alex introduced the new black college trophy to the viewers and the contestants. That was a small and big trophy. This would remain in use until Season 24.
• Starting with this season, a Game Show Network ID appeared during the closing credits. The first ID had a voice-over saying, "It's the only network you can play at home, Game Show Network, where it's all play, all day! Buzz your cable company and get in the game!"
• The contestant's names and winnings in the introductions, as well as the graphic showing the Final Jeopardy! winner's new winnings count for the day, were changed to Optima, which continued to be used for them until Season 18. Early episodes of the season have all the numbers swing up at once, and Compacta-D continued to be used for the champion's total.
• Optima became the font for video clues, as well as the Final Jeopardy! segments.
• Additionally, the sponsor list, closing credits, and the copyright notice were changed to Optima, and continued until Season 25.
• As with the season premiere, the only applause from the audience is heard over the KingWorld logo at the start of this season.
• Starting with this season, the copyright date and "Created by Merv Griffin" were changed to Optima.

September 1997

• September 1, 1997: Season 14 premieres.
  • On the season premiere, the game ended in a tie that resulted in co-champions.
  • For the first two weeks of this season, the "Think!" cue has a piano lead in both verses.
  • Also on the season premiere, the theme song ends before Johnny's catchphrase.
• September 2, 1997: the theme song ends a few seconds before Johnny's catchphrase.
• September 4, 1997: Dan Melia retires undefeated with $75,600. He also became the first 5-day champion to receive a Chevy car (the Corvette).
• September 11, 1997: Fred Ramen retires undefeated with $61,000 and a new Chevy Corvette. The Final Jeopardy! clue used Clarendon from the previous season, and the copyright date and "Created by Merv Griffin" credit are done in Compacta-D.
• September 15, 1997: The "Think!" cue is rerecorded to include a trumpet lead. This would remain in use until the end of Season 24.
• September 17, 1997: Pam Mifflin retires with $42,300 despite losing her fourth game.
• September 19, 1997: Show #3000, which is billed at the 3,000th episode of Jeopardy! aired on this date. In reality, this is the 2,935th episode as told on Tom Nichols' page here. On this episode:
  • Announcer Johnny Gilbert appears on camera, congratulating Alex Trebek for celebrating 3,000 episodes of Jeopardy!, Johnny's opening announcement was: "This is the 3,000th show of Jeopardy!," as the 3,000th Jeopardy! logo is shown.
  • After Johnny's announcement, a clip from the first episode is shown, the episode features clips from the first syndicated episode "Greg/Lois/Frank," which aired on September 10, 1984, when Jeopardy! began syndicating commercially to local stations.
  • After a clip from the first episode, Johnny introduces Alex as he makes his entrance, the contestants were already at their podiums.
  • Alex gives a monologue to explain it was the first show in 1984, time changes as he wears the same clothing, his voice was a little higher, and they adjusted the lighting from time to time to take the glare off of his gray hair, but the game remains exactly the same as it always been.
  • After Johnny introduced the contestants, Alex talks about the glasses he reads about the game shows celebrating a milestone.
  • The categories are the same ones used on the first syndicated episode "Greg/Lois/Frank," which aired on September 10, 1984: "Lakes & Rivers," "Inventions," "Animals," "Foreign Cuisine," "Actors & Roles," and "Number Please."
  • The "Actors & Roles" category consisted of a video clue from the Celebrity Jeopardy! tournament.
  • The categories in Double Jeopardy! are related to the milestone title: "September 1984," "Debuts," "Missed on Show No. 1," "3,000," "Anniversaries," and "Look to the Future."
  • The Final Jeopardy! category is the same one used on the first episode "Greg/Lois/Frank," which first aired on September 10, 1984: "Holidays," and was introduced in the same manner.

October 1997

• October 3, 1997: This is the last regular game to have the set change from blue to red for Double Jeopardy! and Final Jeopardy!.
• October 6, 1997: This is the first regular game to have the set remain blue for Double Jeopardy! and Final Jeopardy!.
• October 17, 1997: Peter Scott retires with $44,803 despite losing his fifth game.
• October 31, 1997: This is a Halloween-themed episode. On this episode:
  • Alex makes his entrance wearing a Statue of Liberty costume.
  • The categories in the first round were "Fictional Ghosts", "Real Ghosts?," consisting of clues about real ghosts, "Bones," "Bobbing," "For Apples," and "Universal Monsters," consisting of clues about universal monsters, and featuring Bela Lugosi presenting the clue, along with the Frankenstein Monster, and The Creature.
  • The categories in Double Jeopardy! were "Asia," "All That Jazz," consisting of clues about jazz music, "The Civil War," "Small Midwestern Colleges," "Unfinished Business," and "10-Letter Words," consisting of clues that words have 10 letters.
  • The Final Jeopardy! category is "Halloween."

November 1997

• November 3-7, 1997: The first week of the Teen Tournament airs.
• November 10-21, 1997: The second week of the Teen Tournament and Power Players Week are both held at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C.
  • Special roadshow elements are added for the first time, including a new game board and podiums that look similar to the ones used at Sony Picture Studios except they further apart from each other.
  • Instead of Alex announcing the nine semi-finalists who will be playing next week, while the contestants walk up on stage, each player will say their name and location and so on followed up the applause from the audience. This applied to the four wildcard spots.
  • And also they did the same practice for the three finalists. This practice has been done for the Tournament of Champions, College Championship, Teen Tournament, and finally, Teachers Tournament, which did not exist until Season 27. Bob Sofia is Technical Manager.
• November 17-21, 1997: Power Players Week is held for the first time.
  • Jessie L. Jackson, Dee Dee Myers, and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. compete on Monday.
  • Tim Russert, Catherine Crier, and Tom Clancy compete on Tuesday.
  • Jack Ford, Pat Schroeder, and Al Franken compete on Wednesday.
  • Wolf Blitzer, Arianna Huffington, and Oliver Stone compete on Thursday.
  • Oliver North, Andrea Mitchell, and Bill Maher compete on Friday.
• November 27, 1997: Bob Harris retires undefeated with $61,000, and two new Chevy Camaros.

December 1997

• December 15, 1997: The Final Jeopardy! category appeared onscreen for the first time.
• December 16, 1997: The "Bonus" category is used for the first time.
• December 19, 1997: The real 3,000th episode of Jeopardy! airs, which is Show #3065.
• December 31, 1997: The "Bonus" category is used for the second time.

January 1998

• January 23, 1998: The set turned red in Double Jeopardy! and Final Jeopardy! for the last time on the Celebrity Jeopardy! sportscasters episode.
  • Greg Gumbel, Jim Lampley, and Al Michaels compete on this episode.
  • The contestant intros and winning graphics are in Compacta-D, and the Final Jeopardy! clue is in Clarendon from the previous season.
  • The credits use Optima. It was the last time the set reverted back to blue in the closing credits.
• January 26, 1998: The set once again remains blue in Double Jeopardy! and Final Jeopardy! in a regular game, so the set no longer turned red.

February 1998

• February 2-13, 1998: The Tournament of Champions aired.
• February 10, 1998: The "Bonus" category is used for the last time.
• February 16-27, 1998: The "Play and Win" sweepstakes are sponsored by Sears.
• February 23, 1998: J.J. Todor retires undefeated with $29,021 and a new Chevy Tahoe.

March 1998

• March 2, 1998: The Celebrity Jeopardy! Ladies Night episode featuring Jane Curtin, Naomi Judd, and Teri Garr competing. All three celebrity female contestants each had $0 at the end of the match. However, the winner is Jane when declares leader going into Final Jeopardy!. On the same episode, the dollar figures no longer popped in, but were already shown on the board coming out of the second commercial break.
• March 3, 1998: Chris Ward retires retires undefeated with $63,301 and two new Chevy Camaros.

April 1998

• April 6, 1998: Pat Healy retires undefeated with $66,604, and two new Chevy Camaros.

May 1998

• April 27-May 1, 1998: The Celebrity Invitational is held.
  • Jason Alexander, Carol Burnett, and Dan Cortese compete on Monday.
  • Melissa Joan Hart, Fred Savage, and Alicia Witt compete on Tuesday.
  • Sinbad, Jeri Ryan, and Jack Ford compete on Wednesday.
  • Regis Philbin, Robin Quivers, and Stephen King compete on Thursday.
  • Mark McEwen, Cheech Marin, and Jerry Orbach compete on Friday.
• May 4-15, 1998: The College Championship was held at UC Berkeley. This is the first time the College Championship is taped on the road.

June 1998

• June 1, 1998: Lara Robillard retires undefeated with $59,500, and a new Chevy Tahoe.
• June 5, 1998: The Celebrity Jeopardy! Olympians Night features Dot Richardson, Summer Sanders, and Rebecca Lobo competing.
• June 12, 1998: All three contestants have no money at the end of the game, the third known instance since mid-Season 1. This is also the only instance that is not a "three-way tie," as one contestant had -$400 at the end of the Double Jeopardy! round.
• June 22, 1998: Dave Abbott retires retires undefeated with $68,599, and a new Chevy Suburban.

July 1998

• July 3, 1998: John Skelton retires with $57,000 despite losing his fourth game.
• July 9, 1998: Dan Girard retires undefeated with $37,800 and a new Chevy Tahoe.
• July 17, 1998: Season 14 ends.
• July 20-September 4, 1998: Summer repeats air.