Jeopardy! Timeline (syndicated version)/Season 13

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Season 13 (1996-1997)​​

The 1996 copyright card was still shown on early episodes of this season.

Season Changes

• Johnny's opening catchphrase was changed to say: "From the Sony Pictures Studios, this is Jeopardy!."
• The sound of the studio audience chattering had returned, but it was removed after the sushi bar set was introduced. The laser swooshing sound was also removed from the top of the show once the 1996-2002 Sushi Bar Set debuted.
• The opening now includes a computer-animated flyover of the Sony Pictures Studios complex before showing the Jeopardy! logo.
  • During the first two months of this season, the globe intro remained the same as it was in Seasons 11 and 12.
  • When the sushi bar set debuted, the monitor zooms out, passing through the dollar figures popping in, and the cream Jeopardy! logo at the end appearing on a transparent blue glass with a yellow outline and purple buttons on it and has a turquoise rectangle on the top left corner. Then, the cream Jeopardy! logo zooms forward to reveal the new set. Starting with this sequence, the opening graphics change with each new season, except for Season 39.
• The closed captioning bug returned to the opening credits.
• This is the last season for the following:
  • The 1991-1996 Grid Set is used since Season 8.
  • The closing animations between the host and the day's champions are used
  • Full season where the set changed from blue to red for Double Jeopardy! and Final Jeopardy! and the clue values pop in at the start of Double Jeopardy!.
  • The microphones on the contestant podiums are used.
  • The 1992 "bongo" theme is used since Season 9, and the original "Think!" music in the Final Jeopardy! segment is used since Season 1.
  • 5-time champions retire without a bonus prize.
  • Johnny said "This is Johnny Gilbert speaking. Jeopardy! was created by Merv Griffin"
• This is the first season for the following:
  • The 1996-2002 sushi bar set is used until Season 19.
  • Different angles of the set, as well as shots of the host and the contestants.
  • Johnny said "Jeopardy! was created by Merv Griffin," which remained in use until December 17, 1999.
• Producer George Vosburgh retired at the end of this season, with Harry Friedman taking over his post as producer the following season.
• On early episodes of this season:
  • The closing credits feature various shots of the set, and the closing animations between the Jeopardy! logo, a shot of the host, and the day's episode winning champions was still seen in the closing credits.
  • The graphics from Seasons 11 and 12 were still used.
  • Johnny said: "From the Sony Studios, this is Jeopardy!" on early episodes of this season, but on later episodes of this season the word "Pictures" was added between Sony and Studios.
  • The host podium still had a microphone on it.
  • The show still used the 1991-1996 grid set.
  • The contestant podium monitors still turned red for Double Jeopardy!.
  • The studio still remained red during the closing credits.
  • The audience chattering and the swooshing sound were still heard at the top of the show.
  • The show's logo still appeared in the copyright card.
  • The large Jeopardy! logo still lit up in a rotation of colors.
  • The Final Jeopardy! responses and wagers were animated in front of the contestants.
  • Johnny still said "This is Johnny Gilbert speaking. Jeopardy! was created by Merv Griffin"
• The font for the contestant introductions changed to Helvetica Compressed at the beginning of the season, with the contestants' names in the introduction rendered in cycle case for the first two months only.
• This season, the intro changing to a flyover of Sony Pictures Studios. On later episodes of this season, the monitor zooms out, passing through the dollar figures popping in, and the Jeopardy! logo at the end. Then, it zooms forward to reveal the 1996-2002 sushi bar set.
• The copyright card appeared over a shot of the set.
• After Johnny's catchphrase, the KingWorld logo appears with the main theme playing, followed by the Columbia TriStar Television logo.
• For the first two weeks of this season only, the contestant interview segment continued after the Jeopardy! round is completed. After that point, that segment is moved back to being held after the first break, where it had been before Season 9. When the move is made, Alex now stands near the contestant podiums.
• Columbia TriStar Television changed its logo on later episodes of this season. It is changed to the Columbia Torch Lady zooming away from the viewer, and the TriStar Pegasus is different and flying across, and the clouds on the second box zoom away slowly and the background is a blue cloudy sky, and a light blue background. Also, the boxes and text were in navy blue.
• When the season kicked off, the contestants' names and the champion's total winnings were changed to Helvetica Compressed. However, on early episodes, Korinna was still retained in all other applications.
• On later episodes of this season, the font for the sponsor list and the closing credits was changed to Helvetica Compressed, while the contestant plug and the Final Jeopardy! segments were changed to Clarendon. Also on later episodes of this season, Johnny now just says "Jeopardy! was created by Merv Griffin".
• For this season only, the credits transition to the next credit had a random bars transition.

September 1996

• September 2, 1996: Season 13 premieres.
• September 6, 1996: Bernie Cullen retires undefeated with $63,102.
• September 11, 1996: Claudia Perry lost her first game but returned later this season due to technical problems.
• September 19, 1996: Lucien Schmit retires with $36,982 despite losing his fifth game.

November 1996

• November 4, 1996: The sponsor list moved to the bottom of the screen and changed to Compacta-D. However, the text used for clues as they appear on the monitors, still used Korinna to this day. The phrase "Jeopardy! was created by Merv Griffin" is heard for the first time. This remained in use until December 17, 1999.
• November 8, 1996: This was the last episode to use the grid set.
• November 11-15, 1996: Celebrity Jeopardy! is held.
  • Beverly Sills, John Mahoney, and Laura Innes compete on Monday.
  • Melissa Gilbert, Issac Mizrahi, and Sandra Bernhard compete on Tuesday.
  • Carl Lewis, Jon Lovitz, and Matthew Fox compete on Wednesday.
  • Brett Butler, Buzz Aldrin, and Eartha Kitt compete on Thursday.
  • Robert Loggia, Renee Taylor, and Alicia Witt compete on Friday.
• November 11, 1996: The sushi bar set was introduced during Celebrity Jeopardy! after the discontinuation of the 1991-1996 Grid Set. The new set was designed by production designer Naomi Slodki, and remained in use until the November 8, 2002 episode.
  • The 1996-2002 Sushi Bar Set consisted of brown wood paneling with columns at each corner.
  • There are glass windows supported by wooden frames behind the contestant podiums.
  • The large Jeopardy! logo was emblazoned on the sliding doors, and the glass backdrop consisted of a darker shade of pink with the grid in purple, but the set was backlit in red.
  • The contestant podiums and the host podium gained a new look. The contestant podium monitors and the scoring system processor were upgraded with new control software written, however, the incandescent 7-segment display for the score readouts remained the same, albeit with new drivers designed and fabricated for them.
  • The game board consisted of a red wood paneling backdrop, and the black stage floor consisted of a marble circle with a gold border on top to match the set's backdrop.
  • The pink on the sliding doors turns purple in the Double Jeopardy! round and then it turns red in the Final Jeopardy! round.
• Also on this episode:
  • The first 5 seconds of the theme song were truncated, and the theme fades in.
  • The sound of the audience chattering is no longer heard at the beginning of the show.
  • Alex made his entrance by walking down a small staircase for the first time.
  • The sushi bar set's monitors are different for graphics generation.
  • Alex began wearing his clip-on microphone, and the host podium microphone was removed from the set to make the studio more modern.
  • The contestant podium monitors turned red in Double Jeopardy! and Final Jeopardy! for the last time, and the set stayed red in the closing credits for the last time.
  • The closing credits feature various shots of the set, and the closing animations between the Jeopardy! logo, a shot of Alex, and the day's winners are used for the last time, the swooshing sound effect was also removed at the beginning of the show.
  • An animating transition occurs during Final Jeopardy! and the contestant's response fades in followed by how much they wagered. After that, it fades out adding or deducting the player's total at the end of the game. Season 14 marked the first full season to use this feature.
• November 12, 1996: The show's set no longer stayed red during the closing credits, so the set reverted to blue for the first time, and the closing credits feature various shots of the set, along with the closing animations between the Jeopardy! logo, a shot of Alex, and the day's winners are discontinued. So now, the closing credits appeared over various shots of the set, as well as shots of Alex and the contestants.
• Also, the contestant podium monitors no longer turn red for Double Jeopardy!, so the contestant podium monitors stayed blue throughout the whole show.
• November 13, 1996: All three celebrity male contestants wound up with $0 at the end of the show. However, Jon Lovitz was declared the winner as he was leading going into Final.
• November 18-29, 1996: The Tournament of Champions airs. Mike Dupee won the tournament.
  • November 18, 1996: The white lights on the contestant podiums illuminate for the first time.
  • November 29, 1996: Mike Dupee won the tournament.

December 1996

• December 6, 1996: Footage from the episode was featured in the 1999 film Baby Geniuses.
• December 25, 1996: The "Merry Christmas" banner can be seen behind a decorated Christmas tree with the Jeopardy! logo in black.

January 1997

• January 1, 1997: Claudia Perry returned to the show.
• January 7, 1997: Claudia Perry retires with $45,303 despite losing her fifth game.
• January 16, 1997: Paul Gutowski retires undefeated with $51,301.

February 1997

• February 3-14, 1997: The Teen Tournament airs. Josh Den Hartog won the tournament.
• The show's set changes to an unusual pink during the closing credits.
  • February 6, 1997: The set was filled with tribble invasion creatures Star Trek all over.
• February 21, 1997: Grace Veach retires undefeated with $51,601.

April 1997

• April 1, 1997: Pat Sajak, the host of Wheel of Fortune, hosted Jeopardy! as an April Fools' joke. Alex Trebek hosted that same day's Wheel of Fortune, with Pat's wife Lesly Sajak as hostess, and Pat Sajak and Vanna White were contestants, as they play for charity.

May 1997

• April 28-May 2, 1997: Another Celebrity Jeopardy! is held. This is the first time more than one are held in the same season.
  • Rob Schneider, Robin Quivers, and Mark McEwen compete on Monday.
  • Chris Hardwick, Sharon Lawerence, and Patrick Duffy compete on Tuesday.
  • Joey Gordon-Levitt, Kirsten Dunst, and Benjamin Salisbury compete on Wednesday.
  • Sam Waterston, Carey Lowell, and Benjamin Bratt compete on Thursday.
  • Reggie White, Donna D'Errico, and Mike Piazza compete on Friday.
• May 1, 1997: The Law & Order theme plays during the introductions, all three celebrities are actors on the show.
• May 5-9, 1997: The semi-final and the final matches of the International Tournament are held in Stockholm, Sweden, this is the first time that Jeopardy! began taping these episodes outside the studio, and took the show on the road. 1996 ToC 2nd runner-up Michael Daunt (from Canada) won the tournament.
  • The events took place on the set of the Swedish version of Jeopardy!.
  • The board-fill sound used at the start of the Jeopardy! and Double Jeopardy! rounds featured a rapidly ascending marimba riff, the same one that was used on the Swedish version of the show.
  • The announcer speaks in a Swedish accent, however Gilbert's voice can still be heard during the closing credits.
  • May 9, 1997: There is a well-known incident of the clue in the category "Foreign Anatomy" that reads: "If a Japanese isha (doctor) asks you to stick out your shita, he means this." Per Gunnar Hillesoy (from Norway) buzzes in with a response of "What is your behind?" causing laughter from the audience. Boris Levit (from Israel) gives the correct response of "What is your tongue?," which Alex says, "A long way from your behind!"
• May 12-23, 1997: The College Championship airs. Craig Barker won the tournament.
  • This is the last tournament where Alex announces the nine semi-finalists who are playing next week while the contestants walk up on stage, Starting with the next tournament, 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. They did the same practice for the three finalists.
    • May 19, 1997: Both Brian Chan and Steven Bevier were tied at $6,500 going into Final Jeopardy!, and $13,000 coming out of it. Steven responded correctly and went on to become the 1997 College Championship 2nd runner-up.

June 1997

• June 3, 1997: Lyn Payne retires with $55,002 despite losing her fifth game.
• June 10, 1997: Wes Ulm retires with $63,201 despite losing his fifth game.
• June 16, 1997: Arthur Phillips retires undefeated with $63,003. He became the last 5-time retired champion without a bonus prize.
• June 18, 1997: Footage from the episode was featured in the 1999 film She's All That.

July 1997

• July 3, 1997: Kim Worth retires with $64,000 despite losing his fifth game.
• July 18, 1997: Season 13 ends. Dan Melia made it's first appearance on the show.
• July 21-August 30, 1997: Summer reruns air.