Jeopardy! Timeline (syndicated version)/Season 14

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Season 14 (1997-1998)

Season changes:

• At the beginning of this season, the 1997-2001 Jeopardy! theme, and the 1997-2008 "Think!" music in the Final Jeopardy! segments made its debut. It was composed by Steve Kaplan, who also composed the Columbia TriStar Television theme music.
• 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.
  

  Title card for Season 14 (1997-1998).

  

  On the October 31, 1997 episode, Alex Trebek made his entrance by wearing a Statue of Liberty costume.

  

  

  

  

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

  
• This is the last season where the set changed its background color from blue to red for the Double Jeopardy! and for the Final Jeopardy! segments, which was used for the last time on the January 23, 1998 Celebrity Jeopardy! sportscasters episode. Starting with the January 26, 1998 episode, the contestant podium monitors reverted back to blue. For the rest of this season, and continuing until the end of Season 21, the set remained blue throughout the whole show.
• This is also the last season where the dollar figures popped in during the Double Jeopardy! segment. On later episodes of this season, the dollar figures no longer popped in during the Double Jeopardy! segment, they are already present.
• This is the last full season to have the 1990-1999 KingWorld "Spotlights" logo, due to being replaced the 1998-2006 "Star Shooter" logo in the next season.
• The winnings limit is doubled from the previous $100,000, in place since Season 7, to $200,000.
• Beginning with this season, and ran until the end of Season 17, all five-time champions win their choice of one of three Chevrolet cars.
• Also at the beginning of this season, the categories are flipped over by a Jeopardy! logo, as well as the Double Jeopardy! logo, the Final Jeopardy! logo, and the Jeopardy! logo, which would be used for the Tournament of Champions, Celebrity Jeopardy!, as well as the College Championship.
• The contestant podium microphones are out, and the clip-on microphones are in. So that the contestants can have more room.
• The studio audience can now be seen during Alex Trebek's entrance, in and out of commercial breaks, and during the closing credits.
• Many of the categories are now named more uniquely and obscurely at the start of the season.
• Video clues were introduced at the start of this season, so that the contestants can have more room.
• The Daily Double, Audio Daily Double, and Video Daily Double graphics had a red background, to match the season's title card.
• Starting with this season, the Final Jeopardy! category appeared onscreen, when the contestants wrote their final responses.
• This is the first time, the College Championship started taping in a college campus, which stayed until Season 24.
• This is also the first time, Alex Trebek 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 voiceover 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 contestants 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.
• Optima became the font for video clues, as well as the Final Jeopardy! segments.
• Additionally, the sponsor list, closing credits, and a copyright notice were changed to Optima, and continued until Season 25.

This season:

• Season 14 of Jeopardy! kicks off on September 1, 1997.
  • A new version of the Jeopardy! theme, and the "Think" music in the Final Jeopardy! segments debuted, it was composed by Steve Kaplan. For the first two weeks of this season, the second part of the "Think" music only has a piano lead, which was replaced by the more familiar trumpet lead afterwards.
  • On the season premiere, the new theme song ends before Johnny Gilbert's catchphrase.
• On the September 2, 1997 episode, the theme song ends a few seconds before Johnny Gilbert's catchphrase.
• The categories for the Jeopardy! and Double Jeopardy! round segments flip over until Season 17.
• As with the season premiere, 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.
• On the September 11, 1997 episode, oddly, the copyright date and "Created by Merv Griffin" credit are done in Compacta-D.
• Starting with the September 15, 1997 episode, the "Think!" music is rerecorded by adding a piano lead in the first verse, and a trumpet lead in the second verse. This would remain in use until the end of Season 24.
• The 3,000th episode aired on September 19, 1997. On this episode:
  • The episode begins with Johnny Gilbert appearing on camera, saying "This is the 3,000th show of Jeopardy!".
  • After Johnny Gilbert appeared on camera to do the announcement, we see the Jeopardy! 3,000th logo, and then, we see a clip from the first episode"Greg/Lois/Frank", which aired on September 10, 1984. After that, we cut to the sushi bar set as the 1997-2001 theme plays, with the contestants already at their podiums. Johnny Gilbert said: "Now once again, here is the host of Jeopardy!: Alex Trebek", as Alex Trebek enters the set through the sliding doors.
  • Alex Trebek explained it was the first show in 1984. He said that he still wears the same clothing, and his foreign was a little higher. And they do have to adjust 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. And then, Johnny Gilbert introduced the contestants.
  • The "Actors & Roles" category consisted of video clues from the Celebrity Jeopardy! tournament.
  • All of the six categories in the Jeopardy! round are the same as those from the first episode entitled "Greg/Lois/Frank", which aired on September 10, 1984: "Lakes & Rivers", "Inventions", "Animals", "Foreign Cuisine", "Actors & Roles", and "Number Please". The set changed its changed its color from blue to red to celebrate Jeopardy!'s 3,000th episode.
  • There's one category in the Double Jeopardy! segment entitled "Missed on Show No. 1", which consisted of missing clues from the first episode entitled "Greg/Lois/Frank", which aired on September 10, 1984, although, some clues were lost.
  • The Final Jeopardy! category is the same one used in the very first episode"Greg/Lois/Frank", which aired on September 10, 1984: "Holidays".
• Starting with the October 6, 1997 episode, the set reverted back to blue.
• On the October 31, 1997 episode, which is Halloween, Alex Trebek made his entrance by wearing a Statue of Liberty costume.
• The second week of the Teen Tournament and Power Players Week, aired in November of 1997, both held at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C.
• Instead of Alex Trebek 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 an applause from the audience. This applied for 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, since then.
• Starting with the December 15, 1997 episode, the Final Jeopardy! category appeared, while contestants wrote their responses.
• The December 16, 1997 episode marked the first time, the "Bonus" category is used. The category consisted of two correct responses. If the contestant gave the correct response, they choose the other correct response to the contestant. However, if the contestant gave the incorrect response, they lost the value. so that they are playing for double the clue value.
• On the December 19, 1997 episode, the real 3,000th episode of Jeopardy! airs.
• The December 31, 1997 episode marked the second time, the "Bonus" category is used.
• The set changed its color from blue to red for the last time, which aired on the January 23, 1998 episode.
• Starting with the January 26, 1998 episode, the set reverted back to blue.
• The February 10, 1998 episode marked the last time, the "Bonus" category is used.
• During the quarterfinals week of the Tournament of Champions, Trebek said, "(Contestant's Name), you won the toss, you go first."
• On later episodes of this season, the dollar figures are already present. This was first done in February during the Tournament of Champions before becoming permanent in March. And speaking of Tournament of Champions, this event was held in February of 1998 and February of 1999.
• On the March 2, 1998 episode, all three celebrity female contestants each had $0 at the end of the match.
• On the June 12, 1998 episode, all three contestants have zero dollars at the end of the game the first known instance since the 2nd show.
• Season 14 of Jeopardy! wraps up on July 17, 1998.
• Summer reruns air from July 20-September 4, 1998, with replacement fee plugs. Reruns later air on weekends from 1998-1999 and on Game Show Network between 2001 and 2005.