Jeopardy! Timeline (syndicated version)/Season 18

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Season 18 (2001-2002)

The last episode for this logo aired on December 7, 2001.

The first episode for this logo aired December 10, 2001.

Season Changes

• This is the last season for the following:
  • Alex's trademark mustache.
  • The $100 increments in the Jeopardy! round and the $200 increments in the Double Jeopardy! round are featured.
  • Vacation packages and merchandise are featured as consolation prizes for the runners-up in second and third place
  • Perry Ellis was credited as Alex's wardrobe provider credit.
  • The 1996-2002 sushi bar set is used
  • The large Jeopardy! logo appeared on the set, which was removed from the set early in the following season.
  • The winnings cap is implemented with any excess being donated to charity for 5-time champions.
  • The 1999 Jeopardy! Online logo is used, which appeared in the first two months of this season.
  • Lisa Finneran, Rocky Schmidt, and Gary Johnson are credited as producers.
• This is the first season for the following:
  • Alex Trebek is clean shaven.
  • The $200 increments in the Jeopardy! round and the $400 increments in the Double Jeopardy! round are featured.
  • Cash for the runners-up are featured for second place and third place.
  • Celebrity Jeopardy! tournaments are not held since their establishment in 1992.
• On the May 16, 2002 episode, after the Million Dollar Masters and the 4,000th episode special, consolation prizes for the runners-up in both 2nd place and 3rd place, which consisted of merchandise and vacation packages, were replaced by cash for the runners-up in both 2nd place and 3rd place, with $2,000 for 2nd place and $1,000 for 3rd place respectively. This would remain in use until the end of Season 39.
• With the start of the season, Jeopardy! introduced the Jeopardy! Clue Crew on the September 24, 2001 episode.
• The Coming Up Next bumper starts to appear in the beginning of most episodes, but not all of it.
• New opening sequence: a black background has pieces of lavender tiles shooting out to form the set visible within it, and the silver Jeopardy! logo is formed, and then, it wipes away to reveal the 1996-2002 set. The squares contain pictures of show elements within it, similar to that of Season 16.
• This is the only season to be produced by Columbia TriStar Domestic Television. During this season, Alex Trebek became the spokesman for Colonial Penn life insurance; replacing Ed McMahon. Trebek served as the spokesman for Colonial Penn from 2001 until his death in 2020.
• The contestant introductions and Final Jeopardy! winnings appear in a plain font. This would remain in use until the Season 20 finale.
• A split-screen for full credit rolls debuted, with the closing act of an episode on the left, and the credits scrolling up on the right.
• During this season, Columbia TriStar Domestic Television took over production for Jeopardy! and its sister show Wheel of Fortune. It looks just like the Columbia TriStar Television logo, except the logo is a blue tint and the Sony Pictures Entertainment byline is smaller and the "TELEVISION" text is changed to "DOMESTIC TELEVISION".
• On early episodes of this season:
  • The clue values for the first two rounds were still the same as they were from the September 10, 1984 episode Greg/Lois/Frank, when Alex Trebek began hosting Jeopardy!.
  • The 1999 Jeopardy! Online "Play Online and Win" logo was still used after the closing credits in the first two months.
  • Alex Trebek still had his trademark mustache in the first 14 episodes.
  • Both Jeopardy! and its sister show Wheel of Fortune were still produced by Columbia TriStar Television.
  • The consolation prizes still featured merchandise for third place in the first three weeks.
  • The winnings cap with any excess being donated to charity was still implemented.
  • Chevrolet cars were still the bonus prize for 5-day champions.
  • The Staples logo still appeared in the credits it's official office superstore.
• From the October 1, 2001 episode to the April 30, 2002 episode, with the exceptions of November 2001 and December 2001; consolation prizes only featured vacation packages for the runners-up in both second place and third place.
• On later episodes of this season:
  • Jaguar X-Type replaced Chevrolet.
  • The contestant graphics is changed to a purple folder with part of the title screen's background after the first week.
  • The clue values for the first two rounds are now doubled.
• It was the season with the fewest champions in a five-game winning streak, and only three players succeeded in winning five in a row. Also, 2002 was a year of fierce competition to the extent that there were only two champions with a five-game winning streak.
• Michael Levitt joined the Jeopardy! staff as the talent executive after Georgina Warwick's death.
• The DAILY DOUBLE cards revert to having the two words appear from top-to-bottom for the first time since season 15. The "DAILY DOUBLE" name now appears in a gold text with a different font.

September 2001

• September 3, 2001: Season 18 premieres. For the first week of the season, the intro and winning graphics are used from the previous season with a blue rectangle strip and a yellow outline border on the strip and the title graphic cards are in a violet, white, and blue gradient background and a small dark purple file folder on it.
• September 4, 2001: The folder graphics are introduced, animating the same way as in the previous season.
• September 10, 2001: New title graphics was introduced with the graphic cards in a darker indigo background and a bigger violet file folder on it.
• September 11, 2001: Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune are both preempted in network markets due to the news coverage of the September 11 attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C. It first aired on GSN on June 21, 2005.
• September 20, 2001: Mark Dawson retires undefeated with $52,599, and a new Chevy Corvette.
• September 21, 2001: There is a cold open of Alex shaving off his trademark mustache to give a clean shaven look before the show starts; Alex tells Cheri that he's working real fast today as he was running late, but Cheri Whitaker-Rossi tells Alex to be careful, and tells Cheri that he's okay.
• September 24, 2001: The Jeopardy! Clue Crew is introduced; The original lineup consisted of Sofia Lidskog, Cheryl Farrell, Sarah Whitcomb (now known as Sarah Whitcomb-Foss), and Jimmy McGuire.
• September 24-28, 2001: Back to School Week is held.

October 2001

• October 10, 2001: The whoosh sound returned to the introduction.
• October 10-15, 2001: The Clue Crew member was introduced.

November 2001

• October 22-November 2, 2001: The Tournament of Champions are held. During the quarter-finals week of the Tournament of Champions, Johnny introduced, on each episode, three of last year's champions, by announcing the contestants' names and without announcing the total winnings that they earned since their last appearance on the show. Brad Rutter won the tournament and took home the $100,000 top prize. This was the first of several prestigious tournaments won by Rutter. Tad Carithers received $15,000 and Rick Knutsen received $10,000.
• November 5, 2001: The 1999 Jeopardy Online "Play Online and Win" logo is removed.
• November 7-20, 2001: The College Championship was held at the UCLA. Vinita Kailasanath won the tournament, $50,000, a Volvo V40 and a trophy. Matt Schnippert received $19,801 for exceeding his minimum and Thomas Zamora received $14,100 for exceeding his minimum.
• November 23, 2001: Trevor Norris retires undefeated with $54,604 and a new Chevy Tahoe. He is also the last 5-time champ before the clue values were doubled, and the last 5-time champ to win a Chevrolet. It was also the last episode to feature the $100 increments in the Jeopardy! round and the $200 increments in the Double Jeopardy! round.
• November 26, 2001: The new dollar amounts are introduced: $200 to $1,000 in $200 increments for the Jeopardy! round and $400 to $2,000 in $400 increments for the Double Jeopardy! segment. At the top of the episode, the old Jeopardy! round clue values of $100 to $500 are already in the monitors; as Alex mentions the new clue values the monitors make the usual transition: The old values are replaced with new Jeopardy! round values. With this doubling of the dollar amounts, the winnings cap which stood at $75,000 from 1984-1990, then $100,000 from 1990-1997, and $200,000 from 1997-2001, with any excess being donated to charity is abolished completely. In addition, the $100, $300, and $500 values were retired, replaced by the $1,200, $1,600, and $2,000 values, when the $100 increments were retired and replaced by the $400 increments. As a result, the $200 increments were moved from the Double Jeopardy! round to the Jeopardy! round.

December 2001

• December 7, 2001: Kathy Cassity retires with $59,200 despite losing her fifth game.
  • It marked the last episode for the Columbia TriStar Television Logo.
• December 10, 2001: Columbia TriStar Domestic Television appears.
• December 11, 2001: In the category U.S. BUILDINGS, the first clue of the Double Jeopardy! round was about the Pentagon, which was taped before the September 11 attacks. After the Final Jeopardy! category was revealed, Alex Trebek goes into the last commercial break, and said, "We just had a clue about the Pentagon, ladies and gentlemen; I want to point out that this program was taped prior to the unfortunate events of September 11th."
• December 17-21, 2001: The champion's winnings were matched to the Families of Freedom Scholarship with a minimum of $10,000, in response to the September 11 attacks. (Raising $89,300 for the September 11 attacks) The episodes were dedicated to the memory of all the people who lost their lives in the September 11 attacks.
• December 19, 2001: The Los Angeles Spirit Chorale appeared in the closing credits.
• December 20, 2001: The 2001-2008 theme does not appear in this episode. Instead, Clue Crew member Cheryl Farrell joins The Los Angeles Spirit Chorale to perform "Carol of the Bells" during the closing credits.
• December 21, 2001: Cheryl Farrell and The Los Angeles Spirit Chorale performed "Silent Night" when the show returned from the last commercial break, and the rest of the song is heard for 30 seconds instead of the "Think!" music, after Alex reads the Final Jeopardy! clue. The song is also performed by Cheryl Farrell and The Los Angeles Spirit Chorale during the closing credits, after which applause from the audience is heard.
• December 24-28, 2001: Holiday Kids Week is held.

January 2002

• January 7, 2002: Mark Lee retires with $67,500, despite losing his fifth game.
• January 11, 2002: Show #4000 airs, which is the 3,935th episode.

February 2002

• February 4-15, 2002: The Teen Tournament airs. Bernard Holloway won the tournament and $50,000. George Nelson received $29,497 for exceeding his minimum and Seth Disner received $28,900 for exceeding his minimum.
  • February 7, 2002: Alex announces the first three contestants play, the other twelve contestants are locked in a deliberation room. This is so that the contestants won't know what score to beat to be in the semifinals as one of the four wildcard spots of high scores among the non-winners. Starting with this tournament, all of the clues in quarterfinal games are played to ensure a fair wildcard score for all of the contestants.
• February 26, 2002: Anthony Trifilio lost his second game because he may have been disadvantaged by a poorly-worded clue in this season before losing Final Jeopardy!, which called for a response of "slide rule" in the category of 19th CENTURY INVENTIONS (some slide rules date to the 17th century).

March 2002

• March 11, 2002: Jason McCune retires with $90,041 despite losing his fifth game.

April 2002

• April 12, 2002: The real 4,000th episode of Jeopardy! airs, which is Show #4065.
• April 29, 2002: Ben Sternberg sets a new one-day record of $38,400.
• April 30, 2002: The consolation prizes were announced by Johnny Gilbert for the last time.

May 2002

• May 1-14, 2002: The Jeopardy! Million Dollar Masters was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Brad Rutter won this tournament, becoming the game show's first-ever millionaire, and became Jeopardy!'s biggest money winner until Ken Jennings made 74 appearances. Eric Newhouse received $100,000 and Bob Verini received $50,000.
• May 15, 2002: The 4,000th episode special of Jeopardy! was filmed on the set where the Million Dollar Masters tournament was held. It made it feel really special. Alex Trebek presented clips in a documentary style for the episode, and it was really interesting to learn more about how Jeopardy! started and what it was like in the early days. I was a little sad that there wasn’t any gameplay involved, but it was still a really cool episode.
  • This episode of Jeopardy takes place on the same set where the Jeopardy! Million Dollar Masters tournament was held. I love that they did that! It makes it feel really special. Alex Trebek presented clips in a documentary style for the 4,000th episode of Jeopardy. There was no gameplay involved, but it was still really interesting. It was so cool to learn more about how Jeopardy started and what it was like in the early days.
  • Alex Trebek presented clips in a documentary style for the 4,000th episode of Jeopardy! There was no gameplay involved, but it was still really interesting. It was so cool to learn more about how Jeopardy! started and what it was like in the early days.
  • Johnny’s opening announcement was: “From New York City’s Radio City Music Hall, this is Jeopardy!'s 4,000th episode special.” The Jeopardy! 4000 logo appeared during the intro, and there was a montage of Alex Trebek throughout the years before he was introduced. This is such a special episode, and as a big fan of the show, it’s exciting to be able to watch it.
  • Johnny introduces Alex Trebek as he takes the stage to introduce announcer Johnny Gilbert, the Jeopardy! 4000 logo appeared on the podiums.
  • Jeopardy! 4,000th episode is really a special treat for fans of the show. I love getting a glimpse into how the show started and what it was like in the early days. There's just something about hearing about the "old days" that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. And as a bonus, there's a clip from the 1964 test pilot episode, with categories like "Women," "Bits & Pieces," and "The Funnies."
  • I’d like to add that, after showing a clip of the 1964 Jeopardy! test pilot episode, Alex talks about how the daytime version lasted for 11 seasons until January 3, 1975. Then, on September 10, 1984, Jeopardy! debuted as a syndicated program. The first montage is set to the 1997-2001 theme composed by Steve Kaplan, followed by "Start the Commotion" by The Wiseguys.
  • Tonight we’re sitting down for a talk with Merv Griffin, the creator of Jeopardy! Merv is a renowned television producer and talk show host. His show, The Merv Griffin Show, aired from 1962 to 1986, and he also created Wheel of Fortune in 1975. In this interview, Merv talks about the humble beginnings of Jeopardy! in 1964, when no network would buy a quiz program because of the game show scandals. At the suggestion of his wife, Julann Wright, he came up with a game show based around questions and answers. Merv says that he was once going to go with the very plain title, “What’s the Question?” but that was nixed when the networks said it didn’t have any “jeopardies.”
  • Alex Trebek introduces the next clip as one featuring the ideal Jeopardy! contestant. He defines "ideal" as "dignified and grounded," and the clip that follows features three contestants who don't quite fit the bill: a nervous fellow, an elated woman with a penchant for dance, and a tongue-tied man who can't seem to get the words out. The clip is set to "Weird Al" Yankovic's "I Lost On Jeopardy." After that, Trebek talks about the celebrity episodes of the show, and how they've raised money for various charities. He mentions Charles Barkley missing a question about Michael Jordan, a question that Barkley should have definitely known.
  • I’m currently watching the 18th season of Jeopardy! and there have been a few interesting events so far. Alex Trebek has begun to show clips of categories and clues that often involve puns, which gives the show a little extra bit of fun. Also, Jeopardy! got involved with the United Service Organizations (USO) this season, which is great to see.
  • In the final segment of the 4,000th episode special, Alex Trebek talks about Jeopardy! becoming a pop culture icon. He displays a series of TV shows and movies where Jeopardy! made an appearance. In the final segment, Trebek also discusses the developments over the years, including the recent decision to double the clue values in every category, and the creation of international games, college championships, teens and kids shows, and the Clue Crew.
  • The closing credits of Jeopardy's 4,000th episode feature the same montage of Alex Trebek through the years that was seen in the opening. This was an especially fitting tribute considering how integral Alex Trebek has been to the show's history.
  • I'd like to take a moment to remember Georgina Warwick. She was a Jeopardy! producer who tragically passed away in 2001. I always appreciated her dedication to the game and her support of the contestants. She brought a lot of joy and love to everyone on set and she will be missed.
• May 16, 2002: The cash for runner-ups is used for the first time, and the second-place runner-up earns $2,000, while the third-place runner-up earns $1,000.
• May 22, 2002: Ben Tritle retires undefeated with $78,600, and a Jaguar X-Type, which is the new car from this point to the end of the next season. He is the first 5-time champion after clue values were doubled on November 26, 2001, and longest gap between 5-time champions under the "5-time Champ Rule" (101 games).

June 2002

• June 3, 2002: Jill Bunzendahl Chimka retires with $85,099 despite losing her fifth game plus $1,000 for finishing in 3rd place.
• June 26, 2002: Eric Floyd retires with $97,800 despite losing his fifth game plus $2,000 for finishing in 2nd place.

July 2002

• July 15-July 19, 2002: The champion changed 5 times in a row this season, and 9 more times in a row the next season, the longest in history.
• July 19, 2002: Season 18 ends.
• July 22-August 30, 2002: Summer reruns air.