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Jeopardy! Timeline (syndicated version)/Season 37

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Season 37 (2020-2021)[]

Season Changes[]

  • For this season only, Mike Richards was the executive producer of both Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune.
  • Ken Jennings became consulting producer beginning with this season.[1]
  • During this season, various changes are made to the set:
    • The contestant podiums are spaced six feet apart from one another.
    • The host's podium and the large monitor next to it are redesigned, the latter is now mounted on two brown posts.
    • The background gained a darker blue color scheme.
    • The curved shapes became lavender maroon color, and the pillar was removed from the set.
    • There are two golden arches on the stage floor, one is near the game board, and the other one near the contestant podiums.
  • The opening credits have changed to a redesigned version of the globe logo. The globe zooms in, and we see photographs and footage from the show. Finally, the photographs and footage disappear, and the Jeopardy! logo zooms out with a globe behind it. Then, the Jeopardy! logo zooms forward, in which the "A" reveals the revamped 2013-2024 set.
  • The Daily Double, Video Daily Double, and split-screen credits gained a new look to match the season's title card.
  • Beginning with this season, the camera views are changed during the thinking period in Final Jeopardy!. The camera still pans along the floor from the stage front to the contestant podiums. However, the camera now shows full shots of all three lecterns in-between close-ups of the contestants. After the close-up of the middle contestant, the camera pans downwards slightly while showing all three lecterns at an angle before changing to a close-up of the rightmost contestant. This is due to the podiums being spaced farther apart than in earlier seasons.
  • This is the first season to be produced by Sony Pictures Television Studios.
  • This is the last season in which the show's taping location is known as Sony Pictures Studios Stage 10. Stage 10 was renamed as The Alex Trebek Stage the following season in honor of Alex's legacy.
  • This is the last season to have John Lauderdale as the stage manager, as he retired at the end of this season. In the next season, Jimmy McGuire became the stage manager.
  • Due to travel restrictions in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Jeopardy! Clue Crew consisted of Sarah Whitcomb Foss and Jimmy McGuire presented less often.
  • For both this season and the next season, the Jeopardy! Clue Crew presented clues less often due to travel restrictions in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, featuring clues that were filmed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • On early episodes of this season:
    • The show was still hosted by Alex Trebek.
    • The show was still distributed by CBS Television Distribution.
    • Selected episodes featured Ken Jennings providing entire video clue categories.
  • This season is both the last season to be distributed by CBS Television Distribution, and the first season to be distributed by CBS Media Ventures.
  • This is also both the last season with Alex Trebek as the host, and the only season to have the revolving guest host format.
  • This is also the last season for the following:
    • The 2008-2021 theme is used
    • Johnny says "Promotional consideration provided by..." after the host signs off. As a result, it is also the last season to have the promotional fee plugs in the closing credits.
    • The tournament to have (semi)finalist for the winner of the quarterfinal or semifinal games.
    • The last Tournament of Champions to use a two-day total point affair in the finals. Starting next Tournament of Champions, it will use a best of seven series.
  • GEICO quit sponsoring the cash winning prizes on June 14, 2021.
  • The Teachers Tournament and the College Championship are not held this season.
  • This is the last season where Johnny said "Promotional consideration provided by..." after the host signs off. As a result, it is also the last season to have the promotional fee plugs in the closing credits.
  • This is the third occurrence where no champions coming from this season who participated in the Tournament of Champions made it to the finals.
  • This is the first time since Season 30 to end its original run in August, rather than July.
  • This is the last full season to have Clay Jacobsen as the director and Mike Richards as executive producer.
  • Filming began on July 28, 2020, and the last show of the season was filmed on May 4, 2021.

September 2020[]

  • September 14, 2020: Season 37 begins. On the season premiere, there were three new contestants. It is the third time in the show's history and the last time in the Alex Trebek era where the reigning champion did not return. Zach Newkirk, an attorney from Alexandria, Virginia, was unable to return until January 28, 2021 as a co-champion due to travel restrictions in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Alex said a few weeks time.

October 2020[]

  • October 15, 2020: Kevin Walsh finishes with a 5-day total of $111,301, and was also the last 5-time champion whose streak aired during Alex Trebek's life.
    • October 13, 2020: This is the sixth time, only one contestant (Kevin Walsh) participated in the Final Jeopardy! round, this is the last time a single-player Final Jeopardy! round played in the Alex Trebek era.
  • October 20, 2020: Kristin Hucek is the last champion in the Alex Trebek era to be disqualified from playing Final Jeopardy! due to finishing the Double Jeopardy! round with -$3,600.
  • October 28, 2020: The last episode in the Alex Trebek era where two of the three Daily Doubles are seen on time.

November 2020[]

  • November 6, 2020: This episode marked the final episode aired before Alex Trebek's death. It was also the last time where the 2008-2021 theme music ends at the same time as the credits.
  • November 8, 2020: Alex Trebek died at the age of 80 from pancreatic cancer, his spirit and television legacy live on.
  • November 9, 2020: This episode marked the first episode aired after Alex Trebek's death. It was also the first time where the closing theme ends mid-theme.
    • Executive producer Mike Richards pays tribute to Alex Trebek at the beginning of the show.
    • A dedication card is used for the first time reading: "Dedicated to Alex Trebek, forever in our hearts, always our Inspiration," which was used for the rest of the season.
  • November 20, 2020: Andy Wood finishes with a 4-day total of $91,999 after Alex Trebek's death.

December 2020[]

  • December 1, 2020: Ryan Hemmel finishes with a 4-day total of $104,526.
  • December 15, 2020: Brayden Smith makes his Jeopardy! debut.
  • December 21, 2020-January 1, 2021: Jeopardy! Around the World Tournament airs, featuring reruns of Alex's favorite traveling-themed episodes.

January 2021[]

  • January 4-8, 2021: Alex Trebek's final episodes aired, originally scheduled for December 21-25, 2020.
    • January 5, 2021: Brayden Smith's streak ends, with a 5-day total of $115,798, making him the last five-time champion in the Alex Trebek era, but Brayden Smith passed away on February 5, 2021 at the age of 24 due to complications following surgery.
    • January 8, 2021: Alex Trebek's final episode aired. It concluded with a tribute montage, featuring Alex's most memorable moments. The song used in the tribute was the song "Once Before I Go" from the 2003 musical The Boy From Oz. Cliff Chang is the last contestant in the Alex Trebek era to be disqualified from playing Final Jeopardy! due to finishing the Double Jeopardy! round with -$400.
  • January 11, 2021-August 13, 2021: Jeopardy! used the guest host and guest hostess format, famous celebrities, journalists, and former Jeopardy! contestants host. Each guest host is announced by Johnny Gilbert as "The guest host of Jeopardy!"
  • January 11-February 19, 2021: Jeopardy! champion and consulting producer Ken Jennings hosted.
    • January 11, 2021: The opening graphics are changed to remove footage of Alex Trebek.
    • January 15, 2021: The CBS Television Distribution logo appears for the last time.
    • January 18, 2021: The CBS Media Ventures logo appears for the first time, and it has a ViacomCBS byline.
    • January 22, 2021: This is the third time a tie-breaker clue was played during regular play in the Final Jeopardy! round. It was also the first time a Tiebreaker round was played in the post-Trebek era.
    • January 28, 2021: Brian Chang was defeated by Zach Newkirk, finishing with a 7-day total of $163,904. It was also the third instance to feature returning co-champions as a rare occurrence only applying to champions previously unable to return, and the second time after the co-champion rule was disestablished early in Season 31. Ken Jennings stated that his streak ended after the cutoff passed for this Tournament of Champions. As a result, he was carried over to the next Tournament of Champions.

February 2021[]

  • February 1, 2021: Zach Newkirk finishes with a 6-day total of $124,871. Ken Jennings stated that his streak ended after the eligibility closed for this Tournament of Champions. As a result, he was carried over to the next Tournament of Champions.
  • February 12, 2021: John Focht finishes with 4-day total of $103,800.
  • After the February 12, 2021 episode, there were no 5-time champ in 100 regular games. Also, during 37 games, there was not even a 3-time champ, and in the 88 games, there was no 4-time champion.
  • February 22-March 5, 2021: Executive producer Mike Richards served as interim host. Richards is the only interim host to be introduced as "The executive producer of Jeopardy!," instead of the "The guest host of Jeopardy!"

March 2021[]

  • March 8-August 13, 2021: Jeopardy! matches the total won by the contestants, donating it to a charity of each interim host's and hostess's choice, during their respective episodes.
    • March 8-19, 2021: Journalist and author Katie Couric hosted, raising $230,504 for the Pancreatic Cancer Dream Team from Stand Up to Cancer.
    • March 22-April 2, 2021: The Doctor Oz Show host and 2012 Jeopardy! Power Players Week contestant Dr. Mehmet Oz hosted, and raising $268,701 for HealthCorps, Inc.

April 2021[]

  • April 5-16, 2021: Now-former quarterback of the Green Bay Packers and 2015 Celebrity Jeopardy! winner Aaron Rodgers hosted, raising $236,725 for North Valley Community Foundation.
  • April 19-30, 2021: Anderson Cooper 360° anchor, 2010 Celebrity Jeopardy! contestant, and 2004 and 2012 Jeopardy! Power Players Week winner Anderson Cooper hosted, raising $118,000 for Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Haiti and $138,197 for Justice Defenders, with a total of $256,197.
    • April 20, 2021: Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune do not air due to president Joe Biden's speech regarding the George Floyd verdict.
    • April 21, 2021: Max Nupen is the first contestant in the post Trebek era to be disqualified from playing Final Jeopardy! due to finishing the Double Jeopardy! round with -$1,800.

May 2021[]

  • May 3-14, 2021: 60 Minutes correspondent Bill Whitaker hosted, raising $257,998 for Media Fellowship House.
  • May 17-28, 2021: The Tournament of Champions is held, hosted by former Jeopardy! contestant and 2017 Tournament of Champions champion Buzzy Cohen, with the $250,000 grand prize was matched and donated to the Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission Trebek Center for the Homeless, now known as and the first post-Trebek tournament.
    • May 21, 2021: A tribute is made to honor the late Brayden Smith, who tragically died February 5, 2021 exactly one month after the airdate of his last episode.
    • Sam Kavanaugh won the Tournament of Champions and $250,000, the first Tournament of Champions winner after Alex Trebek's death. Jennifer Quail received $100,000 and Veronica Vichit-Vadakan received $50,000.
    • The final one-day total of the finals started to be displayed on the score board before the final two-day match started.
    • It is the last tournament to use the subtitles 'semifinalist or finalist'. Starting next tournament, the subtitles will be changed from 'semifinalist or finalist' to 'Advance to semifinals or finals'.
    • It is also the last Tournament of Champions to use the two-day total point affair. Starting with the next Tournament of Champions, the finals will use a best-of-seven series.
  • May 31-June 11, 2021: Actress and neuroscientist Mayim Bialik hosted, raising $194,851 for National Alliance on Mental Illness.

June 2021[]

  • June 14-25, 2021: NBC's Today co-anchor Savannah Guthrie hosted, raising $217,985 for The Bowery Mission. The GEICO logo was removed from the podiums.
  • June 28-July 9, 2021: CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta hosted, raising $231,059 for Odyssey Atlanta.

July 2021[]

  • July 7, 2021: Courtney Shah finishes with a 7-day total of $118,558 making her the first female champion who won at least five games in the post-Trebek era and the first since MacKenzie Jones from Season 36.
  • July 12-August 13, 2021: The celebrities now serve as interim host for one week only.
    • July 12-16, 2021: Good Morning America co-anchor, This Week host, and former democratic advisor George Stephanopoulos hosted, raising $147,396 for Share Our Strength's No Kid Hungry campaign.
    • July 19-23, 2021: Good Morning America co-anchor, former ESPN SportsCenter anchor, and 1999 Celebrity Jeopardy! contestant Robin Roberts hosted, raising $164,410 for Be The Match.
  • July 26-30, 2021: Star Trek: The Next Generation and Roots actor, former Reading Rainbow host, and 1995 Celebrity Jeopardy! winner LeVar Burton hosted, raised $204,800 for Reading Is Fundamental.
    • July 26, 2021: Contestant Patrick Pearce had -$7,400 at the end of the Double Jeopardy! round, setting the record for the lowest score since the March 12, 2015 episode (#7024), where contestant Stephanie Hull finished the Double Jeopardy! round with -$6,800.

August 2021[]

  • August 2-6, 2021: Co-host of CNBC’s Squawk on the Street and 2012 Jeopardy! Power Players Week winner David Faber hosted, raising $154,000 for Robin Hood Foundation.
    • August 4, 2021: Matt Amodio set the record for the most money lost on Final Jeopardy! with $37,000.
  • August 9-13, 2021: Fox Sports announcer and sportscaster Joe Buck hosted, raising $159,601 for KidSmart.
    • August 12, 2021: Matt Amodio surpasses Jason Zuffranieri as the third-highest winner in regular-season play.
    • August 13, 2021: Season 37 ends, which marked the last episode with the post-credits dedication to Alex Trebek, and the last episode to use the 2008-2021 theme, and also the last one to have the promotional fee plugs shown at the conclusion of the game.
      • The guest host and hostess format ended that day. Mike Richards was originally going to be the new host for Season 38, but stepped down after the first week of Season 38, Ken Jennings and Mayim Bialik shared hosting duties.

Post-season[]

  • August 16, 2021: Summer repeats begin.

References[]

  1. ↑ https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2020/09/03/jeopardy-season-37-returns-soon-bring-ken-jennings-back/5704120002/
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