What Is...? A Jeopardy! Podcast

Look, sometimes we get things wrong. Ok, we get things wrong all the time. But we were very surprised Dave Bond didn't go deeper, as we say goodbye to him on Monday and hello to Bill McKinley and Ashley Chan, who both have a nice week. And we have a nice week too, as John coordinates a Jeopardy! surprise for his Blocked Party cohost Stefan Heck, J! continues their run of Final Jeopardy clues that swing wildly from quite difficult to dead easy, and Emily is really, really committed to getting out of PE. Plus, we dive deep on "I Dream of Jeannie" and its creator, Sidney Sheldon. SOURCE: Forbes: "'I Dream of Jeannie' Home, A Jim Beam Whiskey Bottle, Expected to Fetch $100,000 At Auction" by Roberta Naas; New York Times: "Sidney Sheldon, Author of Steamy Novels, Dies at 89" by Margalit Fox Special thank you as always to the J-Archive and The Jeopardy! Fan. This episode is produced by Producer Dan. Music by Nate Heller. Art by Max Wittert.

John is back and we have an absolutely fantastic of week of games, as we fall in love with Evan Jones and then fall in love all over again once Stevie Ruiz is introduced. And by the end of the week, it's Bond, Dave Bond, who runs roughshod over the competition and looks like a potential ToC contender while giving us another contender for Response of the Year. Plus, we get an anecdote that makes us feel stupider than some of the clues do, Jeopardy! fans can't believe a clue uses the word boob, and we dive deep on the Pied Piper of Hamelin, who apparently might have been a real guy (???). SOURCE: BBC Magazine: "On the Trail of the Real Pied Piper" by Lizz Pearson; Medievalists: "The Pied Piper of Hamelin: A Medieval Mass Abduction?" Thanks, as always, to The Jeopardy! Fan and J-Archive. This episode was produced by Producer Dan. Music by Nate Heller. Art by Max Wittert.

With John away this week, Emily is joined by comedian, writer, and current Jeopardy contestant-pool member Guy Branum! They break down: the rise and fall of Episcopal priest Kevin Laskowski, the best movies to watch with your family during the holidays, and how to communicate through your Jeopardy! anecdote that you have lived a LIFE. Also discussed: Chuck E. Cheese, and the fortunes made and lost in bringing him to life. SOURCE: New York Times: "Farewell, Chuck E. Cheese Animatronic Band" by Jesus Jiménez; IEEE.org: "Chuck E. Cheese's Animatronic Band Bows Out" by Allison Marsh. Special thank you as always to The J-Archive and The Jeopardy! Fan. This episode was produced by Producer Dan. Music by Nate Heller. Art by Max Wittert.

It's an up-and-down week on the show as Joey DeSena goes on a brief run before succumbing to the powers of women's tennis, Evan Dorey can't quite mount a run, and we end the week with "lovable nerd" Paul Clauson looking like a future contender. We also start a brand-new feud with Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla, Jeopardy! Fans Are Fuming about the topography of Scotland, we dive deep on the quietly sinister Sarah Polk, and Steven Czekala pulls off a rare feat...actually landing a joke on Jeopardy!. SOURCE: Smithsonian Magazine: "How First Lady Sarah Polk Set a Model for Conservative Female Power" by Anna Diamond; Tennessee State Museum: "Sarah Polk: A Natural Politician When Women Couldn't Vote" by Peggy Burch. Special thank you as always to The Jeopardy! Fan and J-Archive. This episode is produced by Producer Dan. Art by Max Wittert. Music by Nate Heller. Additional material by Chris Thayer. Follow us on Bluesky!

Keep on Jolin, baby! Greg Jolin cements his place in the Tournament of Champions as we cement our place as a Jeopardy! podcast of note, hearing from both a past contestant about last week's episode, and a contestant who was on this week's episode, and both have some great intel for us you won't wanna miss. It's also a great week of games, as some really tight games get our blood pumping, Sammy Sanchez perhaps ushers in a new era of anecdotes, and Jeopardy! fans (and us!) are talking about this year's Second Chance Tournament contestants. Plus, we strap on a bulletproof vest and dive deep into Kevlar. SOURCE: Inventing Modern America: "Insight: Stephanie Kwolek" by MIT. Special thank you to The Jeopardy! Fan and J-Archive. This episode is produced by Producer Dan. Music by Nate Heller. Art by Max Wittert.

As Emily so aptly puts it, we have a game this week that justifies this podcast's entire existence. A wild cast of characters, a raft of missed clues, and a Daily Double mishap create the type of drama that can only be found on the J! stage. It's a great week overall with some fun new champions, a category so nasty our "Nasty Clue of the Week" becomes our Nasty Category of the Week, and Jeopardy! fans fume about one clue so vehemently it makes it all the way to the pages of People magazine. Plus, we dive deep on Berlin's famed Eldorado nightclub. SOURCE: New Histories: "Hope Between the Horrors: The Forgotten LGBTQ+ Firsts of Weimar Germany" by Hannah McCann; Advocate: "A Peek Inside Berlin's Queer Club Scene Before Hitler Destroyed It" by Clayton J. Whisnant. Special thank you as always to J-Archive and The Jeopardy! Fan. This episode was produced by Producer Dan. Music by Nate Heller. Art by Max Wittert. Additional material by Chris Thayer.

It's a delirious episode of the show as we record this late on a Monday and just squeeze it in for your Tuesday morning commute, and what a week it was! We have a new 4-day champion in Will Wallace who is like the William Wallace from Braveheart, only 1000 times more chill. We are chill too as a contestant has an interesting call sign, we both reveal some decently poor singing impressions, and Jeopardy! fans are very upset that Dave Matthews was referred to as a pop star. Plus, we dive deep on one of the worst songs of all-time. It wasn't one of the ones we sung. But those were very bad too. SOURCE: Rolling Stone: "Flashback: Band Aid Raises Millions With 'Do They Know It's Christmas?'" by Jordan Runtagh. Special thanks as always to the J-Archive and The Jeopardy! Fan. This episode was produced by Producer Dan. Music by Nate Heller. Art by Max Wittert.

For perhaps the first time in the podcast's history, Emily and John side with the Jeopardy! fans who are fuming this week, as Ontario-born John is completely baffled that Jeopardy! clue writers used Marineland as a scientific reference for anything. We go off on that and a lot of other fun stuff this week, as we have a couple very close games, a friend of John's from the J! Discord has a great run on the show (and wears a great shirt), and it's a second consecutive week with a curling anecdote. God bless. We also dive deep on Grimace, everyone's favorite unknown species/taste bud/milkshake/embodiment of a milkshake headache/Gritty's cousin. SOURCE: The Takeout: "Defiant McDonald's Manager Spits in the Face of Grimace Canon" by Lillian Stone; McDonald's Wiki: "Grimace" Special thank you to the J-Archive and The Jeopardy! Fan. This episode is produced by Producer Dan. Art by Max Wittert. Music by Nate Heller.

We have another Tournament of Champions entrant and perhaps the final ToC entrant of Season 40 (despite this being Season 41), as games taped from last season wrap with Mark Fitzpatrick picking up his 5th win and then subsequently having a great time through his "tired game" that has plagued so many past champions. It was a great week full of curling, nasty clues including a couple tough FJs, and a category that doesn't help Jeopardy! duck the horny allegations. Plus, Jeopardy Fans are Fuming over Ryan Seacrest's performance as the host of Wheel of Fortune and we go deep on the Coca-Cola logo's inception. SOURCE: ThoughtCo: "The History of Coca-Cola" by Mary Bellis; CITMA: "The Evolution of the Coca-Cola Logo" by Laura Morrish Special thank you as always to The Jeopardy! Fan and J-Archive. This episode is produced by Producer Dan. Music by Nate Heller. Art by Max Wittert. Additional material by Chris Thayer.

Jeopardy! continues its slow descent into horny madness and we can't help but follow them there with the absolutely ridiculous category, "An Ocean of Lotion". There's an ocean of great content on this episode too as John records at 1 am in Charlottetown, PEI and we get delirious. It's a slow week for anecdotes and JFAF, but the horniness comes to save us all. Plus, John visits a legendary literary locale, Emily celebrates her birthday, and we dive deep on the inspiration for Robinson Crusoe, Alexander Selkirk. SOURCE: Smithsonian Magazine: "The Real Robinson Crusoe" by Bruce Selcraig. Special thanks to the J-Archive and The Jeopardy! Fan. This episode is produced by Producer Dan. Art by Max Wittert. Music by Nate Heller.

It's a delightful week on Jeopardy! as we meet one of the most likeable contestants in recent memory and surefire Second Chancer Drew Goins. And this is not to mention a very sharp 3-game run from surefire Champions Wildcarder (or maybe direct-berth TOCer) David Erb, who also reveals he's led a very interesting life from being an astrophysicist and making key discoveries to his wife being the author of the revered "Lessons in Chemistry". Plus, Jeopardy! fans point out a "rare occurrence" that actually isn't rare at all in JFAF, John turns even more Canadian, and we dive deep on the life and times of Mae West. SOURCE: Criterion Collection: "The Self-Created Immortality of Mae West" by Farran Smith Nehme. Special thanks as always to The Jeopardy! Fan and J-Archive. This episode is produced by Producer Dan. Art by Max Wittert. Music by Nate Heller.

It is a cool and awesome week on the show as we rue the fact that we got two candidates for Anecdote of the Year last week and then a whole lotta duds this week. But that's ok! We have a ton of fun with Aiden's three appearances on the show, we beg for a Second Chance for Will, and Jeopardy! gets its own "Hot Priest". Plus, we continue our investigation into Jeopardy's increasing horniness, we go deep on Fantasia, and Emily claims the ultimate triumph: a successful Blind Final Jeopardy guess at home. Please follow the show on Instagram at @whatisajeopardypodcast and on Twitter at @jeopardypodcast for more news and updates about the show. SOURCE: Los Angeles Times: "Fantastic 'Fantasia': Disney Channel Takes a Look at Walt's Great Experiment in Animation" by Charles Solomon. Special thank you to The Jeopardy! Fan and J-Archive. This episode was produced by Producer Dan. Music by Nate Heller. Art by Max Wittert.

We're back, baby! It's Season 41 of Jeopardy! and Season 2 of our little show about the smartest show on television. Of course, all your favorite segments are here and as good as ever. It's a wild week that accurately mimics the start of a new season, with some nervous energy from a lot of contestants, some weird buzzer form, and two anecdotes that will almost surely be in contention for Anecdote of the Year in the 2025 Jeoppys. Plus, J! fans (and us) are rightfully upset about a particular figure showing up as a J! clue, we go deep on Ringo Starr, and Tawny Newsome joins us to give us her insight into being a Jeopardy! clue for the first time. Please follow the show on Instagram at @whatisajeopardypodcast and on Twitter at @jeopardypodcast. SOURCE: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: "Ringo Starr: The Hall of Fame Essay" by Parke Puterbaugh. Special thank you to the J-Archive and The Jeopardy! Fan. This episode was produced by Producer Dan. Art by Max Wittert. Music by Nate Heller.

It's a Daily Double double this week as Mehal Shah pushes all-in twice in a row to give us one of the season's marquee moments. He also gives one of the responses of the year in FJ, prompting Ken to ask a very pertinent question. We say goodbye to Paul Clauson, who seemed poised to go deeper than he did, and we end the week with a new champion in Adam Hersh, who thankfully didn't throw up. Plus, Jeopardy! fans have finally had enough of video categories (and so have we!), we go deep on Carrie Nation, and we find out who will be in the Champions Wildcard and Tournament of Champions fields, which provokes some...thoughts. SOURCE: Kansas Historical Society: "Carry A. Nation, Parts 2-8". Special thank you as always to the Jeopardy! Fan and J-Archive. This episode was produced by Producer Dan. Art is by Max Wittert. Music is by Nate Heller.

It's time to celebrate! Season 40 of Jeopardy! and Season 1 of our podcast is in the books, and while it was a strange season full of tournaments and this podcast didn't start until halfway through it, we are still giving out awards! It's a look back at the wildest anecdotes, responses, and headlines of the year as we crown our first-ever Jeoppy award winners. And yes, we are going to make physical trophies and give them out to the winners. Follow us on Instagram at @whatisajeopardypodcast and on Twitter at @jeopardypodcast. Produced by Producer Dan. Art by Max Wittert. Music by Nate Heller.

Jeopardy! is off for the summer, but we aren't! At least not yet, as we crown our first-ever Player of the Year, Isaac Hirsch, and sit down for a lengthy chat with the 9-game champion. We ask about everything you've been dying to know, including his Tournament of Champions preparation, his bad math that cost him his 10th win, and how it felt when Ken said he had sex appeal. Plus, we commiserate about our comedy careers and IBS, discuss some of Isaac's more memorable anecdotes, and finally get the answer to the question everyone has been dying to know: how did it feel to become a gay icon? And lastly, everyone's favorite WIAJP game returns: do you remember the questions you got wrong on Jeopardy!? We will be back at some point in the next few weeks with our Season 40 Awards, and then the show won't return until regular play resumes in the fall. So stay tuned for that and in the meantime, follow the damn show! We are on Instagram at @whatisajeopardypodcast and on Twitter at @jeopardypodcast.

It's the final week of Season 40 and everyone has Senioritis, including your hosts! It's a strange week of games that sees a couple runs end just when they looked like they were heating up, some weird clues have us a bit confounded, and Ken gets just a little bit horny. It is brat summer, after all. Plus, we discuss WikiFeet, Jeopardy! fans are upset about a Carol Burnett Show Triple Stumper, and we go deep (no pun intended) on the life and times of the Unsinkable One, Molly Brown. Please follow the show on Instagram at @whatisajeopardypodcast and on Twitter at @jeopardypodcast. SOURCE: Molly Brown House Museum: "The Many Myths of Molly Brown" by Heather Pressman, National Endowment for the Humanities: "Beyond Unsinkable" by Laura Harbold, and Kansas City Times: "Deeds of Heroism Seemed the Natural Action of 'The Unsinkable Mrs. Brown'" by Gene Fowler. Special thank you to the J-Archive and The Jeopardy! Fan. This episode was produced by Producer Dan. Music by Nate Heller. Art by Max Wittert.

Which kind of Josh are you? It's the question on everyone's mind this week as John records in a foreign land (his parents' basement) and we see another man added to the Tournament of Champions invite list as Isaac Hirsch punches his ticket with another delightful week of play. Isaac also continues his great run of anecdotes and we get a surprise contender for "Anecdote of the Season" when Stephanie describes her unfortunate run-in with glow sticks. Plus, Emily has a unique week ahead at work due to being close to an adult toy trade show, we dive deep on the tales of Sinbad the Sailor, and Jeopardy! has a major scoring correction moment that leaves John and Emily dizzy with excitement. Please follow the show on Instagram at @whatisajeopardypodcast and on Twitter at @jeopardypodcast. SOURCE: Britannica: "Sindbad the Sailor", and Library of Congress: "The Seven Voyages of Sindbad the Sailor" by Anchi Hoh. Special thank you to J-Archive and The Jeopardy! Fan. This episode is produced by Producer Dan. Music by Nate Heller. Art by Max Wittert.

Isaac Hirsch tempted fate with a Wednesday anecdote about his Jeopardy!-losing father, but it mattered not, as he rattled off three straight wins and has the look of a potential ToC entrant, leisure suit and all. It was a fun week on the show as Emily wonders if Canada Day is real and John is furious when the contestants treat a Canadian category like it isn't. We also get one of the responses of the year in a French slang category, Parade Magazine enters the fray in the J! Fans Are Fuming segment, and we dive deep on the "Most Beautiful Woman Slayer", Beulah Annan. Please follow the show on Instagram at @whatisajeopardypodcast and on Twitter at @jeopardypodcast. SOURCE: Chicago History Museum: "True Crime in the '20s: The Beulah Annan Story" by Jojo Galvin, and Chicago History Magazine: "Jailhouse Makeovers" by Douglas Perry. Special thank you to The Jeopardy! Fan and J-Archive. This episode is produced by Producer Dan. Music by Nate Heller. Art by Max Wittert. Additional content by Chris Thayer.

It's a full week of Drew Basile on the podcast, as he wins his way into the Tournament of Champions, finds himself exhausted on Friday and his streak ends at 7 days. But what a week it was, and we run it all down here, from Jeopardy! clue writers picking a hilarious category name to John learning that Duncan Hines was a guy who did some other stuff also. Plus, J! fans are upset and just a little bit pedantic about a clue, we hear a perfect Jeopardy! anecdote, and we dive deep on the legend of Colonel Harland Sanders. Please follow the show on Instagram at @whatisajeopardypodcast and on Twitter at @jeopardypodcast. And if you like the show...tell a friend! SOURCE: The New Yorker: "Kentucky-Fried" by William Whitworth. Special thank you to the J-Archive and The Jeopardy! Fan. This episode is produced by Producer Dan. Music by Nate Heller. Art by Max Wittert.