I watched a little bit of Jeopardy! last night. I was waiting on a Stuber Eats order, and the place had Jeopardy! on, so I watched while I waited, for the last twenty minutes or so, until the episode ended and I opened up an article on my phone I’d been meaning to read but it was hard to focus on it because Family Feud started right after the commercial break and I hadn’t been expecting Family Feud so I still wanted to finish the article but I also like Family Feud so when eventually, the woman behind the counter came out of the kitchen and said the order was going to be another ten minutes, I just left and finished the article in my car, and declined an order from that same place before picking one up at the KFC a couple miles away, where the lobby wasn’t open, which was disappointing—because I kind of had to pee.
It was in the midst of this Jeopardy! experience that I had a revelation.
The show works because there’s only one host.
If the roles were reversed, and there were three hosts and just one contestant, the show would not work. And if you don’t believe me, check this out:
Hosts, in unison:
Welcome! This…is…Two of the Hosts:
Jeopardy!One of the Hosts, a little late:
..pardy!The Contestant:
Thanks, guys, happy to be—Host #1:
Tell us about yourself, Contestant X. Even though you’ve been on the show for—Host #3, interrupting:
Tell us about yourself, Contestant X. You’ve been on the show for nine month—Host #2, interrupting the interruption:
What do you think about bees?The Contestant:
Well, I, yes. I…I don’t think much about the bees, but yes, I’ve been on the—Host #1:
Good for you.Host #2:
GOOD for you.Host #3:
What is, the Alabama Delta?The Contestant:
The Alabama Delta?Host #1:
Let’s get to our categories. We have…Host #3:
Categories!Host #2:
Categories!The Contestant, conspicuously standing alone in the midst of three desks while the hosts bump into one another, crowded behind one desk, spewing coronavirus-infected air all over each other’s schnozzes:
I’ll take Categories for $200.Host #1:
This category is…Host #2, doing jazz hands:
A category!***silence, then:***
***boop boop boop***Host #1:
Mmm…we were looking for—Host #3, singing:
And it’s a great day! To buy a car! Buying cars is what the good lord gave us wallets fahr!***Commercial Break***
-Jeopardy!, Fever Dream Edition
As you can see, it wouldn’t work. And therein lies the true genius of Jeopardy!.
