‘Jeopardy!’ Now Has a Hall of Fame and Here Are Its Legendary Inaugural Inductees
If you’re a Jeopardy! fan, you might be surprised at how the show has grown in just the past few months.
The show has finally named its permanent hosts and now, it’s got a podcast bringing its fans all the Jeopardy! news they could possibly want and then some. Among its biggest announcements recently, the show has just launched its new Hall of Fame. Here are the legends who’ve been inducted into its “freshman” class.
The quiz show just launched a podcast
The show’s executive producer Michael Davies recently announced on the program’s website its new podcast called Inside Jeopardy!.
“Because there is always so much to talk about on Jeopardy! (it’s a sport, remember?) we will be launching a topical weekly podcast,” Davies writes. “Hosted by the Jeopardy! producers, including me, Inside Jeopardy! will give you all an inside look into everything going on behind the scenes at America’s Favorite Quiz Show: everything from gameplay analysis and behind-the-scenes stories, to official announcements, and special interviews.”
The first three inductees into the ‘Jeopardy!’ Hall of Fame make absolute sense
The showrunner revealed on the podcast episode titled “Who Gets a Second Chance, Part 2,” along with “Clue Crew” member Sarah Foss, that for the first time in the show’s “58-year history, we will … announce the inaugural Jeopardy! Hall of Fame class, the inductees for 2022.”
Explaining that in future years, the Hall of Fame inductees will be the show’s most exceptional champs, Foss noted that for this inaugural induction, “we really wanted to focus on the pioneers of the program, those people who have greatly contributed to the legacy of the show.”
This year’s first inductees are not surprisingly the show’s creator Merv Griffin and his former wife Julann. “Their son Tony Griffin will be in attendance to accept. … This show simply would not exist without both of them.”
Julann Griffin, Foss added, “is credited with coming up with the idea for Jeopardy!, which was originally called ‘What’s the Question?'”
Alex Trebek will also be inducted into the show’s Hall of Fame: “We’re so excited that Jean Trebek will be here. … [Alex] is the heart and soul of this show. Ken and Mayim both admire him and take tips from him, even still today. … Can’t think of the Hall of Fame without Alex Trebek.”
The other legends in the ‘Jeopardy!’ 2022 Hall of Fame
Harry Friedman, the show’s executive producer for 25 years until 2020 will also be in the program’s first Hall of Fame class.
Lastly, the program’s first Hall of Fame class is made complete with “the one, the only, the announcer of our show from Day One, Johnny Gilbert … He is the only remaining member of the Jeopardy! team that has been here since Day One in 1984. Johnny is not just the voice of the show but the heart of the show. He will be here to accept his Hall of Fame award. Can’t wait to give him a big hug in person.”
The show’s first host Art Fleming was not forgotten, as Davies said: “I would love to get in communication with those around him, those close to him and talk about how we might honor him at some point in the future.”
You can find Inside Jeopardy! wherever you get your podcasts.
