Inside the ‘Jeopardy’ YouTube Special: Legendary Game Show Leans on Creators and Internet Culture in Next Frontier | Exclusive

Sixty years into the hit game show’s legacy, “Jeopardy!” has tapped a new group of contestants: creators. 

The first-of-its-kind collaboration between the trivia show and YouTube sees a group of digital creators putting their internet knowledge to the test. TheWrap went behind the scenes for the YouTube edition taping.  

The game show leaned in to creators on every front: Jimmy McGuire, the series’ longtime stage manager and hype man, told the invite-only crowd they were welcome to take pictures and videos of the set before shooting to share in promotion of the digital exclusive. 

Fans took selfies with each other, and pictures of the iconic game board and contestant podiums to commemorate the first for the franchise. Sony teased that the YouTube edition special was part of a larger expansion of the “Jeopardy!” YouTube channel with more standalone content to come.

President of Game Shows at Sony Pictures Television Suzanne Prete told TheWrap ahead of the taping that the expansion was part of the “Jeopardy!” brand meeting fans where they already are. The game show already shares snippets from its thousands of hours of content across its social platforms, but the standalone episode taps a new digital-first audience. 

“Jeopardy resonates with so many,” Prete said. “Having an opportunity to partner with YouTube enables us to deliver a version of Jeopardy that’s fun and exciting and resonates with an audience that watches YouTube and may not engage with Jeopardy on a linear platform.”

YouTube stars Monét X Change, Rebecca Black and Brennan Lee Mulligan competed in the digital spinoff. The YouTube edition operates more closely to “Celebrity Jeopardy” with catered clues and charity prize pots.

“We have taken the brave move of replacing people who are actually good with Jeopardy with people who are good at YouTube,” Ken Jennings joked to TheWrap. “We’re gonna see what happens, but I have a lot of confidence in them.” 

Unlike the linear program, there were no commercial breaks – just gameplay. The categories ranged from “YouTube Back in the Day” and “Can I Bother You For an Interview” to “Billion View Song Club” and “Vlogging While Outdoormaxxing.” The digital special did not take any liberties with the structure of the game play.

“Jeopardy really is a perfect format,” Prete added. “I wouldn’t mess with something perfect, but we’re delivering it in a way that’s relevant to a YouTube audience.”

For Kevin Allocca, global director of culture and trends at YouTube, it was important to give “Jeopardy” fans what they want and expect. Allocca added though that YouTube is strictly a vehicle for the content.

“You don’t actually want to mess with the thing that people love too much,” Allocca told TheWrap.

“We want any type of content to be successful on the platform without us needing to be involved,” the YouTube exec added. “It’s less about a long term content play and more about just creating a special moment for the people who love YouTube creators and the people who love Jeopardy and that is an overlapping audience in a lot of ways.”

As syndicated programming from competitors at NBCUniversal and CBS gets slashed, Prete told TheWrap that the digital expansion was not an indicator that the legacy property would leave its linear home. 

“We have our incredible linear audience that engages with the brand through traditional linear channels. We have next day streaming on Peacock and Hulu,” she explained. “And now this our YouTube platform, and partnering with the YouTube folks – which they have been incredible collaborators – it’s just another way to reach an audience who’s hungry for ‘Jeopardy.’”

The digital-show was created in collaboration with social-first creative agency We Are Social and YouTube. The special also included video clues from YouTube stars like “Hot Ones” creator Sean Evans, beauty and lifestyle creator Alisha Marie and “Subway Takes” host Kareem Rahma. 

While it remains to be seen if the game show property will exist in other digital iterations, Jennings believed the expansion is a way for the trivia show to grow beyond its nostalgic associations in fans’ minds. 

“It’s a beloved property, but its connotations are often – they are fond memories,” Jennings explained. “Jeopardy is a legacy property. It’s a nostalgia property. Can you find a new audience by putting an amazing format like this on a new platform? We’re gonna find out.”

“Jeopardy” YouTube edition premiered live on the Jeopardy YouTube Channel Tuesday at 6 p.m. PT and will be available to view on demand.

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