Jep!

Infobox Television
show_name = Jep!


caption =
genre = Game show
creator = Merv Griffin
writer = Jim Rhine
presenter = Bob Bergen
country = USA
language = English
num_seasons = 1
num_episodes =
list_episodes =
executive_producer = Harry Friedman
Scott Sternberg
producer = Gary Johnson
runtime = 22 mins. (approx)
channel = GSN
first_aired = January 30, 1998
last_aired = September 1, 2000
related = "Jeopardy!"
imdb_id = 0170959
tv_com_id = 29426

"Jep!" is a children's version of the quiz show "Jeopardy!" hosted by Bob Bergen. It aired for one season on the Game Show Network beginning on January 30, 1998. Like its adult counterpart, the show was taped at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, California.

Gameplay

Three child contestants competed. For the first two rounds they were seated in futuristic chairs (explanation later). As on the adult version of the show, the kid contestants had to buzz-in and respond in the form of a question. Unlike in the adult version however, the host always warned the contestants at the beginning of every show that responses "must" be in the form of a question or they cannot be accepted (even if the response itself would've been correct).

Differences from the regular show

*Lecterns: Each contestant's lectern had a different color, similar to that of "Wheel of Fortune" and its child counterpart "Wheel 2000". However, the blue and red lecterns were switched, therefore, the blue was on the left, and the red on the right.
*Scoring: Contestants played for points, not dollars. However, as in the adult version, correct responses added points, while incorrect responses deducted points (and in the first two rounds earned an "In Jeopardy!" light, as explained below).
*Game board: The game board held five categories with four clues each (scaled down from the traditional six categories with five clues on the adult version). Rather than the player calling out an amount for the clue, a randomizer was used to select point value.
*Signaling devices: Large red buttons mounted on the lecterns were used instead of the handheld thumb-depressed signaling devices used the adult version of the show. They were used both to stop the randomizer in the selection of clue point amounts and when buzzing in to respond to a clue. Each contestant had two buzzers.
*Buzzer sounds: When a player buzzed in, a "boing" sound was played. The adult version of the show had a buzzer sound during all of the Fleming era and all of the first season of the Trebek era. ("ding"); the signaling sound was eliminated beginning with the second season of the Trebek era.
*"In Jeopardy!" lights: On the adult version of the show, a horizontal panel of nine lights on the player's lectern above the player's score was used to indicate how much time a player who had rung in had left to respond. In "Jep!", three lectern lights were designated "In Jeopardy!" lights. When a player gave an incorrect response during the first two rounds, not only did the player have points deducted, but one of the three lights lit up in red. Getting one red light meant that a "vat" above the player's head would "cook" up something, usually styrofoam peanuts or packaging items. Two lights meant the "vat" would open up, spilling its contents on the player's head. Three lights meant that a player's chair would recede back into the wall behind the lectern from whence it had come at the beginning of the show, and the player would not able to respond to the next clue. After one clue, the player's chair returned, and the player's "In Jeopardy!" lights reset. In case the player controlling the board got sent behind the wall, the player of the remaining two with the lowest score chose a clue.

The Jep! Round

Point values ranged from 100 to 500 points.

The Hyper Jep! Round

Similar to Double Jeopardy! on the adult version of the program. Point values were doubled, meaning that they ranged from 200 to 1,000.

Daily Doubles

The Daily Double clues worked the same way as on the adult version of the program. The contestant who selected a Daily Double wagered any or all of his or her current score (up to the maximum value of the clue in that round if he or she had anything less than that). A correct response added the wager to the player's score, but an incorrect response deducted the wager from the player's score.

pecial clues

In addition to the Daily Doubles, there were two special clues in each of the first two rounds. They were:
*The "Jep!" Squad: A kid from anywhere in America read the clue via prerecorded video. This was a forerunner to the regular version's Clue Crew.
*"Jep!" Prize: In addition to the points, the player who answered correctly also won a merchandise prize (originally handed to the player by host Bergen, later delivered down from the rafters).

The Super Jep! Round

The Super Jep! Round was played the same as the adult version's Final Jeopardy! except that no player could be eliminated prior to the round—all three players played this round. If any player ended the Hyper Jep! Round with zero or fewer points, that player's score got turned into 500 points, and the other players' scores were likewise increased. For example, if one contestant had -100, the other two contestants' scores were increased by 600. (In the regular adult version, contestants with zero or negative scores are disqualified from Final Jeopardy!) The Super Jep! category was revealed in the center monitor; during the break the contestants made wagers. When the break was over, the Super Jep! clue was revealed and the players had 30 seconds to write down their responses. When the time was up, the responses were checked one at a time starting with the third-place player's, and ending with the first-place player. The player with the most points won the game.

The prize choices

At the end of the game, all three contestants got a choice of two prizes. The third-place finisher went first and chose one of two third place prizes (typically a pair of watches or a Sony Discman). The second-place finisher was next, and got a choice of two second place prizes (typically a pair of Rollerblades or a stereo system). The day's winner chose last; that player got a choice of two grand prizes (typically a week's worth of limo rides or an entertainment center package including a TV and Sony PlayStation). Most contestants chose the second of the two indicated choices.

Notes

*The "Jep!" theme music differed from the current "Jeopardy!" theme by the addition of alto sax and electric guitars.
*Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek was credited as the show's consultant. He also gave some of the clues via the middle monitor on three shows.
*On one show to celebrate the special "TV Tuned in to Kids & Family Week", all three rounds had a category devoted to cable television.
*With the exception of executive producer Scott Sternberg, whose company packaged Jep!, and host Bergen, most of the staff who worked on Jep! also worked on Jeopardy!
*The show was taped at Stage 11 of Sony Pictures Studios, the same studio that Wheel of Fortune tapes. Rock & Roll Jeopardy! was also taped at Stage 11.

Gameplay

*Contestant announcer: Host Bob Bergen introduced the contestants as well as prize plugs, but when came time to introduce Bergen, one of the contestants (usually the one at the blue lectern) did the honor.
*JepTV.com: On a few shows, there was a category called JepTV.com named after the show's website. There was a survey on that site and some of the questions were about that survey; most of the others were about the Internet itself.
*Triple Dump: For three shows on which all three contestants gave one or no incorrect responses each after the first two rounds, all three vats opened anyway.
*Light pen: The contestants on the show not only wrote down their Super Jep! responses using the lectern-mounted light pen systems, they also wrote down their responses for certain clues during the main game, saying "What is..." aloud and completing the response in writing.

External links

* [http://www.qwizx.com/gssfx/usa/jep.html Sounds from Jep!]
* [http://www.bobbergen.com/gameshow.htm Jep! Promo Picture @ Bob Bergen's Website]