‘Jeopardy!’ Crew Members Reveal Show Secrets & Ken Jennings’ Box of Tricks

Dallas Taylor/YouTube/Sony

Jeopardy! crew members are sharing shows secrets and taking fans backstage in a new YouTube video that gives a closer look at the contestants’ podiums, and more.

YouTube creator Dallas Taylor toured the Sony Picture Studio Lot with Jeopardy! sound technicians to see the ins and outs of the game show. The first stop was a look at the audience and judges’ seats. Production Sound Mixer Carlos Torres said that the set can hold 100 to 150 people. There are microphones placed above them on the ceiling to capture their reactions.

He then showed off the podiums. There is a mechanism on the floor that can be adjusted according to the contestant’s height. Torres showed that it doesn’t take a lot of effort to press the buzzer. The podiums have speakers so the contestants can hear sound effects for audio clues.

Host Ken Jennings‘ podium is a veritable box of tricks with a few more buttons than the contestants’. The button on the right allows him to press it if a contestant is taking too long to answer and the beeping sound will go off. He had a red light that lights up when it is time to move on or go to a commercial. Jennings’ podium has two screens on it — One with all of the clues and one that plays video clues. Torres shared that the host also likes to use paper for his lines.

Torres revealed the spot that Jennings walks out from when announcer Johnny Gilbert calls his name. The crew member revealed that since Gilbert is 96, he works from home. He just records audio for each show with the contestants’ names, and they add it in post-production.

Mitch Trueg, the floor manager, shared that each crew member wears headsets and wireless microphones to communicate with each other. Trueg shared that there is only four crew members involved with Jeopardy! and they all get along well and make sure the show flows.

As Torres showed off where the sound is connected to, a cutout of a young Ken Jennings with a birthday hat hung on the wall. He then showed off the many organized wires that make sure the sound comes through the studio.

Ric Teller, the Front of House Mixer, had been with Jeopardy! since the pilot. He revealed that all of the individual monitors on the game board were attached to slide projectors when he first started. He showed off the sound board and how he has to be careful with the controls, especially when a contestant talks low. However, he can lower the other two contestants’ microphones if one is speaking just by adjusting one control. Sometimes a producer will interpt Jennings if the sound is off and will tell him to do the bit again.

After the tour of the set was done, Torres took Taylor even further backstage to show off the Jeopardy! Museum. There is a huge glass display of the game show’s Emmy Awards, as well as a Lego model of the set. Alex Trebek‘s podium is also in the museum, which is now preserved in glass, and featured his glasses, a crayon, and a sheet of clues he crossed off, and the music sheet for the Jeopardy! theme song by Merv Griffin, which Torres said he made $100 million on.

A Jeopardy! contestant from December 2024, Evan Jones, praised Trueg on Reddit, where the video was shared to. “So glad to see Mitch get some spotlight here! He mics up all the contestants, so he’s one of the last people you interact with before you go out on stage. In that moment, everyone’s a ball of nervous energy, but Mitch has this warm, friendly personality that really helps put you at ease. He’s terrific,” he said.

What was your favorite part of the stage? Let us know in the comments.

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