# JEOPARDY! Categories **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [February 19, 2009, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-categories/486563 "2009-02-19T16:39:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-categories/486563/1 "2009-02-19T16:39:31Z")
Does anybody know someone who works on the Jeopardy staff that comes up with the categories and answers? I watch the show daily – in stretches – and am always intrigued by how clever the categories are. Sometimes there’s a theme so all six tie together. But, as often as not, they’re just six odd groupings of things that five answers (questions) can be provided for. Let’s come up with some doozies. Tom & Jerry Doorways False Gods Pink things Nasty tasting vegetables Hits of 1953 If you don’t want to add to the list of categories, how about coming up with five answers for one category already given. With any luck this could get strange! ---
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-categories/486563/2 "2009-02-19T17:07:06Z")
You might be interested in [this three part interview](http://ken-jennings.com/blog/?p=775) that Ken Jennings did with a former Jeopardy! writer. It’s pretty cool. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-categories/486563/3 "2009-02-19T17:14:45Z")
> [@VarlosZ](#): > > You might be interested in [this three part interview](http://ken-jennings.com/blog/?p=775) that Ken Jennings did with a former Jeopardy! writer. It’s pretty cool. Nice find. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-categories/486563/4 "2009-02-19T17:36:27Z")
Pfft, they always paled in comparison to the categories on “Win Ben Stein’s Money.” 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-categories/486563/5 "2009-02-19T18:06:54Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > Pfft, they always paled in comparison to the categories on “Win Ben Stein’s Money.” 😛 I never saw a single episode even though I did know it was on. Could you give a few examples? It may have been on some sketch doing a takeoff on one of those Gillion-dollar-pyramid things where one player gives words and the other tries to guess the category being cited from. The first player gives things like: tomato, Einstein, sonatas, caravans, or the like, and the category turns out to be Things In The Universe. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-categories/486563/6 "2009-02-19T19:07:31Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > I never saw a single episode even though I did know (_Win Ben Stein’s Money_) was on. Could you give a few examples (of categories)? The first one that comes to mind is “Pass the Duchess on the Left-Hand Side”, a play on [this song title](http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/m/musical_youth/pass_the_dutchie.html). The question (there was only one question for each category) was something like “From 1919 to 1964, Charlotte was Grand Duchess of which small European country?” Luxembourg [This article](http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/9708/04/win.steins.money/index.html) mentions a few more of the punning designations. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-categories/486563/7 "2009-02-19T19:23:12Z")
> [@Sternvogel](#): > > The first one that comes to mind is “Pass the Duchess on the Left-Hand Side”, a play on [this song title](http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/m/musical_youth/pass_the_dutchie.html). The question (there was only one question for each category) was something like “From 1919 to 1964, Charlotte was Grand Duchess of which small European country?” > > Luxembourg > > [This article](http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/9708/04/win.steins.money/index.html) mentions a few more of the punning designations. Excellent information, **Sternvogel** , and particularly remarkable in that just this past week we were discussing Jimmy Kimmel and his pre-late-night-talk-show-hosting gigs, and all I could recall was _The Man Show_ with Adam Corolla – another of those shows I never really watched. Someone else mentioned his Ben Stein connection and I was amazed. It would appear that I would have had zero chances on Ben Stein. I hit about 50-60% on most Jeopardy! episodes. I keep trying to beat the one time I was able to guess the Final Jeopardy question after hearing nothing more than the category. It was Wilkie Collins’ _The Moonstone_. My wife was sure I had cheated, but it was just dumb luck. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-categories/486563/8 "2009-02-19T21:07:55Z")
Occasionally (rarely), I can guess the final jeopardy question just from the category. I have done it amongst buddies and they think that I cheated as well. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-categories/486563/9 "2009-02-19T21:33:42Z")
“I’ll take Jap Anus Relations for $2000, Alex” “That’s Japan/US Relations” ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-categories/486563/10 "2009-02-19T21:49:45Z")
> [@ArchiveGuy](#): > > “I’ll take Jap Anus Relations for $2000, Alex” > > “That’s Japan/US Relations” Excellent. Those SNL Connery skits, right? ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ea5d25/32.png) [@Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Scrappy_Hero_Pup)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-categories/486563/11 "2009-02-20T00:35:37Z")
“Potent Potables” ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-categories/486563/12 "2009-02-20T00:43:31Z")
“The Rapists” ---
**Author:** ![Seeker\_of\_Truth\_and\_Beauty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Seeker\_of\_Truth\_and\_Beauty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seeker_of_Truth_and_Beauty)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-categories/486563/13 "2009-02-20T07:57:12Z")
" ‘Diamonds’ Are A Girl’s Best Friend" “Sports Legends” "Things That ‘Pop’ " ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-categories/486563/14 "2009-02-20T08:28:56Z")
An album cover ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-categories/486563/15 "2009-02-20T15:19:18Z")
Category no.5 Canadian shit There is always some Canadian clues or categories. The host is from the great frozen ,land of bears and moose. ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-categories/486563/16 "2009-02-20T15:26:27Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Category no.5 Canadian shit > There is always some Canadian clues or categories. The host is from the great frozen ,land of bears and moose. It’s The Great White North, and it’s hockey, beer, and polar bears. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-categories/486563/17 "2009-02-20T17:47:33Z")
“Penis Mightier” ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-categories/486563/18 "2009-02-20T17:53:20Z")
“I’ll take Whore Semen for $800” “That’s Famous Horsemen. You’re very proud of yourself, aren’t you?”