# Jeopardy Contestants, Do they tell you the categories ahead of time? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 13, 2003, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-contestants-do-they-tell-you-the-categories-ahead-of-time/194998 "2003-08-13T20:10:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-contestants-do-they-tell-you-the-categories-ahead-of-time/194998/1 "2003-08-13T20:10:10Z")
I am almost certain they do not. However, I have heard that the contestants are told the categories ahead of time by at least five different people including my own mother. Usually it is told in the spirit of, “Well, it’s really not as hard as it looks on TV”. I have argued with these people several times to no avail. I know there are several former contestants and others with direct knowledge on this message board. Can anyone help me dispute this once and for all? Do Jeopardy contestants know the categories before the show? ---
**Author:** ![aktep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f0a364/32.png) [@aktep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aktep)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-contestants-do-they-tell-you-the-categories-ahead-of-time/194998/2 "2003-08-13T20:38:35Z")
If they do, they sure perform poorly. I don’t know the categories going in, and I usually answer more questions correctly than the contestants do. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-contestants-do-they-tell-you-the-categories-ahead-of-time/194998/3 "2003-08-13T20:42:05Z")
No. [http://www.maturin.org/wanyden/jeopardy.html](http://www.maturin.org/wanyden/jeopardy.html) Read the FAQ ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-contestants-do-they-tell-you-the-categories-ahead-of-time/194998/4 "2003-08-13T20:44:49Z")
Thanks! That is just what I needed. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-contestants-do-they-tell-you-the-categories-ahead-of-time/194998/5 "2003-08-13T23:45:45Z")
Years ago I remember an episode that had a physician as a contestant and one of the categories was ‘MEDICINE’. Trebek made a point of explaining that they were picked at random (ironically the doc got a fairly easy question with the Daily Double and blew it!) ---
**Author:** ![5\_time\_champ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/278dde/32.png) [@5\_time\_champ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5_time_champ)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2003, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-contestants-do-they-tell-you-the-categories-ahead-of-time/194998/6 "2003-08-14T00:35:20Z")
## The contestants are most certainly not informed of the categories before the game begins. 5 time champ ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2003, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-contestants-do-they-tell-you-the-categories-ahead-of-time/194998/7 "2003-08-14T01:26:40Z")
I was only a 1-time champ (really!), and no, you don’t know the categories until Alex announces them at the start of each round. They tape five shows every tape day, and the contestants waiting for the next shows are in the studio audience (segregated from everyone else) watching. We sat there seeing the categories the other contestants were getting, and would turn to each other and say, I wish I had gotten that one!