Jeopardy! (AUS Version)

Jeopardy! was a short-lived Australian game show based on the classic American format of the same name. It was hosted by former Sale of the Century host Tony Barber in 1993 but rated poorly and was cancelled six months later.

The First Two Rounds
Six categories were announced, each with a column of five trivia clues (phrased in answer form), each one incrementally valued more than the previous, ostensibly by difficulty. The subjects ranged from standard topics including history and current events, the sciences, the arts, popular culture, literature and languages, to pun-laden titles (many of which referred to the standard subjects) and wordplay categories.

The host then read the clue after which any of the three contestants would ring in using a hand-held signaling device. The first contestant to ring in successfully, following the host's reading of the clue, then had to respond in the form of a question.

A correct response earned the dollar value of the clue and the opportunity to select the next clue from the board. An incorrect response or a failure to respond within a 5-second time limit (shown by the red lights on the contestant's podium) deducted the dollar value of the clue from the contestant's score and gave any remaining opponent(s) the opportunity to ring in and respond. If none of the contestants could give a correct response, the host read the correct response and the last contestant to have given a correct answer chose the next clue.

All responses needed to be phrased in the form of a question. For example, a contestant would say "Prime Ministers for $200," and the resulting clue would be "First Australian Prime Minister", to which the contestant would respond "Who was Edmund Barton?".

Money Amounts
Money amounts were minimal in the first round, while the money amounts were doubled in the Double Jeopardy round.

Here are the amounts for each round:


 * Jeopardy! - The clue values varied from $100 to $300 in increments of $50. Each category was worth up to $1,000 for a maximum for the entire board of $6,000.
 * Double Jeopardy! - The clue values varied from $200 to $600 in increments of $100. Each category was worth up to $2,000 for a maximum for the entire board of $12,000.

Daily Double
At some point in the round(s), the contestant in control could uncover a very special clue hidden somewhere on the Jeopardy! board called the "Daily Double"; this clue could be listed under any value at random. On a Daily Double, the contestant who picked it could wager any or all of their current score (wagering all is classified as a "True Daily Double"), but would need to wager at least $5. If the contestant had a low score, a zero score or a negative score, they could choose to risk up to the maximum clue value on that clue. In either case, only the contestant who picked it could give the response. A correct response added the wager, but an incorrect response, an improperly-phrased response (even if correct and regardless of the round) or no response at all deducted the wager. Either way, the contestant then chose another clue afterwards. There was only one Daily Double in the Jeopardy! round and two Daily Doubles in the Double Jeopardy! round.

Final Jeopardy!
At the end of the Double Jeopardy! round, the three contestants (excluding those who ended the second round with a zero or negative score) played the final round, Final Jeopardy! The round started with one last category for that round revealled, and then during the final commercial break, the contestants wrote down how much they wished to wager based on that category, from $0 to the total money they accumulated in the first two rounds. When the break was over, the Final Jeopardy! clue under that category was revealled, and then the contestants had 30 seconds to write down the correct response, remembering to phrase it in the form of a question. When that time ended, the questions were checked one-by-one and a correct response added the wager but an incorrect response or an improperly-phrased response (even if correct) deducted the wager.

Unlike the American version, the contestants were asked to state their answers and the amount they wagered.

Winning the Game/Returning Champions
The player with the most money won the game. If the game ended in a tie, the players who were tied won the game. The winning players returned to play the next day. Champions stayed on the show until they won five games. After a contestant won five games, three new contestants appeared on the next show.

YouTube Links
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdie5lbLwVo A promo for Aussie Jeopardy! from 1992]

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGv_3CBXZEc Jeopardy! advertisement (w/ Tony Barber) {1992}]

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwffjRK1Ot8 Tony Barber Jeopardy! promo "What is Jeopardy?"]

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqENh5azs5Y Tony Barber Jeoaprdy! promo "Coming Soon"]

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-ek-y1iu4w Tony Barber Jeopardy! promo "Take the Challenge"]

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tATWBstBs40 TNQ10 - Jeopardy! Promo]

The opening and closing of the show

A playing of Final Jeopardy!

1993 finale clip

Closing Credits