‘Jeopardy!’ Researchers Got Angry Phone Calls From Drunk Viewers in Bars, Bowling Alleys

Jeopardy! is still on the air holding trivia competitions every night, but it has been vintage TV since 1984. Back in the day, the show used to receive angry phone calls from patrons in bars watching the show on the bar’s TV. It was Jeopardy! head researcher Suzanne Stone’s job to answer those calls.

'Jeopardy!' host Alex Trebek explains the IBM Challenge — Alex Trebek | Ben Hider/Getty Images

Stone appeared on the Hollywood and Levine podcast on June 29 to discuss her time at Jeopardy! She retired in 2021 after Alex Trebek’s death, but she has some juicy stories about her time on the quiz show.

Bar and bowling alley patrons found the ‘Jeopardy!’ phone number

Before there was Google, before there were even smart phones or internet, people had no way to double check Jeopardy! answers. Yet, somehow they found the number for the show’s Los Angeles offices, even if they were watching on the east coast.

“That was part of my job is around 4 o’clock in the afternoon, which is 7 o’clock eastern time,” Stone said on Hollywood and Levine. “I’d get phone calls from people, sometimes in bars who are watching up on the bar Jeopardy! In fact, my local bowling alley, their bar always had Jeopardy on at 7 o’clock here in Los Angeles and we’d get calls from people saying, ‘What was that final about? I didn’t understand it or that’s crazy what you asked,’ things like that.”

‘Jeopardy!’ heard your complaints

Jeopardy! probably caused many an argument, especially when alcohol was involved. But, for those who made the effort to reach out, their complaints did not fall on deaf ears. Stone said Jeopardy! was attentive to making sure questions were fair for both the contestants and the viewers at home, so this feedback was useful.

“We pass on the information to the producers about what the public wants or what they consider unfair or unusual,” Stone said. “Sometimes they’re just a little drunk or a little tired and they just wanted to know what Alex said about certain things.”

By the time Stone retired in 2021, she saw that Jeopardy! fans found myriad new ways to contact the show. The show is on social media. People still write letters and yes, the phone lines are still open.

“As far as how the public reacts to them, I think we’re always going to be aware of if there’s something people stand and stare, the contestants or the people at home,” Stone said. “Now they can tweet back to us. We still get letters, I know that. People still write letters. They will phone you.”

So there you have it. If you have a problem with Jeopardy! Call them up! Stone is retired but someone is there to answer the phone.

‘Jeopardy!’ Researchers Got Angry Phone Calls From Drunk Viewers in Bars, Bowling Alleys

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‘Jeopardy!’ Researchers Got Angry Phone Calls From Drunk Viewers in Bars, Bowling Alleys

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