About two months ago (not sure why it took this long to write a recap) I got the opportunity to attend the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) over in Las Vegas. Amidst all the fancy new televisions, car electronics, and wireless gizmos that covered the convention floor, I found myself over in the Sony area that Saturday evening (I mean, what else does one do on a Saturday night in Vegas?). Because as luck would have it (translation: thanks for the hookup Nate), I scored tickets to a taping of everyone’s favorite “yell-as-loudly-as-you-can-at-the-tv” quiz show, Jeopardy!

Turns out the Jeopardy! producers had brought the show all the way from Culver City to Vegas to film a couple of episodes. But they also decided to use the opportunity to debut a brand new set! Before the taping, I was able to snap a couple of photos. Check ‘em out (click to enlarge).

As you can see, the new set definitely is a little more vibrant than the current one it’s about to replace. One of the newest additions is a large Sony television (gotta love corporate synergy) that sits between Alex Trebec’s podium and the contestants. Purists will be sad to know that Alex no longer unveils the Final Jeopardy! clue in front of the giant question board but instead does it in front of this flashy new tv (and you know, now that I think about it that’s the only thing I saw it being used for).

The new set will officially replace the old one starting with the new season. For those who are impatient though, you’ll be able to get a sneak peak of it this season on March 18, 19, and 20 (which just happens to be the three episodes I got to see taped). And they aren’t regular Jeopardy! episodes either, but rather the three semifinal rounds for the Tournament of Champions. So get your DVRs ready (and look for me in the audience). Apparently they also filmed an episode of Celebrity Jeopardy! (and I assume they also filmed the Tournament of Champions finals on the new set) so be on the look out.

For those who are curious to know what it's like during a taping, here's what I remember from my experience.

While the crew was preparing to film the first episode of the evening, the announcer Johnny Gilbert came out to chat with the audience. In addition to giving the usual spiel ("don't shout out any answers," "applaud when the applause sign is lit"), he used the opportunity to talk about the history of Jeopardy!, go over how a show is put together (even though we were moments away from seeing it happen for ourselves), and reminisce about prior contestants. For example, we learned about Eddie Timanus, who was the first blind contestant to compete on the show (and utlimately ended up winning five consecutive games!).

When filming actually started, it was almost like watching the show on TV. Each episode was filmed live-to-tape; however, they did stop a few times to fix a few issues. For example, that evening the player scoreboards kept malfunctioning and every time it happened, the producers would stop the cameras, fix the scoreboards, rewind the tape, and start filming again from a prior location (it was quite amusing seeing a contestant buzz in to answer a question again while pretending it was his/her first time answering it). In addition, during commerical breaks, Alex would re-record the audio for some of his dialogue (mainly to re-record linesthat he stumbled over or mis-pronounced the first time).

One of the best parts about the tapings was that during commercial breaks (and between taping of episodes), Alex would walk out to the audience and do quick Q&A sessions, where he'd talk about the show, share some fun facts, and answer inane audience questions (usually with a witty or joking response). Here are some of the highlights that I remember from those sessions (in no particular order whatsoever)

• Some general production notes about the show. For a particular season, they film twice a week and tape 5 episodes per day. They produce 46 weeks of programming each year, which means they film an entire seasons worth of episodes in 23 weeks.
• Someone asked Alex how he stays so young. Without missing a beat, Alex responded, “Heavy drugs.”
• When asked about Jeopardy!’s transition to HD, Alex joked that his makeup had to be upgraded to include spackle.
• Alex mentioned he doesn’t like gambling. His reason was that when he wins 100, it’s whatever. But when he loses 100, it really ticks him off!
• Alex said that he’s a big hockey fan and his favorite team is the Montreal Canadiens.
• Someone asked Alex to say his name backwards (referencing an episode of Family Guy where Alex gets sent back to another dimension). Alex understood the reference, while everyone else in the audience didn't. Unfortunately, he did not end up saying "Cebert Xela".
• Alex was asked about his most embarrassing moment. The announcer chimed in instead and mentioned the “one time Alex came out with no pants on”.
• I forget what question led to this, but at one point Alex turned to the judges and chided them for all being "recovering alcoholics".
• The Jeopardy! team consists of 11 writers and 7 researchers (not sure if that includes the Clue Crew).
• A man asked Alex for a hug. After a brief pause Alex declined, then pointed to a female and said “But I’ll definitely give you a hug!” and proceeded to do so. He then also gave her an autograph on her ticket stub. Lucky gal.
• You might have noticed that most contestants on the show appear to be the same height. That's because the producers use various sized platforms for shorter contestants to make them appear taller. Ahhh, that's tv magic for ya.
• This didn’t happen during a commercial break but I found it pretty funny. During one of the rounds, a production gaffe occurred and one of the producers yelled “Stop” to halt filming. Immediately without a missing a beat, Alex turned from his podium, stuck his hand out and started singing “Stop....in the naaaame of love.” Truly one of the more surreal moments of my life.

That’s pretty much it. Be sure to tune in on March 18 to check out the new set.

And for those looking for a little hint on what to expect, I'll give you a clue about the Final Jeopardy! clue that night...it deals with Elvis.

[03.11.09 Update]

Looks like the Celebrity Jeopardy! episode that was filmed on the new set aired last night. And the Tournament of Champions starts tonight, so you'll be able to see the new set for at least the next two weeks.