Jeopardy! fans who are clueless about Shakespeare and First Ladies are patiently awaiting Pop Culture Jeopardy!. Ahead of its December 4, 2024 premiere, longtime franchise producer Sarah Whitcomb Foss has shed some light on how Colin Jost is as the host.
“Over the weekend, SNL premiered its 50th season,” Foss shared on the latest installment of the Inside Jeopardy! podcast. “I tuned in to Weekend Update with a whole new point of view having worked with Jost taping those 40 episodes of Pop Culture Jeopardy!, and really I’m a fan.”
The former Clue Crew member gushed over Jost having worked with him first-hand on the Amazon Prime Video series — the first-ever version of Jeopardy! to be exclusively on streaming (not cable).
“He is a joy,” Foss continued. “He took it very seriously. He was really making sure that not only did he know the material and how to deliver it but that he was very familiar with these teams and the individual contestants and their stories. And that he approached the interviews with questions that would, you know, resonate with them.”
“And I think the biggest thing I was so impressed with is his talent of comedy,” she pointed out — gently implying Jost may be even funnier off-the-bat than Ken Jennings.
“The way he can intersperse comedy within the Jeopardy! format is something like I have never seen before. And I found myself laughing at the judges’ table many, many times and that was really, really fun. He’s an all-around nice guy.”
Foss admitted that Jost did have one unique hosting challenge. With the first season of the spinoff in the can, she shared that holding court with nine players instead of three was not easy host-wise.
“And with not three contestants, but nine. Nine active buzzers. Ken always talks about what its like to be the traffic cop of Jeopardy!. He’s [Jost] gotta be a traffic cop to not three but nine contestants.
“It’s a huge task in figuring out who gave the last correct response, who you call on, and then to be funny at the same time it’s quite miraculous,” she closed.
Pop Culture Jeopardy! will air weekly as part of Amazon Prime Video’s new “Winning Wednesdays” slate. Last week’s premiere date announcement also came with the first photos of the set. While the offshoot is also taped on the Alex Trebek stage, it looks totally different, with hunky podiums and a gigantic, glowing logo.
Meanwhile, Pop Culture Jeopardy! puts a pop culture twist on the classic quiz show. The teams are tasked with categories about Alternative Rock, The Avengers, Broadway, MMA, Gen Z, and Zendaya. The tournament-style series is worth $300,000.
Pop Culture Jeopardy!, Series Premiere, December 4, Amazon Prime