What is… time to retire? Jeopardy! has put out a rare job listing for a new clue writer. Fans were shocked because the same crew has been on the game show for years, but now a newbie will be joining the team, and it has been made public whose spot they will fill.
CNN revealed that one of the nine writers, Jim Rhine, decided to retire after 30 years, having been a part of 1,279 episodes. He was a part of the Editorial Department for Men At Work, Double Impact, and Robot Jox, according to IMDb.
Rhine’s Jeopardy! credits include the syndicated and celebrity versions, as well as Jeopardy! Masters, Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time, Sports Jeopardy!, Jeopardy! National College Championship, and Rock & Roll Jeopardy!. He has won three Emmys for the show.
He has also had a lot of uncredited acting roles in shows such as Seinfeld, Quantum Leap, Full House, Baywatch, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, and more. Before Jeopardy!, his last role in 1996 was a production assistant and uncredited TV announcer in an episode of Grace Under Fire.
Executive producer Michael Davies spoke out about the job opening and the influx of applications the game show has received. He shared that quiz shows usually recruit from those inside their world or via referrals.
“Our Jeopardy! writers are not only brilliant, but they also write prolifically, and so we needed to put candidates under that same test of writing quite a lot,” Davies told CNN.
Jim Rhine working beihind the scenes at ‘Jeopardy!’
“This is a different process than we have ever used before. We’ve never advertised for a writing job. The number of applications has been staggering,” he said. With the job application closing on July 10, Davies shared that he has yet to count the number of applications, but he believes it to be around 1,000.
“I don’t think we expected this much of a response, and we’ve got to figure out the process,” he told the outlet as he and his senior staff go through the applications.
To be considered for the job, applicants had to complete and pass the same test that hopeful contestants take. 12 writing samples of the Jeopardy and Double Jeopardy rounds that included a category title, five clues in each, and proper sourcing also had to be submitted. Three Final Jeopardy questions also had to be written and submitted. On top of all of that, a standard resume and cover letter should be included in the application.
Responsibilities of the clue writer include writing up to eight categories with the clues every week, coming up with last-minute replacement clues, and providing quick research and judging on tape day.
Davies shared that to him, good Jeopardy! clues “jump off the page” and they have to have a sense of fun and whimsy. “Anybody can actually write a Jeopardy! clue, but to really be game-worthy for these amazing contestants who have spent a lifetime of learning to get to be on the program, we owe them some really great writing,” he said.
From all of the applications, the team will pick a dozen or so writers to move on to the next phase. Davies’ goal is to have the new writer hired by the time Season 43 begins filming in August, but with the number of applications, he worries that won’t happen.
Jeopardy!, weekdays, check local listings, stream next day on Hulu and Peacock