‘Jeopardy!’ just got a YouTube makeover—and it’s nothing like the TV version

The new edition features influencers, platform-inspired categories, and livestream gameplay hosted by Ken Jennings.

[Photo: Sony Pictures Television]

Jeopardy! may have been born on cable television, but it’s determined not to live and die there.

The trivia game show’s first iteration premiered on daytime television more than 60 years ago in 1964. Its modern syndicated version launched in 1984, and 41 seasons later, it’s still going strong, garnering 7.5 million viewers for its latest season premiere and maintaining its title as the most-watched syndication series on television.

Though Jeopardy! made it through the cultural transition to streaming largely unscathed, its producers are still finding ways to innovate on its format and bring the show to new platforms. That includes the newly announced Jeopardy! YouTube Edition, which will feature YouTube personalities playing for charity.

The new show will premiere on Tuesday, March 31 at 9 p.m. ET with a livestream on the Jeopardy! YouTube channel, hosted by Ken Jennings.

What makes YouTube Edition different from regular Jeopardy!? The show will still use Jeopardy!’s signature answer-with-a-question format, but with trivia categories inspired by YouTube, including viral trends and the platform’s history, with YouTube talent also appearing to provide custom video clues.

“From Sabrina Carpenter’s greatest hits to DIY home-building, there is so much to learn on YouTube, but who has learned the most?” Jennings teased in a promo for the series, where he also introduced the three “internet icons” competing in the premiere.

There’s Brennan Lee Mulligan, the host of tabletop gaming series Dimension 20, which sports 1.11 million YouTube subscribers; drag queen Monét X Change, a star of reality TV shows including RuPaul’s Drag Race and The Traitors and a YouTube creator with 180,000 subscribers; and pop singer Rebecca Black, whose much-memed music video for “Friday” has 179 million views on the platform. Each contestant will be competing to win money for a charity of their choice, with Monét playing for GLAAD and both Mulligan and Black representing The Trevor Project.

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