What is taping like?
As a general rule, they start running the tape and they do not stop. During “commercial breaks,” the cameras continue to roll for the appropriate amount of time to minimize any post-editing. During the breaks, the contestants are given encouragement, water, and make-up retouches by the Jeopardy! staff. There are a few exceptions to the “always rolling” rule though, and we got to see a few examples. The first is when there is a technical difficulty – sure enough, the Board does get “stuck.” When that happens, they stop the tape, have the contestants turn their backs to the Board, and then reset it. The other exception is on a judge’s call. During my show, I took a wild guess at a $500 question. Alex actually called it right and prompted me to “pick again” before the judges held up the show. Taping stopped, while the judges and their research staff reviewed the answer. In my case, the judges actually reversed Alex’s call, and so taping picked up with Alex saying, “Oooh, I’m sorry…” My
