Jeopardy! Timeline (syndicated version)/Season 28

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Season 28 (2011-2012)

Title card for Season 28.

Beginning with this season, Alex sat on his chair at his podium, when the Final Jeopardy! category is revealed on the monitor before the last commercial break. After the last commercial break, Alex revealed the Final Jeopardy! clue, as opposed to standing in front of the game board in Seasons 1-27.

For the first half of this season, Alex stood at his podium, and he doesn't sit in his chair.

Season Changes

• New opening sequence: two golden doors open revealing a yellow and purple background, with a bird's eye view of the Jeopardy! logo. The background is changed to red and violet. The camera zooms out revealing the Jeopardy! logo, with timer lights going backwards. Finally, the Jeopardy! logo zooms forward, revealing 2009-2013 set.
• Alex walked onto the set from behind the game board, rather than the sliding doors, due to his injury on his right Achilles foot. He began sitting at his podium throughout the whole show, including when the Final Jeopardy! category and clue are revealed.
• With the start of the season, Alex sat on his chair at his podium, when the Final Jeopardy! category is revealed on the monitor before the last commercial break. After the last commercial break, Alex revealed the Final Jeopardy! clue, as opposed to standing in front of the game board in the first 27 seasons, so Alex no longer stands in front of the game board.
• For the first half of the season, Alex stood at his podium, and there was no chair.
• Aleve sponsors the consolation prizes beginning the second week of this season, however, it is only seen on regular play.
• The closing credits change to a different font mid-season, which would be in use until Season 33.
• Lisa Broffman joined the Jeopardy! staff as supervising producer.
• On episodes with a full closing credit roll, the split-screen backdrop is light blue with glitters.
• The copyright date gained a violet color scheme.
• This is the second occurrence where no champions participated in the Tournament of Champions made it to the finals.
• This is first season to end its original run in August rather than July.
• This is the last season where Sarah Whitcomb-Foss was credited as Sarah Whitcomb.

September 2011

• September 19, 2011: Season 28 kicks off, and the first episode to have a closed captioning sponsor at the end of the second commercial break rather than before the Final Jeopardy! segment; Alex comes on stage wearing a boot due to his Achilles tendon injury, and conducts the contestant interviews from behind his podium, Alex sits on his chair at his podium revealing the Final Jeopardy! category and clue, as opposed to standing in front of the game board in seasons 1-27, so Alex no longer stands in front of the game board.
• September 23, 2011: Justin Sausville finishes with a 6-day total of $134,000.

October 2011

• October 12, 2011: Joon Pahk finishes with a 7-day total of $199,000. In his second game, he set the record for highest wager on a single Daily Double in regular play, betting his entire $16,400.
• October 24, 2011: Alex Trebek introduces the Jeopardy! Hall of Fame backstage.

November 2011

• November 2-15, 2011: The Tournament of Champions aired. This tournament marks the last time, the champions in the quarterfinal week was in the order of their last names.
• November 9, 2011: Alex delivers clues from the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
• November 14, 2011: Alex delivers clues from Petra in Jordan. In the first of the two-day finals, eventual champion Roger Craig uncovers both Daily Doubles consecutively in the Double Jeopardy! round, wagers all of his winnings on both, and gives correct responses each time. Tournament of Champions winner Roger sets record for highest True DD wager ($18K).

December 2011

• December 12, 2011: Alex returns to doing contestant interviews near the contestant podiums.
• December 14, 2011: 84-year-old Tampa native Shirley Smallwood attends the taping, thanks to Jeremy Bloom's Wish of a Lifetime Foundation.
• December 15, 2011: Alex's wife Jean, mother Lucille, and Dolores from Florida were featured in the audience. The closed captioning sponsor was announced right after the first commercial break, right before the Double Jeopardy! round, and right after the second commercial break.
• December 29, 2011: Jason Keller finishes with a 9-day total of $213,900.

January 2012

• January 6, 2012: Dave Leach finishes with a 6-day total of $98,054.
• January 12, 2012: Dan McShane finishes with a 4-day total of $62,001.

February 2012

• This was the first time that there were two tournaments in one month.
• February 1-14, 2012: The College Championship is held. The main theme is reused.
• February 15-28, 2012: The Teachers Tournament is held.

March 2012

• March 8, 2012: David Gard finishes with a 4-day total of $84,700.

April 2012

• April 30, 2012-May 4, 2012: The quarterfinal matches of the Teen Tournament were held.

May 2012

• May 4, 2012: During the last quarterfinal game in the Teen Tournament, Double Jeopardy! leader Gabriela Gonzales wagered $8,000, rather than the minimum necessary $7,001 to cover second-place player Evan Eschliman, who apparently wagered $1,200. To have had an even $15,000 had he gotten the correct response in Final Jeopardy!, but ended up with $12,600 after his miss. To her misfortune, Gabriela's score was coincidentally the same after her miss and over wager. Evan buzzed in first with the correct response to advance to the semifinals, whereas Gabriela's score was insufficient to earn her a wildcard spot.
• May 7-18, 2012: The episodes were taped at the DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C.
  • May 7–11, 2012: The semi-final, and the final matches of the Teen Tournament were both held.
  • May 11, 2012: Teen Tournament Winner Elyse Mancuso sets the record of $79,600. This was also the first time the winner has won more than $75,000 in the Teen Tournament. As a matter of fact, all three finalists surpass their respective minimum guarantees.
  • May 14–18, 2012: Power Players Week was held.
    • Chris Matthews, Lizzie O'Leary, and Robert Gibbs compete on Monday.
    • Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Dana Perino, and David Faber. compete on Tuesday.
    • Dr. Mehmet Oz, Katty Kay, and Chris Wallace compete on Wednesday.
    • Chuck Todd, Clarence Page, and Lewis Black compete on Thursday.
    • Anderson Cooper, Kelly O'Donnell, and Thomas L. Friedman compete on Friday.
• May 29, 2012: Joel Pool finishes with a 6-day total of $116,800.

June 2012

• June 21, 2012: David Menchaca finishes with a 5-day total of $115,503.

July 2012

• July 30-August 3, 2012: Kids Week is held.

August 2012

• August 3, 2012: Season 28 ends.

Post-season

• August 6-September 14, 2012: Summer reruns air.