It’s an answer-and-question game that sometimes seemingly takes a genius to win. But when it comes to explaining the success of “Jeopardy!”, well, that’s a no-brainer.
“It’s the simplicity of the format,” says Executive Producer Harry Friedman. “It’s a really solid quiz show that some days will challenge you because you are asked for information you don’t know, and then other days you will find information you do know and then can feel pretty good about yourself.”
For the next two days in Madison, it will be college students who might end up feeling pretty good about themselves. “The 2008 Jeopardy! College Championship” will be taped at the Kohl Center today and Saturday for shows that will begin to air on May 5. The University of Wisconsin will be represented by Suchita Shah, a senior majoring in neurobiology.
The choice of the UW wasn’t tough, Friedman said.
“It’s a great, classic campus, and we like everything about Wisconsin and what it represents,” he said.
Friedman knows this firsthand. His wife, Judy, is from Fond du Lac, and his father-in-law, Nate Manis, was on the UW Athletic Board from 1971 to 1975.