Buzzy Cohen Dives Deep Behind the Scenes of 'Jeopardy!' in New Podcast (Exclusive)

Buzzy Cohen is taking Jeopardy! fans where they've never gone before with the new podcast This is Jeopardy!... The Story of America's Favorite Quiz Show, premiering Wednesday, April 26. The fan-favorite former Jeopardy! Champion and guest host opened up about diving deep into the game show's untold stories in an exclusive interview with PopCulture.com ahead of the premiere. 

"I think one of the things that is really exciting and interesting for people is 'How did Jeopardy! become this institution, beyond a pop culture phenomenon?" Cohen shared of the podcast's focus. "It is something that is — generation to generation — part of people's lives ... We really go back and we look at some major inflection points. We tell stories that people haven't heard before." 

With access to the archives and people who have made Jeopardy! what it is today, each episode will tackle another aspect of the show's history – from its two cancellations to Alex Trebek's controversial debut as host in 1984. Growing up with Trebek's version of Jeopardy!, Cohen admits he was surprised to hear that Trebek taking over the show from Art Fleming had people up in arms due to his "kind of suave and sexy" game show host reputation. "For me, Alex Trebek is Jeopardy! forever," the Tournament of Champions winner shared. "The idea that there was a period of time where that wasn't the case, and Alex and the people at Jeopardy! had to work to help get people on board with that was really interesting to hear about."

In other episodes, Cohen interviews the writers and researchers who write questions and answers for each Jeopardy! show, then follows a group of contestants through one whole day of taping. He even centers one episode around the 148 contestants that now-host Ken Jennings beat during his historic 74-game winning streak. "I mean, imagine you're spending your whole life excited to get on Jeopardy!, studying, and then you have the ill fortune of being up against the greatest Jeopardy! player of all time," Cohen told PopCulture. "It was really interesting to see how people dealt with that, how that felt, how that was for Ken, how that was for them, how they've all created a community among themselves." 

And while there are, of course, interviews with major winners like Amy Schneider, This Is Jeopardy! also looks at some of the unsung heroes of the show's history, including Trebek's hairstylist and makeup artist of 20 years. "They were there with him every day when he had knee surgery, when he was going through his cancer treatment," Cohen said. "They really got to know him in a different way than almost anybody else other than his family."

As an avid Jeopardy! fan, Champion and guest host, Cohen said it's been "really fun" to bring his trifecta of experiences to the podcast "so it's not just a reportage on a Wikipedia page of Jeopardy!" He continued, "If you think you know everything about Jeopardy!, you do not and this is how you're going to find it out. If you know nothing about Jeopardy! and you want to impress people, this is how you're going to do it. Really there's something for everyone, and I just can't wait to hear how people respond and as we continue to make these, seeing what people are really excited about so we can kind of dive into some of that as well." This is Jeopardy!...The Story of America's Favorite Quiz Show premieres Wednesday, April 26 on all major podcast platforms.