Jeopardy! Season 38 changes

Looks like we have another couple of changes incoming for the season:

1) The stage will be renamed in honor of Alex.
2) I am pretty sure that, like Wheel, there will be updated theme music as evidenced by the video shared regarding point (1).

The only thing that sounds different is the first part before the familiar melody starts.

How do you know about the FJ! think music?  I can't find any other credible source for this.   And I wonder if John Hoke was put in charge to update the theme.

If it's indeed the same one used since 10/13/2008, I wouldn't be surprised if Chris Bell did the updated main theme.   After all, Steve Kaplan composed both the 1997-2001 and 2001-2008 themes; and the second 1997 Think! music (had a piano in the first verse and a trumpet in the second verse) remained as is despite the main theme song was updated in 2001.  Same thing when the 1984 theme had a bongo track added to it in 1992; the Think! music remained the same – at the time it was the same one used 1964-1975 when Art Fleming hosted and then carried over to the current syndicated version in 1984.

But then again, it's possible some other composer (likely John Hoke) could've done the new theme despite the Think! music staying the same.  On Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, Bleeding Fingers Music did an arrangement based on the 2017 theme and even re-orchestrated the toss-up solve and main-game puzzle solve cues, but the other music cues were left as is.

I'm now starting to believe that Bleeding Fingers Music did the new main theme. I say this because it has the same sound as the music for Celebrity Wheel of Fortune – use of a synthesized orchestra rather than actual instruments. And the CWoF music package is basically a re-orchestrated version of the 2017 WoF theme music.

I was able to see an early airing of the show today and there was a full credit roll. The following are credited as music composers (the actual credit has been changed to "Music Composed or Arranged by"): Merv Griffin, John Hoke, Bleeding Fingers Music, and Chris Bell Music.

Presumably Merv will get a credit on Wheel as well since he was the original composer of "Changing Keys".

The set already changes to red for Final Jeopardy!, while I believe they started having the contestants already at their lecterns because of the Eddie Timanus run (although blind contestants have always been pretty rare, both before and after). Not to mention COVID regulations making it impossible to bring back immediately. But those would be nice to see again.

You all are correct, contestants aren't walking to their lecterns as a consideration for those who are not able to do so.

What hasn't been mentioned, however, is the riser that was added to the stage last season. I have a hunch it was designed into the set in order to allow contestants to maintain distance as they walk to their lecterns (off-camera) to comply with state regulations. There's roughly six feet of space behind where the players stand, so as long as they are spaced apart as they head to their respective spots, they will not come in close contact with each other heading to or returning from their lecterns. It also allows contestants dismissed before FJ to return just before the credits roll without coming into the others' space. Of course, this is all unsubstantiated as there is no hard evidence for it, but it seems like a clever set design that likely allowed the show to resume shooting early compared to other game shows.

Sorry for the hat trick of posts, but the system won't allow me to edit the last one. I wanted to clarify that Ken and Mayim will be hosting through the rest of the year, not the rest of the season as originally reported.


www.thewrap.com/mayim-bialik-and-ken-jennings-to-host-remaining-2021-jeopardy-episodes/