Team Jeopardy
Classic Jeopardy-style game show with custom categories. Teams select questions, wager points, and compete for knowledge supremacy. Perfect for energizing meetings and building team bonds.
45-60 min
6-50 people
medium
basic
About This Game
Team Jeopardy adapts the beloved game show format into an interactive team building experience that combines knowledge competition with collaborative strategy. Unlike traditional trivia where questions come at you sequentially, Jeopardy's board format gives teams agency—they choose which categories to tackle, which difficulty levels to attempt, and when to take risks on Daily Doubles. The magic happens when teams must quickly decide together: "Do we try the 500-point hard question or play it safe with the 100-point easy one?" "Should we wager big on this Daily Double in a category we know?" The answer-as-a-question format ("What is...?") adds a fun cognitive twist, and the variety of custom categories means you can tailor content to celebrate company knowledge, industry trends, pop culture, or pure entertainment. Whether you create a physical game board with flip cards, use PowerPoint with hyperlinks, or leverage online Jeopardy tools, the competitive energy is palpable. Teams huddle to pool knowledge, debate answers in whispered urgency, celebrate correct responses with high-fives, and groan collectively at missed opportunities. The Final Jeopardy wagering round delivers dramatic climax where strategic betting can flip the leaderboard. Beyond the fun, Team Jeopardy reveals who knows what, celebrates diverse expertise, and creates memorable moments of triumph and laughter.
Objectives
- Build team collaboration as members pool their diverse knowledge to answer questions
- Practice strategic thinking through category selection and Daily Double wagering decisions
- Create an inclusive environment where different knowledge areas are equally valued
- Energize meetings or events with competitive, engaging, and intellectually stimulating content
- Celebrate company culture and shared knowledge through custom category design
- Encourage quick decision-making and consensus-building under time pressure
How to Run This Game
Facilitator Script:
"Welcome to Team Jeopardy! Today we're channeling our inner Alex Trebek—or should I say, Ken Jennings now—for a knowledge competition with a twist. You'll be working in teams, and here's what makes Jeopardy special: you get to choose your questions. You'll see a game board with categories and point values. Higher points mean harder questions. You'll also encounter Daily Doubles where you can wager your points for double-or-nothing risk. And we'll finish with Final Jeopardy, where everyone wagers on one big question. Let's form teams of 4-6 people. [Assign teams mixing departments.] Choose a team name—and yes, it can be a pun. You have 2 minutes to introduce yourselves and pick your name. Ready? Go!"
Actions:
- Form teams of 4-6 participants (mix departments and seniority for knowledge diversity)
- For virtual events, assign breakout rooms as team spaces
- Give teams 2 minutes to choose a team name (encourage creativity)
- Explain Jeopardy format: question selection, point values, Daily Doubles, Final Jeopardy
- Display the game board showing all categories
- Clarify that answers must be phrased as questions ("What is...")
- Explain scoring system and how teams will buzz in or submit answers
Tips:
- • If using buzzer system (bells, buttons, raising hands), test it before starting
- • For virtual, decide if teams submit answers in chat, use polls, or unmute to answer
- • Display the game board clearly—use PowerPoint, Google Slides, or specialized Jeopardy software
- • Sample categories: Company History, Industry Trends, Pop Culture, Geography, Science, Leadership Quotes
Facilitator Script:
"Let's look at our Round 1 board. We have six categories: Company History, Marketing Campaigns, World Geography, 2020s Pop Culture, Science & Nature, and Famous Quotes. Point values range from 100 to 500. Team 1, you won the coin toss, so you get first selection. Which category and point value would you like? [Team chooses.] Okay, Company History for 300. Here's your clue: [Read clue]. You have 10 seconds to confer and buzz in. [Wait for buzzer.] Team 2! What is your answer? [They respond: 'What is...'] Correct! You now have 300 points and control of the board. Team 2, make your selection. [Continue through board, revealing Daily Doubles with excitement: 'And this is a Daily Double! How much would you like to wager?']"
Actions:
- Display Round 1 game board with 6 categories, 5 questions each (100-500 points)
- Randomly select starting team or do quick tiebreaker question
- Read selected clue clearly and display it on screen
- Give teams 10 seconds to confer before buzzing/submitting answer
- Verify answers and award points to correct team
- Deduct points for incorrect answers on Daily Doubles only (optional rule)
- Reveal Daily Doubles (2 hidden in Round 1) with dramatic flair
- Update scoreboard after each question
- Team that answers correctly chooses next question
Tips:
- • Keep pace brisk—30 questions should take about 20 minutes
- • If a team buzzes with wrong answer, allow other teams to buzz in for steal opportunity
- • For Daily Doubles, teams can wager up to their current score or 500, whichever is higher
- • Celebrate correct answers enthusiastically to maintain energy
- • Have all clues and answers clearly organized so you don't fumble
- • Consider using a soundboard for authentic Jeopardy sound effects
Facilitator Script:
"We've completed Round 1! Let's see our scoreboard: Team Brainiacs has 2,100 points, Quiz Khalifa has 1,800, and The Answer is a Question has 1,400. Still anyone's game! Now we move to Double Jeopardy, where all point values double—that's 200 to 1,000 points per question. Here's our new board with fresh categories: Company Values in Action, Technology Innovations, Classic Literature, 90s Nostalgia, Sports & Games, and Leadership Wisdom. Team with the lowest score, you get first selection to help you catch up. Team Answer is a Question, what'll it be? [Continue same format but faster pace, higher stakes, more excitement. Reveal Daily Doubles dramatically.]"
Actions:
- Display Round 2 board with 6 new categories, doubled point values (200-1000)
- Announce current scores to build competitive tension
- Give lowest-scoring team first selection for comeback opportunity
- Continue same gameplay: clue, 10-second confer, buzzer, answer verification
- Include 3 Daily Doubles in Round 2 (higher stakes)
- Maintain updated scoreboard throughout
- Keep energy high with faster pace than Round 1
- Watch the clock: complete Round 2 in 15 minutes to leave time for Final Jeopardy
Tips:
- • Double Jeopardy should feel more intense—raise your energy and pace
- • If running short on time, skip lower-value questions and focus on 600-1000 pointers
- • Daily Double wagers can now go much higher—this is where comebacks happen
- • Update scoreboard visually after every 3-4 questions so teams know their standing
- • Celebrate big point swings and close competition to build drama
Facilitator Script:
"We're down to Final Jeopardy! This is it—one question, and you can wager as much or as little of your current score as you want. Let's see our final scores going in: Team Brainiacs 5,400, Quiz Khalifa 4,800, and The Answer is a Question 3,600. First, I'll reveal the category... [dramatic pause] ...the category is: 'Ice Breaker Games History!' Now, teams, you have 30 seconds to decide your wager. Write it down secretly—don't show other teams. Strategic reminder: you can wager zero if you want to protect your score, or go all-in for glory! [After 30 seconds of team deliberation:] Wagers are locked in. Now here's your Final Jeopardy clue: [Display clue. Read dramatically.] You have 60 seconds to write your answer. Remember, it must be in the form of a question. Your time starts... now! [Play Jeopardy theme music if available. After 60 seconds:] Time's up! Pens down! Let's start with third place and work our way up..."
Actions:
- Announce final scores before revealing the Final Jeopardy category
- Reveal the category and give teams 30 seconds to decide wagers privately
- Display the Final Jeopardy clue and give teams 60 seconds to write answer
- Play iconic Jeopardy "Think!" music during answer-writing time if possible
- Reveal answers starting with lowest-scoring team working to highest
- For each team: show their answer, reveal if correct, show their wager, calculate new score
- Build suspense by saving the leader for last
- Declare the winning team with celebration
Tips:
- • Final Jeopardy is the dramatic climax—lean into the theatrics and suspense
- • If using virtual format, have teams submit wagers and answers privately to you via chat
- • The category should be somewhat specialized but accessible with smart guessing
- • Encourage strategic wagering: leaders might bet conservatively, underdogs might go all-in
- • Even if a team gets it wrong, celebrate their clever thinking or close attempt
Facilitator Script:
"Let's reveal our Final Jeopardy results! Team Answer is a Question, you wagered 2,000 and your answer was... 'What is Two Truths and a Lie?' That is... correct! Your new total: 5,600. Quiz Khalifa, you wagered 3,000 and answered... 'What is Human Bingo?' That is... incorrect, I'm sorry. Your new total: 1,800. And finally, Team Brainiacs, you wagered 1,500. You answered... 'What is Two Truths and a Lie?' That is correct! Your final score: 6,900! Congratulations to Team Brainiacs, your Jeopardy Champions! [Lead applause.] Before we go, quick reflection: What surprised you about your team's knowledge? What categories did your team dominate? What did you learn? [Take 2-3 responses.] Great job, everyone! You brought incredible knowledge and competitive spirit today. Thanks for playing!"
Actions:
- Reveal Final Jeopardy results with dramatic suspense, starting from last place
- Calculate final scores and announce the winning team
- Lead applause and celebration for the champions
- Recognize runner-up teams and any standout moments
- Facilitate brief reflection: What did teams learn? What strategies worked?
- Connect to workplace skills: collaboration, strategic thinking, leveraging diverse expertise
- Thank all participants for their energy and engagement
- Optional: Distribute small prizes or certificates to winning team
Tips:
- • Make the winner announcement as celebratory as a real game show
- • Highlight funny or clever answers from throughout the game
- • If recording scores, share the full scoreboard for teams to see their progress
- • Ask teams what categories they'd like to see in future games
- • Consider creating a "Hall of Champions" display for repeat events
Facilitator Tips
- Create a professional-looking game board using PowerPoint, Google Slides, or online tools like JeopardyLabs
- Write 40-50 clues across diverse categories to ensure something for everyone
- Test all hyperlinks and navigation if using digital board—nothing worse than broken links mid-game
- Balance difficulty: 100-200 should be easy, 300-400 moderate, 500-1000 challenging
- Include company-specific categories to celebrate organizational knowledge and culture
- Use a visible scoreboard updated in real-time (whiteboard, digital display, or slides)
- For virtual games, use screen sharing for the board and chat/polls for answer submission
- Have a buzzer system (physical bells, raise-hand recognition, or first-to-chat for virtual)
- Practice your Alex Trebek voice—enthusiastic facilitation elevates the experience!
- Time each question strictly to maintain pace: 10 seconds to answer after buzzing
- Prepare a tiebreaker question in case Final Jeopardy results in a tie
- Save your game board template for easy future customization and reuse
Common Challenges & Solutions
Variations & Adaptations
Run preliminary rounds across departments, with top teams advancing to semi-finals and finals. Track winners over multiple sessions for a season championship. Create brackets and standings for ongoing competition.
Compress the game to 30 minutes by reducing questions (3 categories, 4 questions each in Round 1, same in Round 2) and cutting deliberation time to 5 seconds. Fast-paced, high-energy version for quick energizers.
All categories focus on teaching content: new product knowledge, compliance training, industry regulations, customer personas. Gamifies learning and knowledge retention. Follow up with debrief on key learnings.
Based on SNL's parody version: questions are absurdly easy or hilariously weird, teams can give ridiculous answers, and the facilitator responds in character to wrong answers. Emphasizes humor over competition.
teams have used this game