The Surprising Rules You Didn't Know Jeopardy! Contestants Have To Follow

Former "Jeopardy!" contestant Shannan Younger shared some inside info about the show with Better, including some of the rules and procedures contestants have to follow. For example, players have to pay their own travel expenses to attend the taping in California and have to stay at one of two approved hotels. Family members or friends are allowed to come along for moral support, but they have to come to the studio separately from the players. 

The show tapes five days' worth of episodes in a single day. Contestants are asked to bring three changes of clothing in case they win and have to make it look as though time has passed between shows. They're advised not to wear tops that are all-white, olive, or a busy pattern, and women can't wear mascara, which can run if they sweat (via Good Housekeeping). At the studio, they sit in their own section of the audience, and they don't get to meet the "Jeopardy!" host until they're on stage. Even then, players only get to say a brief hello during the commercial break.

Players often study up on topics like history, geography, and literature in the weeks before their taping date, but they're not informed in advance of the categories that will be on their episodes. You may know everything about basketball and Roman architecture, but that won't help much if your game has topics like "Shakespeare's Villains" and "11-Letter Words."