Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune cancel tapings at Culver City studios as wildfires ravage LA…

JEOPARDY! and Wheel of Fortune have canceled tapings all week at their Culver City studios as wildfires continue to ravage through Los Angeles, The U.S. Sun has learned.

As the City of Angeles continues to suffer through the unprecedented blazes, Hollywood productions have shut down – which will also delay the dates the shows will air.

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Ken Jennings hosts the Final Jeopardy! segmentCredit: Jeopardy!

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Ryan Seacrest hosting Wheel of Fortune after taking over for Pat SajakCredit: CBS

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The Sony Studios Lot in Culver City, CACredit: The U.S. Sun
Those who were given tickets to attend Jeopardy! tapings for this week were sent a message that alerted them the filming has been shut down due to the LA wildfires.

“Due to the severe weather conditions and out of an abundance of caution and safety for all, all of next week’s Jeopardy show tapings have unfortunately been canceled.

“This tournament will likely move; however, we have not been given any information about new dates as of yet.

“We do hope to see you in the future at a taping of Jeopardy! We apologize for the inconvenience, but hope everyone stays safe,” a memo sent out to attendees said.

Additionally, a source confirmed that sister show Wheel of Fortune, which films on the soundstage directly next to Jeopardy! on the same Sony Studios lot in Culver City, CA, will not be filming this week.

“Every Wheel and Jeopardy taping has been canceled this week. The current tournaments will be delayed and air dates will be delayed.

“There are no new dates set in place yet but everyone is actively doing as much as they can,” the insider said.

The Invitational Tournament taping was scheduled to tape on Wednesday the 15th, Thursday the 16th and Friday the 17th of January.

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Jeopardy! films on the Alex Trebek Stage in Culver City, CACredit: The U.S. Sun

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Just one door over from the Jeopardy! studio is the Wheel of Fortune soundstageCredit: The U.S. Sun
The air dates were expected to be in late February and early March – depending on how long filming delays are carried out for.

The Sony Pictures Studios lot in Culver City has not yet been evacuated as of Monday morning due to the fires.

However, the lot is just south of the Pacific Palisades – where over 40,000 acres have burned through neighborhoods and nature as the blaze sits at just 15% containment at the time of writing this post.

As nearly every person who resides in Los Angeles has been impacted to some degree by this week’s tragedy, it is also presumed that crew members who work for the show are currently suffering and may not be able to report to work.

Jeopardy! debuts major change to set for Second Chance Tournament- decades after detail last featured_1

Each show employs a large team – with Jeopardy! having around a 40-person production crew that tapes each episode while an additional 75-member-team handles the post-production.

Wheel of Fortune typically employs a total of 100 in-house production personnel, with 60 to 100 local staff joining them for those episodes that are taped on location, according to their website.

Wheel of Fortune host Ryan Seacrest, 50, has been actively promoting various donation sites and resource links on his social media pages.

The TV icon – who has called Los Angeles his home for nearly 30 years – has also been active in sharing emergency fire warnings in hopes to spread safety alerts.

Jeopardy! Set Secrets

Jeopardy! fans don’t see everything behind the scenes from watching on TV. These hidden set features make the show run smoothly:

Each podium has a hidden riser so that all contestants appear to be the same height.
After each clue is read, signal lights go off around the game board, indicating players can buzz in and respond.
Buzz in too early, and you’re locked out for .25 seconds.
The podiums have a small white light in the lower left corner, which tells Ken Jennings who goes next.
Contrary to popular belief, the player with control doesn’t have a buzzer advantage on the next clue.
To the game board’s left is a scoreboard so the players can see their opponents’ scores.
All contestants must bring three outfits to the studio, but only the host and returning champion change for the next episode.
There are wardrobe rules, including restrictions on busy patterns, solid white, purple (like the background), and logos.
Five episodes are taped in a single day, and sometimes more.
The categories, players (aside from the returning champion), and Final Jeopardy! for a tape day are all drawn randomly to ensure fairness.
Female contestants are asked not to wear makeup, which is applied backstage, and don’t wear mascara because of sweat.
Contestants fill out a questionnaire, and producers select five Q&A topics for the host.
Host Ken isn’t allowed to interact with the contestants until after the game.
Players can request to sit in a chair while competing without question.

Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings has been quieter on social media as Los Angeles continues to try to process and put an end to this week of devastation.

Fire continues to erupt and the smoke is seen billowing dangerously near many neighborhoods and city parts, with firefighters from all over the world rushing to contain the blaze.

Extremely high winds, which are expected to pick up on Tuesday, are also making it tougher to vacate the city.

NO END IN SIGHT

Fallen debris have blocked many roads along with some still having no power – though thousands are working hard to improve conditions every hour.

New fires have continued to pop up – with countless homes burnt to the ground and leaving 24 people dead as of Monday.

Anyone in the Los Angeles area is asked to remain extra cautious this week as winds will pick up speed on Tuesday, Jan 14th and Wednesday, Jan 15th.

An expansive list of resources to aid humans and animals, as well as an information hub and community connector for LA fire victims, can be found on this guide put together by Mutual Aid Los Angeles Network.

Due to the community coming out in droves to help each other, many shelters had to stop receiving donation items due to being overwhelmed with supplies.

However, they ask that people continue to donate in the coming weeks after the initial shock of this devastation has been processed.

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Ken Jennings hosting The Jeopardy! Masters semifinal rounds with Amy Schneider, James Holzhauer, Victoria Groce and Yogesh RautCredit: Getty

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Vanna White and Ryan Seacrest attend the WOF Pier Wheel Launch at Santa Monica Pier on August 30, 2024 in Santa Monica, CaliforniaCredit: Getty