MAY 23 • 2024 | 27
honor. Throughout his career, he won
six Daytime Emmy Awards as part of the
Jeopardy! writing team.
STILL IMPACTING THE GAME
In the 20 years since Steven has been
gone, our family has maintained a close
relationship with some of the show’s
writers. Steven’s clues are still being used
today, and when one is to be used in an
upcoming game, my grandparents are the
first to get a heads up. Anytime a member
of my family visits Los Angeles, we always
stop by the Jeopardy! set for a visit.
In February, along with my mom, sister,
aunt and cousin, I headed to Los Angeles
for the Jeopardy! Honors ceremony. That
evening, we visited with the Jeopardy!
writers and researchers who shared
memories of Steven and showed us
cabinets full of typewritten clues on index
cards that Steven had written years prior.
Next, we walked the Blue Carpet leading
into a cocktail party filled with Jeopardy!
staff and memorable contestants from the
last season of the game show.
The Jeopardy! honors ceremony was
held on the Wheel of Fortune set and
hosted by Ken Jennings. Awards were
given to contestants for a variety of
categories including Best Fashion, Best
Signature and Best Comeback.
To close out the ceremony, Ken
Jennings shared a story about Steven
that delighted the audience: “In 1987,
I happened to read a magazine article
that changed my life. It was a funny and
engaging, fascinating deep dive into how
Jeopardy! gets made and how the clues get
written, and I was smitten. I was 12 years
old, and I decided right then, I was going
to be a Jeopardy! contestant or maybe I
was going to be a trivia writer or, as it
turns out, both! Tonight, the writer of
that article and of so much great Jeopardy!
is going to join the Hall of Fame.”
It just so happened to be my uncle who
wrote the article that set the trajectory of
Ken Jennings’ career.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE CEREMONY
To induct Steven into the Jeopardy! Hall
of Fame, co-head writers Billy Wisse and
Michele Loud shared sentiments about
Steven that only close friends could.
Highlights from their speech are below:
Billy Wisse: “There was never any
mistaking the voice of the writer we are
highlighting today, Steven Dorfman.
In many ways, it’s the voice we all try
to write in today: serious about the
information, but beautifully informal
in its tone … In the short form that he
was the master of, Steven put himself in
the place of his subject and that is why
his work still feels fresh today whether
we watch a clue taped in the ’80s or ’90s
or run across an unused gem in our
database.”
Michele Loud: “Steven cared
passionately about the show, arriving
every day at 6 a.m. and writing three
categories every day like clockwork. He
was always thinking about the show
and how to make it better in every
way possible. Thanks to him, we first
started using online sources, and we
made the giant leap from typewriters
to a computer database … He gave the
viewers a tremendous gift, 30 minutes of
wit, wisdom and wordplay. We are here
to honor someone who lives on not only
in the memories of those who knew him
and loved him, but in the fabric of the
pop culture he loved so much. It is our
honor and our privilege to induct Steven
Dorfman into the Jeopardy! Hall of Fame.”
My family was invited onto the
stage, and we stood at the podium as
my cousin, Ben Mitchell, spoke on our
behalf, sharing stories about Steven and
expressing our gratitude for the kindness
and love from the entire Jeopardy!
community. How incredible that 20 years
later, Steven is still so revered by his
colleagues and industry.
My Uncle Steven lived his dream and
made an incredible impact on a TV show
that is such a big part of our culture.
We are so proud of everything Steven
accomplished throughout his career,
and every time we hear a reference
to Jeopardy! in our daily lives, we’re
reminded that he helped build one of the
most iconic TV game shows in television
history.
Samantha Foon,
Ken Jennings,
Taylor Sher,
Randee Sher, Lisa
Mitchell, Benjamin
Mitchell
Samantha Foon
next to the Steven
Dorfman Memorial
Library dedicated
in 2004