Scouts BSA Patrol Activities: JEOPARDY! Scouting Showdown

“I think what makes ‘Jeopardy!’ special is that, among all the quiz and game shows out there, ours tends to encourage learning.”
-Alex Trebek

When it comes to trivia, there’s one game show that stands out from the rest, and that’s Jeopardy! (Sorry, Cash Cab. Although that show was pretty great, too.) Even if you aren’t an avid fan, you know the theme song, which you’re humming right now, and you likely agree that Alex Trebek was the single greatest television host of all time.

Like pretty much every PL at the helm of a virtual patrol, my son and his Scouts are starting to burn out with the virtual format. It’s hard to make it more exciting than school, especially for a teenager, and they’re all looking for a Tuesday night “off,” so to speak. My son and I talked about it at length and he tasked me with trying to make a review game that they could play via Zoom but that looked and felt different from his other meetings. Jeopardy! Scouting Showdown was born, and after a week of testing, we think we have it ready to roll out for other Scouters to use.

When shown in Presenter mode, the Jeopardy! Scouting Showdown Slide Presentation is interactive. When you’re on the “live game boards,” the host can click a category value and go straight to the answer. There are even sound effects, because you can’t have Jeopardy! without its iconic theme. It’s easy to use, and if you’re brave, the categories and answers can even be edited to suit your patrol. There are two rounds, just like the real deal, the second of which includes two Daily Doubles. There’s even a Final Jeopardy question! The answers vary across several subjects, like “Life or Death”, and “Let’s Get Cooking.” There’s even a category of Scouting questions that made it onto a live show at some point in time.

Because, try as we might, none of us are Alex Trebek, I’ve included a Host Packet explaining how the Presentation works, the game rules, the answers and questions, and even a points tracker. Simply print that out before your meeting, hit Present on the slideshow, and you’re ready to go.

As always, if you download Jeopardy! Scouting Showdown, use it in a meeting, and had fun, please let me know in the comments below! Don’t forget to follow me here at LookWiderStill.com, on Facebook, and even Instagram.

Jeopardy! Scouting Showdown File Downloads

• Jeopardy! Scouting Showdown (Google Slides)
• Host Packet (PDF)
• Scout Packet with Game and Points Boards (PDF)

Yours in Scouting,
Rebekah

Check out my other Scouting games…