JEOPARDY! LAUNCHES SEASON 26 WITH ITS RICHEST TOURNAMENT EVER, GIVING AWAY MORE THAN $2.5 MILLION TO CHARITIES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR!

27 Celebrities To Compete; One Will Win A Million Dollar Grand Prize To Benefit Favorite Cause

CULVER CITY, CA (September 11, 2009) - Who is America's smartest celebrity? Jeopardy! will answer that question when America's Favorite Quiz Show� introduces a Million Dollar Celebrity Invitational tournament during its 26th season premiere week of September 14. These special episodes will be broadcast on the third Thursday of every month through May 2010, with a guaranteed cash prize of $1 million going to the winning star's favorite charity. A total of over $2.5 million will be donated throughout the season.

Beginning Thursday, September 17, Jeopardy! invites back former Celebrity Jeopardy! contestants who played well in their previous appearances to participate in the tournament. CNN host Wolf Blitzer, actress Dana Delany and comedian Andy Richter will be the first round of celebrities to kick off the competition.

The Jeopardy! Million Dollar Celebrity Invitational will play host to 27 popular TV stars, newsmakers and pop culture icons. Stars scheduled to appear during the season include NBA Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar; actors Doug Savant and Christopher Meloni; actress Elizabeth Perkins and "Wheel of Fortune" host Pat Sajak. In each quarterfinal game, participants are guaranteed $25,000 for their charity, while the winner is guaranteed $50,000 and advancement to the semifinals.

"I'm delighted these celebrities have returned to support their favorite charitable organizations," said Jeopardy! Host Alex Trebek. "I'm equally excited that our producers have committed to giving away more than $2.5 million to charities. This is one of the biggest cash prizes on TV this year!"

Since Celebrity Jeopardy! debuted in 1992, nearly $4.5 million has been donated to more than 200 stars' charities.

Season 26 also will mark the introduction of Jeopardy!'s new Sony Electronics-inspired permanent set. The customized set includes a game board featuring 36 of Sony's latest HD-LCD monitors, as well as OLED technology and other Sony design innovations.

Jeopardy!, the winner of 28 Emmy awards since its debut in 1984, was inducted into the Guinness Book of World Records for the most awards won by a TV Game Show. The series is the #1-rated quiz show in syndication with nearly 9 million daily viewers. Jeopardy! is produced by Sony Pictures Television, a Sony Pictures Entertainment Company. It is distributed domestically by CBS Television Distribution and internationally by CBS Television International, both units of CBS Corp.