Omaha, Neb. ? Each time “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek reads a clue that mentions Nebraska — and it’s fairly often — he teases some staffers after the show.

“Come on. There are only so many questions you can ask about Nebraska,” said Trebek, laughing during a telephone interview from his office in Culver City, Calif.

Clues about the sparsely populated farm state frequently pop up, sometimes stumping those contestants who haven’t boned up on Cornhusker trivia.

Why Nebraska? Because four of the show’s top producers and writers are from the state.

“They keep trying to slip in Nebraska clues that nobody else knows anything about,” Trebek said, “like: ‘Where did Henry Fonda and Marlon Brando’s mother go to school?”‘

Alex, what is Omaha Central High School?

That’s the school executive producer Harry Friedman and senior producer Gary Johnson attended in the 1960s. Johnson also is the head writer — and mostly to blame for all the Nebraska clues.

Also hailing from the state: associate segment producer Stewart Hoke and longtime writer Steve Tamerius.

Jeopardy! game show head writer Gary Johnson, left, writer Steve Tamerius, right, and associate producer Stewart Hoke wear their Cornhusker fan apparel as they gather in a production office in Culver City, Calif. All three Nebraskans like to work as many references to their home state as possible into the popular show.

Nebraska has been named in at least 68 clues in recent years, and many others have had obvious ties to the state even though it was not named.

“We know Nebraska, so we tend to write about it more than other states,” Johnson said.

Some categories have focused exclusively on the state, including one titled, “Nebraska, God’s Country.” The clues for that category, though, were written by a writer from Florida.

“He was just kissing up to the boss,” Johnson joked.

Spot the trend

Tamerius makes sure to get a Nebraska category on the show at least once a year. He also tries to mention his hometown of Fairbury in a clue, usually something about the historic Pony Express station near the southeast Nebraska town.

“Obviously we don’t want to write and produce the show for our own amusement, but there are things that we think people should know,” Friedman said.

Some of the fans and former contestants track clues that appear on the air. After learning about the show’s Nebraska ties, they find it hard not to notice the frequent clues related to the state.

“If we’re going to do a sports or college football question, you can bet for darn sure that we will mention the ‘Huskers,” Tamerius said. “I’ll always sneak one in there if I can.”