‘Jeopardy!’ Tournament of Champions 2022 Format Changes Announced
Jeopardy! will be introducing some format changes for its upcoming 2022 Tournament of Champions, including byes to the semi-finals for three of its most winningest contestants.
The new details were revealed during the third episode of the Inside Jeopardy! podcast, where executive producer Michael Davies and producer Sarah Foss were joined by 2017 Tournament of Champions winner Buzzy Cohen, who hosted last year’s Tournament of Champions competition.
During the episode, Davies and Foss unveiled the line-up for the upcoming champions tournament and explained some of the new formatting, which includes byes to the semi-finals for Amy Schneider, who won 40 games in January, Matt Amodio, who won 38 games when Season 38 began in September 2021, and Mattea Roach, who won 23 games in May.
These three players will proceed automatically to the semi-final round, meaning they do not have to play in the quarter-final rounds. Davies explained that this is to make the contest fairer, as Schneider, Amodio, and Roach are “so far ahead of the curve” that they felt it would be unfair to place them in a lower bracket.
The 2022 Tournament of Champions will feature six quarter-final games, with the winner of each game advancing to the semi-final round. The nine semi-finalists will then each play their three games to determine the three winners that will face off in the final round. However, the final match will also work a little differently than it did last year.
This year’s final match will adopt the rules of the 2019 Greatest of All Time tournament, which means the three finalists will play until someone wins three matches. This means the 2022 Tournament of Champions final could take as few as three days or stretch for the full seven days, depending on how the competition shakes out.
In addition to Schneider, Amodio, and Roach, the other contestants and their wins are Ryan Long (16), Jonathan Fisher (11), Brian Chang (7), Courtney Shah (7), Eric Ahasic (6), Zach Newkirk (6), Megan Wachspress (6), Andrew He (5), Tyler Rhode (5), Jackie Kelly (4), John Focht (4), Margaret Shelton (4), Maureen O’Neil (4), and Christine Whelchel (4). The final two spots are reserved for the show’s first-ever Second Chance Tournament Winners.
Ken Jennings will host the 2022 Tournament of Champions, which kicks off in November.
Check out some of the fan reaction to the format changes below, and let us know how you feel about the new format in the comments section.
VERY excited for the ToC this year with the new format! It’s like the Jeopardy! playoffs.
Also BIG THANKS for posting the theme in full. The guitar version is VERY cool
— 🔞 Aquaslash 🔞 (@Aquaslash2049) August 16, 2022
Can we just have three separate tournaments, I want Matt, Amy, and Mattea to win it all.
— Chris Huntley (@thewrll) August 16, 2022
I love @embassydavies describing Tyler as essentially the Miss Congeniality of this year’s ToC 😂 😂 pic.twitter.com/h739wx63aB
— Meghan Gallagher (@HairflipMeghan) August 16, 2022
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Enough of Mayim already!
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I agree
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I disagree
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AMEN.
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Do NOT like Myiam as host. Will have to stop watching when she is on.
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I agree, I love Buzzy! He is so refreshing to watch. Bialik not so much!
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Well, they could have pitted Schneider, Amodio, and Roach against each other to give the others a better chance.
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I've always expected that Ken Jennings would be the only host of Jeopardy and that Buzzy Cohen would host the Tournament of Champions and other specials, and fill in for Ken when he got sick or had conflicts in his schedule.
They have GOT to get rid of Bialik. Unlike Ken and Buzzy, she doesn't have the heart of the game show in her soul. Ken and Buzzy understand because they've been on both sides of the podium. They know what the contestants are up against.
Bialik has no idea! The fact that she took it upon herself to attempt to change the name of the first round of the iconic game show shows she has no respect for the game or the level of loyal and fierceness of its viewers. She's not smooth or seamless before the camera. Her responses to the contestants come across as insincere and shallow. She is NOT a good fit and never was!
C'mon, Davies! What's it going to take? Show some huevos!
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I like these tweaks, especially advancing Matt, Amy and Mattea to [what I presume will be] 3 different semis. Also, having to win 3 games in the finals seems fairer than just having the highest cumulative score out of 2 games.
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I have to agree with Lindsey. Mayim sis really annoying.
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That’s obvious and I understand 100%. I can’t stand it either. I have no desire to tell anyone how to manage this appalling situation, but if Jeopardy fans go through these desperate measures to watch, MB’s ratings will not suffer and there will be no chance she will be fired. As a matter of fact, nothing stops Jeopardy execs from firing Ken at the end of his contract and hiring MB as the full-time host. If you remember, a year ago Ken was passed over completely. Mike Richards was hired for regular Jeopardy and MB for specials. Ken was history. Ken was only brought back to “share” when Richards was forced to resign. All last year Ken was filling in. He was “hosting” while MB was “the host.” Watching on mute has no advantage over J!Archive and the latter doesn’t have a positive effect on MB’s ratings.
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I think that new format gives the other players a fairer chance. I also hope that Ken Jennings becomes the permanent host, with Buzzy Cohen filling in once and awhile. Mayim is not a good choice, she is not smart enough and she tends to make false answer decisions, inconsistent rules and cuts contestants off before they are done giving their answer. She is awful. Let her take her neuroscientist degree back to the comedy show. Just because she has a degree doesn't make for a neuroscientist.
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I agreed with everything you said until you started berating MB. "She is not smart enough? " Since when is being smart a prerequisite to being a game show host? Every other comment you alluded to, about making inconsistent rules, cutting contestants off and making false decisions - do you realize that there's a panel of judges that have the final say? Alex used to do the same thing and they would come back after commercial and reverse his decision. I believe you're just jealous of MB. I think I would put her smarts up against yours anyday, and my money would be on her.
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So, a degree in neuroscience doesn't make her "smart enough?" What a maroon!
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It's amusing when people judge their betters by attributes they themselves so clearly lack.
Having a PhD(egree) in neuroscience does in fact make anyone, including Dr. Bialik, a Neuroscientist, ignoramus.
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You are so wrong. A degree does not confer a lifetime title. It just certifies completion of a course of study. A neuroscience degree does not come with a license to practice neuroscience. Some people work as neuroscientists, but may not have a specific degree in neuroscience. Other degrees and experience can provide the expertise. I have a biology degree, but I never had a job in biology. I detoured into art after graduating. Many people work in fields far from the subject of their degrees.
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I like the format. The three winningest champions definitely deserve a little consideration on seeding, as in most sports tournaments. I just hope that each semi final will feature one of the top players vs. 2 of the quarterfinal winners. It would be a waste of time and would do them all a disservice if it was randomized once the quarterfinals were finished and there was a slight chance all 3 of them could be in the same semi final. With no disrespect intended towards the other contestants, the dream final would of course consist of Matt vs. Amy vs. Mattea, with each of them winning 2 games each leading up to the Match 7 final where one of them emerges victorious. Matt and Mattea are personal favorites of mine, but Amy presents a formidable challenge and could absolutely take it all. Good luck to them all and I can't wait to see it.
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When will this start
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I’ll only watch when ken Jennings is hosting!
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The three getting byes are all buzz in as fast as you can and be prepared for an answer, not matter how far out of the blue.
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NO ramifications at all since ALL players have different "life experiences."
Would you say it's not fair for someone who lived in Europe to compete against someone who never lived in Europe? They certainly would have different life experiences than those who haven't.
Maybe Ryan shouldn't have been allowed to play because as an Uber/Lyft driver (or even by being a black male) he has experienced things most other candidates will never have an opportunity to experience.
Should people who were able to attend the most expensive and exclusive schools or who have traveled the world extensively be kept from playing? They certainly will have had "life experiences" that most of us will never know.
Amy Schneider was a successful player who happened to have had a "life experience" that everyone could see, but EVERYONE brings their own life experiences to Jeopardy, even if you aren't so clearly aware of them.
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The big 3 should compete all the way through- no byes. An upset (or 2) would be exciting. Really, anyone can win any game. C’mon Jeopardy. Geeze.
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I totally agree
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I noticed that too eh?..Subtle.."THE HOST of Jeopardy"..while GOAT was only "hosting".
I am starting to hate this show.
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It means he can’t handle a transgender person winning
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What the hell is that supposed to mean?
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Thank God Ken Jennings hosting TOC. I tape jeopardy and automatically erase ones not hosted by Ken. Are you people totally unaware???? Does Ken not want to do it full time? If so you need to find a different co host.
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I think it’s more likely that this preposterous sharing is because of Mayim Bialik’s sitcom schedule conflicts, which were discussed a few weeks ago. She wasn’t able to be host in the fall. When the first hires were announced last year it was Mike Richards as regular host and MB for specials. Ken was history. Then when Richards was fired, they brought Ken back, but all this year he was “hosting,” while MB was “the host.” Apparently Ken is willing to put up with all this degrading treatment. My belief is that if MB’s sitcom is canceled she will be the full-time host and Ken will again be history. So will Jeopardy. For some inexplicable reason Jeopardy execs are digging in their heels and continuing to force MB down our throats.
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I think Matt, AMY, and Mattea have an unfair advantage. I think they should play through the hole tournament quarterfinals, semi finals, and finals
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“Most winningest”?
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Not a good format since it gives an unfair advantage to the players who have to play the fewest games. Besides, one cannot say that those were the best players simply because they won the most games. There are lots of factors that go into winning. In Amy's first game, she had $19600 to Andrew He's $26800 going into final jeopardy. The only reason she won that game was because Andrew (who by the way is my favorite to win this tournament) missed the final. Matt almost lost his first game as well, winning only because the defending champion rang in with an incorrect response on the final clue. Mattea faced some very weak competition. Her games feature a large number of triple stumpers. In addition, she had an early game where another player had a chance to stop her but did not wager enough money on final jeopardy. I am not saying that these are not excellent contestants, but it is amazing to think that both Matt and Amy could have easily lost their first games and maybe qualify for the second-chance tournament.
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There's no way they did that. It would be a conspiracy like no other. It would be "Quiz Show" all over again.
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Do we have to suffer through Mayim's hosting all of these games?
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Apparently the producers, unfairly, don't think any of the other contestants stand a chance against Amy, Matt or Mattea. Just do a week long competition among those three and get it over with. I don't like the changes. I suspect Alex is rolling over in his grave.
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Don’t understand antipathy. Toward Bialik. I think she has grace and charm, more like original
Host Alex
Ken adequate but lacking these
Qualities as well as empa
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I wouldn't necessarily count her out. She is a neuroscientist, after all. You don't become one of those by being stupid.
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You don’t have to be a genius either. Much of getting any kind of degree is just hard work. And having a Ph.D. in a specific subject is no predictor of how much GENERAL information someone has and how quickly they can access it.
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Watching with CC doesn’t have a negative effect on MB’s ratings. You are still counted as supporting her.
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Such a shame there is a poster who does not consider Mayim's PhD in neuroscience an adequate indicator of superior intelligence.
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That poster probably thinks they are smart too!
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That's right I do. And I have the test results and degrees to prove it. Do you?
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That’s because it is not an adequate indicator of superior intelligence. It is only an indicator of average to above average intelligence along with being goal-oriented and willing to work hard if necessary. Plenty of people are much, much smarter than Mayim Bialik and don’t have degrees of any kind. Maybe they didn’t want them, need them, or have sufficient time and resources to pursue them.
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Personally I would be happy if "the big 3" don't win anything at all...they are by far the most irritating winners of Jeopardy in a long while (well, since Ken Jennings anyway!).
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I won't be watching it as I can't stand Ken Jennings. He's an arrogant elitist who is not as smart as he thinks he is. He's just a nerd from Utah who due to a lot of hand exercises was faster on the button than the other contestants. I always turn it to a different channel when he is on. It seems like a rigged game guaranteeing certain favorite players are in the top.
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