‘Jeopardy!’ Bosses Reveal Hosting News & Big New Tournament
Jeopardy! producers have shed some light on the show’s upcoming schedule, including when co-host Mayim Bialik is expected back and a new tournament.
Speaking on Monday’s (January 9) edition of the Inside Jeopardy! podcast, producer Sarah Foss said, “We know there’s been a lot of discussion around our hosting schedule. We want to let you know when you can watch Mayim, [and] when you can watch Ken [Jennings] in the coming months.”
The Call Me Kat star was originally scheduled to be back in the New Year, as Jennings was expected to finish his current run at the end of December. However, the former Jeopardy! super-champ continues to host new episodes as of writing.
“Ken will be hosting in January and into February before Mayim comes in to host our High School Reunion tournament,” Foss explained. “That’s the one where we’re very excited to welcome back 18 teen tournament contestants from Season 35, now in college.”
That isn’t the only tournament the Jeopardy! producers have planned, though. During Monday’s podcast, executive producer Michael Davies teased Jeopardy! Masters, which would bring back some of the game show’s most elite-level contestants, with Davies name-checking the likes of Amy Schneider, Matt Amodio, and Mattea Roach.
“It really did strike me that we have these pro-level, elite-level players,” Davies stated. “I know sometimes you get tired of them and want to see new players…[But] I just look at the ratings, and when we have a super champion in the mix and playing against each other, the quality, ratings, and social media is off the charts.”
This tournament isn’t just a pipe dream, as Davies assured fans that he will get it up and running. “We’re going to make Jeopardy! Masters happen,” he said. “We’re far enough along to say that it is going to be real,” he continued, adding that he wants “Masters to be an annual event… The pinnacle event, the top of the pyramid of all of Jeopardy!”
However, this is not the first time the show has attempted a Masters competition. In 2002, the show aired Jeopardy! Million Dollar Masters, held in honor of the 4,000th episode. It saw 15 former fan-favorite contestants return to compete in a two-week, three-round format.
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