‘Jeopardy!’ Drops Trailer for New Masters Tournament, But Fans’ Reaction Is Mixed (VIDEO)
The best of the best are set to go head to head on Jeopardy!‘s Masters tournament, which kicks off on Monday, May 8, on ABC and Hulu, but the reaction from fans so far is mixed. At the center of fans’ debate is the choice of contestants and whether Mayim Bialik of Ken Jennings should be hosting.
The official Jeopardy! social media channels have released the first teaser for the upcoming Masters, featuring host Ken Jennings. The trailer describes the new spinoff tournament as “The ultimate competition for six of the highest-ranked Jeopardy! champions.”
There is also a brief shot of 2022 Tournament of Champions winner Amy Schneider beside fellow super-champ Matt Amodio, though we don’t see any gameplay. Those competing alongside Schneider and Amodio will be 23-game winner Mattea Roach, 2022 Tournament of Champions finalists Andrew He and Sam Buttrey, and legendary Jeopardy! champion James Holzhauer.
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The tournament will feature 20 games played over 10 one-hour-long episodes. And it’s not about who wins the most money, but, instead, will include a points-based system focused on wins and losses. Initially, it will be a round-robin tournament with everyone playing everyone else. It kicks off on May 8, followed by shows on May 9, 10, 12, 16, 17 and 18. This is followed by semi-finals on May 22 and 23, and the final on May 24.
“This is really about wins,” showrunner Michael Davies said back in January. “And it’s about winning games. And we want to reward winning. There will be some bonus for finishing second, but it’s really about winning games.”
The reaction from viewers has been split so far, with many excited for the new tournament but others disappointed that the line-up only includes relatively recent champions.
“Awesome, kinda wish they invited back Bob Verini, Frank Spangenberg, Jerome Vered, Bob Blake, or the original J! GOAT Chuck Forrest,” wrote one Instagram commenter.
“Should be a great event! Looking forward to seeing Mattea again, but really looking forward to seeing all the players again,” added another.
“Still not sure how 4 of these people even qualified,” said one fan, while others wanted to see Jennings competing, not hosting. “Let’s be honest. If Ken Jennings is not a contestant, is it really the Jeopardy masters?” stated one person. “Shouldn’t they call it “the battle for second place”?”
Meanwhile, on the Jeopardy! Reddit forum, one user who claimed to have been at the taping hyped up the competition. “I got to be in the audience for a couple episodes and was able to see all 6 masters play. They’re so freaking awesome.”
And, as always, there was debate over whether Jennings or Mayim Bialik should be hosting.
“I’m fine with Mayim hosting other competitions but I’m glad Jeopardy recognizes how perfect it is for Ken to host things like this,” wrote one fan on Reddit, while another added, “It would be an absolute travesty if they had this tournament with anyone but Ken hosting.”
“It surprises me that Ken Jennings is hosting because I thought Mayim Bialik was supposed to host primetime specials and spinoffs,” another said. “When you’ve got this high level of competition you don’t want Mayim’s pregnant pauses and misses,” one user responded.
However, one Instagram commenter had a different view, stating, “Love Jeopardy, but it certainly lacks with the host. I’d prefer Mayim as she doesn’t seem to think she’s is the smartest person on earth and she seems to be a people person. Mr. Jennings seems to me he has a” holier than thou” aura.”
Jeopardy! Masters, Premieres, Monday, May 8, 8:00 pm ET, ABC
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I agree with that commenter. Any tournament that is considered higher-stakes (Tournament of Champions, Masters, SCT, etc.) should go to Ken. When you're dealing with this level of competition, you don't want Mayim's pregnant pauses, inconsistent cadence and mispronunciations.
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Beyond that, a few of the competitors have already expressed their affinity for Ken (Amy, Mattea, Matt) and James openly mocked the decision to hire two hosts.
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Who cares what they think. The real viewers are the ones that make the show a success. Mayim is so much more fun to watch. Ken? Yawn.
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You liking your own comments is just as contrived as the "support" for Mayim as the host.
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In what universe should a game show hosted by a contestant?
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In the universe where the contestant turns out to be a better host than the sitcom actress.
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I have the exact opposite view of the Instagram user who commented, "... I’d prefer Mayim as she doesn’t seem to think she’s is the smartest person on earth and she seems to be a people person. Mr. Jennings seems to me he has a 'holier than thou' aura.”
I can hardly bring myself to watch when Mayim is hosting because her stance and attitude scream, "I am an ACTUAL neuroscientist; see how smart I am?" Her timing is an absolute pace-killer, which amazes me because she's an ACTUAL actress. (Example: Answer revealed. Contestant buzzes in and gives a question. Mayim pauses, looks down at her card, looks back at the contestant, takes a breath, and says, "That is corRECT!"
Ken, on the other hand, seems to me to be genuinely interested in the contestants, has gotten more comfortable with ripostes and quips, and is able to relate to the contestants in ways most of us (even ACTUAL neuroscientists) cannot do.
I have tried to stay out of the fray; I'm grateful (1) that Jeopardy! continues and (2) that Mayim is NOT the only host (ditto the executive-producer-wannabe-host, Mike Richards). I try to watch all of the Jeopardy! programs so this wonderful game show will continue to air, but I find it downright painful when Ms. Bialik is at the podium.
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Jeopardy Masters will be a welcome reprieve from the daily episodes that will be hosted by Mayim in May. We'll watch the Alex Trebek reruns on Pluto in the normal time slot and then switch to Masters for primetime.
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Definitely don't watch when Bialic is on. With the announced new format coming next season where Bialic and Jennings will take turns reading the clues in the same shows, we will not be watching Jeopardy anymore.
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I love watching Jeopardy. In my opinion, Ken Jennings should be hosting all the time. When Mayim is on I don’t watch. I find her very annoying
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Did you check the date of that announcement? It was made on April 1st…
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Ken does act arrogant and full of himself. Alex would never act that way. Mayim is so nice and relatable. So down to earth. Ken not so much. I won’t be watching.
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