‘Jeopardy!’ Season 40 Chaos Divides Fans & Contestants, Plus Will Ken Jennings Host?

Martin Holmes August 10, 2023, 9:10 am

Ken Jennings in 'Jeopardy!' — Jeopardy!, Inc.

Jeopardy!‘s landmark 40th season, set to premiere September 11, was meant to be a time of celebration but is now in a state of chaos amid the ongoing WGA strike.

Showrunner Michael Davies announced earlier this week that Season 40 will begin with a Second Chance tournament featuring contestants from Season 37. This will be followed by a Champions Wild Card tournament pitting the winners of the Second Chance competition against Season 38 champions.

However, Davies confirmed that these new Jeopardy! episodes will be using recycled material and questions written prior to the strikes. This has caused much controversy among the Jeopardy! community, with both fans and former contestants blasting the show for going ahead despite the strikes.

One thing Davies didn’t announce was who would be hosting the upcoming 40th season. It was originally assumed that Ken Jennings would front the show, especially as Mayim Bialik pulled out of the tapings at the end of Season 39 in solidarity with the strikes. But with the first set of tapings scheduled for August 15, there is still no confirmation on a host.

While Jennings previously stepped in for Bialik at the end of Season 39, the Jeopardy! GOAT has faced mounting pressure in recent weeks to join Bialik in the protests. Former Celebrity Jeopardy! contestant Wil Wheaton even referred to Jennings as a “scab” for his decision to cross the picket line.

Earlier this week, Jeopardy! Masters champion James Holzhauer took aim at the show’s producers over the choice to move forward with Season 40. Some fans agreed with Holzhauer’s sentiments, while others seemed happy for Jeopardy! to continue.

“There is no Jeopardy without the writers. If they don’t make a fair deal with the writers, then Jeopardy is dead. Do better, Jeopardy!” tweeted one fan.

“That’s how I will stop watching Jeopardy. (Really, just show encores of Tournaments of Champions. When the strike ends, start production again.) Think of the second-rate experience those “scab” contestants will have. Recycled clues. Asterisks next to victories,” wrote another.

“And I won’t be watching @jeopardy. I hope @KenJennings makes the right call,” said one viewer.

One fan offered an alternative view, saying, “EP’s duty is to the SHOW, not any group of employees. He has material that will permit research, contestant, hair & makeup, craft services depts, stage crew & mgmt, security, control room, camera and game board teams, post-production dept to keep working.”

“I will still watch it. It’s not like I remember all the old questions,” said another fan.

The question now is, will Jeopardy! even have enough contestants to fill its planned Second Chance and Wild Card seasons? Since Davies’ announcement on Monday (August 7), several Season 37 and 38 contestants have said they declined their invites.

“Today feels like the kind of day where a LOT of people had their principles tested whether they were ready for it or not. I’m grateful to be connected to so many strong people and friends to help make sure I stood by mine,” Devin Rossiter tweeted.

Today feels like the kind of day where a LOT of people had their principles tested whether they were ready for it or not. I’m grateful to be connected to so many strong people and friends to help make sure I stood by mine.

— Devin Rossiter (@DevinRossiter) August 8, 2023

Two other Season 37 players echoed Rossiter’s words over on the Jeopardy! Reddit forum. “I won’t [play] either. And neither will a lot of the others,” wrote Sandy Olive, while Garrett Marcone and Jennifer Linde said the same.

“I am so angry at the show and Sony leadership for doing this,” an anonymous Season 37 player told Polygon. “Calling with vague invitations on Thursday and then announcing publicly on Monday what the plan was before telling the invitees? Waiting to tape season 39 [Tournament of Champions] and any possible season 39 Second Chance or Wild Card tournaments until the strike is resolved… but somehow it’s okay to invite season 37/38 players?”

James Holzhauer Blasts 'Jeopardy!' Bosses After Big Season 40 News

“I feel like I’ll regret it forever if I decline what is likely my one chance to go back on the show,” another former champion told the publication. “But I’ll also regret it forever if I accept but have to cross the picket line to do it. It honestly makes me wish I’d never gotten the invitation at all.”

Other past champions, including Amy Schneider, Ray LaLonde, Mattea Roach, Cris Pannullo, Hannah Wilson, and more, have publicly stated they would not participate in any tournament until the strikes are resolved.

“Disappointed to hear that Jeopardy is considering this course of action,” Schneider tweeted last month. “For what it’s worth, I, too, will not be participating in any Jeopardy productions that don’t use new clues written by their amazing, unionized writers under a fair, collectively bargained contract.”

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