James Holzhauer Isn’t Impressed With ‘Celebrity Jeopardy!’ Lineup

Martin Holmes
5 Comments
James Holzhauer - Jeopardy Masters
Jeopardy! Inc.

A new group of celebrities will have a shot at a million bucks for charity when Celebrity Jeopardy! returns on Wednesday, September 27, but Jeopardy! Masters champ James Holzhauer is not impressed with the lineup.

The self-confessed game show supervillain took to social media on Thursday, September 14, to poke fun at the promo for the upcoming celebrity spinoff.

“Cool teaser but where are the celebrities,” he tweeted.

Ouch!

The lineup revealed earlier this week includes stars from the likes of Law & Order: Organized Crime, Ghosts, Schitt’s Creek, Abbott Elementary, and more.

Christopher Meloni, Lisa Ann Walter, Mark Duplass, Sherri Shepherd, Dulé Hill, Mira Sorvino, Timothy Simons, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Steven Weber, Emily Hampshire, and Katie Nolan are the 11 celebs named so far.

Some fans think this is a downgrade from last season, which included the likes of Patton Oswalt, Constance Wu, Ray Romano, Michael Cera, Hasan Minhaj, Simu Liu, and eventual winner Ike Barinholtz.

“I know Sherri Shepherd. That’s it,” one fan replied to Holzhauer’s tweet, while another said, “I recognize two people, even after looking up a list lol.”

“The last celeb jeopardy final lineup is hard to top for any edition before or after,” added another commenter.

“Katie Nolan and Mark Duplass are treasures but yeah this is pretty bad for a celeb tourney,” said one viewer.

“I can’t wait to see more recognizable celebrities… because a lot of these people I’ve never seen before,” wrote another.

“Really bending the definition of “celebrity,” tweeted one fan.

Others were more lenient, with one fan writing, “Ummm Mira Sorvino is very well known and an Oscar winner. I also know Mark Duplass. Not as good a roster as last season of Celebrity Jeopardy! but consistent with previous years.”

Another took a cheeky shot at the Jeopardy! super-champ, writing, “Pop culture always was your weakest category, I suppose.”

Ken Jennings will be hosting the new season of Celebrity Jeopardy!, taking over from Mayim Bialik, who continues to sit out in solidarity with the ongoing WGA and SAG strikes.

Celebrity Jeopardy!, Season 2, Premiere, Wednesday, September 27, ABC

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  1. O

    OliveFlower

    So he doesn't know who Christopher Meloni is? Law and Order:SVU and now Organized Crime? Or Oscar Winner Mira Sorvino?

    6 1

  2. B

    BlueCone

    So James is resorting to the same tired-out internet cliches. Many of them have been in show biz for at least 20 years!

    5 1

  3. G

    GreenCloud

    James is just a cry baby because he didn’t get the hosting job.

    1

  4. G

    GreenPalmtree

    I'm tired of watching who Jeopardy management thinks are celebrities (I've only heard of two who've appeared on the last few shows). I've now lost interest in their ability to select almost unknown "celebs".

    I have a suggestion for the "brains' at Jeopardy; why not do well known sports figures or Industry leaders or recent average joe heroes? There's an endless number of categories other than stage or screen.

    Come on Guys get creative!

    2 2

  5. P

    PurpleAnchor

    The strike obviously led to issues casting. Some of the big names from last season, like Wil Wheaton, are opposed to Jeopardy continuing to air during the strike. The little chats with the contestants are going to be downright painful to watch. The actors and writers can't plug anything without breaking the rules of the strike and Ken sucks at those little discussions in general. It pains me to say this because I LOVED last season, but I don't think I can watch this season.