‘Jeopardy!’ Fans Complain They Are Trapped in ‘Tournament Hell’
Jeopardy! is still in the midst of its tournament season, which was extended due to the recent WGA strikes, and some fans are becoming increasingly frustrated as they await the return of regular episodes with brand-new contestants. And it’s looking certain that it won’t be until April 2024 that the show returns to normal!
The long-running game show is currently airing a Champions Wildcard tournament, which features brief winners from Seasons 37 and 38 competing to earn a spot in the Tournament of Champions. Before the Wildcard competition, the show aired a Second Chance tournament featuring non-winners from Season 37.
Wildcard is expected to wrap up on December 18, but the tournaments don’t end there. The show will then move into its originally scheduled post-season tournaments, including another Second Chance tournament, this time for Season 39 non-winners, and a Champions Wildcard for brief Season 39 winners.
This will be followed by the 2023 Tournament of Champions, featuring multi-day champs from Season 39, and the Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament, which will see exceptional players from the show’s past competing to earn a spot in the next Jeopardy! Masters tournament.
As previously confirmed by producers Michael Davies and Sarah Whitcomb Foss, that means new contestant episodes won’t return until at least April 2024.
“Our number one, sort of, imperative right now is to get the post-season back on track,” Davies said last month on the Inside Jeopardy! podcast. “And then after that, our regular season, as many weeks as possible of the regular season after that post-season.”
“I do want to assure everybody, we are going to get to multiple weeks of regular, Virginia, new contestants who have never been on the Alex Trebek stage before,” he continued. “We’re going to get to that at the end of the season. We should have at least 16 weeks.”
Jeopardy, Inc
This seemingly never-ending wait for new contestant episodes is driving some fans crazy, especially those unaware of why the show is stuck in tournament mode.
“We have been in a tournament from hell since September! Will they ever have new players???” asked one frustrated fan on the Jeoaprdy! Reddit forum.
“When is the regular show coming back? Alex [Trebek] is turning in his grave!” wrote another viewer on X (formerly Twitter).
“Why do I keep seeing the same players over and over again? We weren’t this obsessed with tournament of champions and such when Alex was hosting,” said another.
“#Jeopardy tired of tournaments. I actually haven’t watched in weeks. Ready for new contestants and new clues,” wrote another commenter.
“Hey @Jeopardy All these freakin tournaments to start your season is absolute bulls***. No one want to see 20 weeks of loser tournaments. Are you guys hard up on cash…because you are saving $200,000 every week of your stupid tournaments,” said one fan.
“This is definitely an old person complaint, but when the heck will Jeopardy! have NEW contestants who have never been on the show before? It seems like these tournaments of previous contestants have been going on forever,” wrote another.
However, as other fans have explained, there is a reason for the constant tournaments. Jeopardy! had to devise a plan while the WGA strike was ongoing, which meant bringing back former contestants and recycling clues. The TOC was also delayed because many former champs refused to compete while the strikes were ongoing.
“The show had to come up with a backup plan in case the WGA Strike dragged on,” wrote one fan on Reddit. “Even though the strike is over, they’re finishing what they’ve started. Meanwhile, the writers are working on refilling the “clue vault”.”
Season 39 champ Luigi de Guzman added, “The producers could have gone ahead with regular season play like they did during the 2007 strike. They did not. As a player, I appreciated that decision. Going ahead with regular play would have put new players in a tough spot: cross an active picket line or give up their only chance to play.”
“We get it, you want new players. We all do. Try to enjoy the very high level play that you’re seeing, and be grateful there’s ANY Jeopardy in the middle of the biggest strike to hit Hollywood in years,” said Wildcard contestant Nick Cascone.
Mayim Bialik stepped away back in May in solidarity with the strikes, and Ken Jennings has been handling hosting duties ever since. With both the WAG and SAG-AFTRA strikes now over, Bialik can return to filming, though it’s yet to be confirmed when she will be back on the show.
The last time Jeopardy! aired a non-tournament episode with new contestants was the Season 39 finale on July 28, 2023. In that episode, school counselor Lucas Partridge won his third consecutive game, but he’s had to wait on the sidelines ever since.
Jeopardy!, Inc.
What do you think of the ongoing tournaments? Are you ready for regular new contestant episodes to return? Let us know in the comments below.
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Conversation54 Comments
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Comments are closed on this story.
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G
I like the current format a lot more than no jeopardy. It has been a creative way to deal with the writer's strike.
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O
We would prefer to see new users and a return to the show. However, if we have to wait, we will.
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P
Seems like, with the end of the strikes opening up filming schedules, that they could do a batch of new episodes and insert them between the tournaments for a few weeks just to provide a respite and address the concerns of many fans of the endless tournaments that are impossible to tell the difference between and often just seem to be running on a loop. There's really no reason for the tournament marathon to continue without any interruption until the spring.
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O
I’m loving the tournaments and the higher level of play. Every game is exciting and that’s not always true with new players. So glad they did this rather than simply filling up n with something else!
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G
Won't watch til new contestants are back
Despise Malick
Dont want her back
Keep Ken for permanent host
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R
Ken is the problem. A loser!
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C
Never thought I would stop watching Jeopardy! I just couldn’t face another quarterly championship…or one of many variation's on that theme. AND surely Ken Jennings can. One up with some creative contestant questions during the individual interviews. Yes, we all now know that every contestant owes gratitude to parents, teachers, friends, siblings, former Jeopardy contestants…..Please get some new interview questions!!
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G
I understand the problems that were caused by the strike, but all the tournaments just finally got the best of my patience. For the most part, I have stopped watching the show. The drama of new players and the prospect of a new really great champion coming on the scene is all lost now. The show simply has very little interest for me until it gets back to it's normal format.
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B
I like the old version of Jeopardy. My neice Sarah has tried out three times and passed all the tests. Once she had to go to New York and also to Washington DC to play against other players which she won both. They still haven’t called her. She is disappointed.
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G
Agree 100 percent that the show is now tedious. Ken Jennings lacks charm and has worn out his welcome. Cannot see sticking with the show much longer. I don't remember Alex being so consumed with who's in the lead,, money wise, after each answer.
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O
Just glad to have new Jeopardy episodes to watch. Give me anything except celebrity tournaments and Mayim Bialik hosting—I don’t watch either.
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C
C'mon people, at least we have Jeopardy on TV! I'm glad you know every single contestant that has appeared on the program during the last 2 years, but some of us don't or are glad to see them back. Enjoy the program instead of nit-picking it.
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P
I’m enjoying the shows, whether they are championships or the regular shows with all new contestants. It’s still Jeopardy with great material.
My only issue, and maybe I’m the only one, is that I don’t enjoy listening to the Jeopardy “theme song” and I always put the sound on mute when it comes on. But it doesn’t stop me from watching the shows.
Ken is the best!
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O
Bring back regular Jeopardy. Give new contestants their chance to play!
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P
I've been a life-long Jeopardy! fan but like many others, have stopped watching because of the boredom of these never-ending tournaments. It's like Groundhogs Day every night, and April is 5 months away!! Just fed up!
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P
I would rather have the tournaments than no Jeopardy at all. The strike has its consequences and there was either this format or reruns. So I am fine. And Len has been doing a great job. His ability now to converse with players and make comments germane to their interviews at the break in the first round, is quite good. Something Mayim could never do. I am so happy not to hear “awesome” “wonderful” and other one word responses which was rude to the contestants. Don’t even think about changing from Ken.
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G
When they do that, they're great. When the demand that a task that requires 3 people to perform nevertheless have 5 hired to do it, and such things, they are a scourge.
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G
It's the same Jeopardy,I'm happy that they kept going during the strike ,Stop complaining or watch something else!
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G
Well I HAVE stopped watching.
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S
we don't watch that's why it fell in ranking and it's not the same show it once was,,It has lost all credibility and class that it once had
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G
While I've mocked Davies as being obsessed with tournaments, and that he wouldn't be satisfied until the show was nothing but tournaments, I have to give him a pass here. The goal was to find a way to have new episodes while a strike was going on.
But I've never understood what was so sacred about picket lines that it's some kind of terrible thing to "cross" one? I am not of the "unions are always right" mindset.
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B
I do not like the current line up of the same people, especially the dude dressed as a woman. They keep getting more money and we get to see them over and over, so I don't watch anymore, why don't you bring mayim back...she sucks too!
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O
We miss you Alex
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O
Sick of Amy
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O
Jeopardy needs to move on. Tired of seeing Amy
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C
We are tired and bored with the endless string of "reruns". The strike was over LONG ago. As usual, the strike served a few, and aggravated or harmed many. For the first time since 1986 we have tuned out.
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C
We dont watch Jeopardy anymore and wont when it returns to normal format. They have lost two fans of many years. Enjoying some of the newer game shows.
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O
I understand the rationale behind the tournaments but am just really tired of them.
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G
So glad to learn that an end is coming. SNL needs to do a skit.
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G
YES YES YES
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G
I know..i keep waiting to hear "Alex Trebek"" even though Ken is a fabulous Emcee...but this game of 1000 losers is makimg me crazy.
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G
I have been a loyal fan since Art Fleming hosted and prizes ran from $10 to $50 but I'm losing interest by the day! When will this agonizing losers Jeopardy end??? Every week my newspaper says Jeopardy is New and it isn't it's losers get another chance! Ken is great but come on..the clue crew is working when will SERIOUS JEOPARDY return???
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B
But the strike is over; now return things to normal
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B
Hate this! This is indeed Jeopardy Hell! Time to get back to normal. This has gone on WAY TOO LONG!!!
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P
Please start new programs!
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O
Hate it. We rarely watch anymore.
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O
Thanks for letting me know I can start watching Jeopardy again in April. I hope Mayim stepping away will be permanent.
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C
I like the tournaments. I think Ken is enjoying more than he thought he would. Time for Mayim to take the out.
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B
I think they need to go the clue archives and cull categories from the early years of Jeopardy.
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R
Once Iunderstood whats going on Ienjoy it but I'm more than ready for regular Jeopardy.
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A
"Virginia"?!?
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G
I had noticed that lately I was much less interested in the show , but I wasn't sure why . This article defiitely explained why.
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J
These endless tournaments are annoying, and increasingly meaningless. Next they'll have a tournament for past champions' sisters, or a tournament for the children of past champions.
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P
On that point, I jokingly (or was it?) worried the other day if the recent string of "controversial" rulings on answers might give the producer an idea for a Controversial Exits Tournament filled with players some viewers felt were "wronged." 😉
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J
I wouldn't put it past them. 🤨
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C
When the writers strike ended, they needed to determine if the Wild Card tournaments was sufficient to have enough players for the Tournament of Champion, if so you run the TOC and the anything related to the Masters either wait until next season or put in n prime time. To wait until April for regular Jeopardy is a joke.
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As long as Ken Jennings is hosting; it is hell!
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O
I'm really enjoying these mini tournaments. It's showcasing contestants who have not been on in a while and who had limited wins. And the contestants have been pretty steady and the games exciting.
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Not watching it now, can’t wait for return to regular episodes!
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There is also no continuity from day to day. They announce that a player is back from winning yesterday, which is not true as i watch every day and it is a different player! It is getting old! Sorry to hear this craziness is going on until April!
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R
Ken Jennings is like watching paint dry! Bring back Mayim please! At least she makes it fun to watch!
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I’ve stopped watching one of my favorite shows, Jeopardy. Just can’t take all those bogus tournaments.
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G
Freudian slip? Because complaining about Mayim is most definitely childish!
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O
The game has turned into something jokes are made of, It should have been cancelled. Alex said he wanted it to continue, but he didn't realize the mess it would turn into. he wouldn't have wanted it to go on like.this with the fighting backstabbing Mike being fired. If that's what Sony thinks they didn't know him
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