‘Jeopardy!’: Why Lisa Ann Walter Isn’t in 2024 Tournament of Champions
It’s not long now until the long-awaited Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions, where the best of the best will battle it out for ultimate trivia supremacy.
However, one person who won’t be participating is Abbott Elementary star Lisa Ann Walter, who recently won the second season of Celebrity Jeopardy! Some fans have been wondering why that’s the case, especially as previous Celebrity Jeopardy! champ Ike Barinholtz will be competing in the TOC.
“I’m seeing on the TOC board that Ike Barinholtz from the 1st season of Celebrity Jeopardy, will be part of the TOC, so I don’t see why Lisa wouldn’t be there either,” one viewer commented on the Jeopardy! Reddit forum.
As other fans explained, the reason for this is simply due to production and scheduling delays caused by last summer’s WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Under normal circumstances, the 2023 TOC would have already aired by now, long before the second season of Celebrity Jeopardy.
That means Walter should appear on next year’s TOC where she will compete against multi-day champions from the upcoming 40th season and any post-season tournament winners.
“She is invited, but for the next TOC, not the one in the current season,” wrote one commenter on Reddit, while another said, “She’s not going to be on the one that starts airing in a couple of weeks if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Hopefully in the 2025 Tournament of Champions, unless she denies to compete,” added another. “But I bet if she competes in the 2025 Tournament of Champions, she’d be the first qualifier to do so.”
Walter defeated sports comedy host Katie Nolan and journalist and podcast host Mo Rocca in the Celebrity Jeopardy! finale last month. She was the only contestant to answer the Final Jeopardy clue correctly, giving her a winning total of $27,5000 and $1 million for the Entertainment Community Fund.
Due to the strikes, Jeopardy! paused its regular episodes with new contestants and went into tournament overload. This included two editions of Second Chance and two Champions Wildcard events featuring past contestants from across Seasons 37, 38, and 39. The eight winners from the two sets of Wildcard competitions will qualify for TOC.
The upcoming TOC will air once the final round of the Champions Wildcard tournament concludes on February 22. In addition to Barinholtz, the TOC will feature super-champs such as Cris Pannullo, Hannah Wilson, Ray LaLonde, Ben Chan, and recent Second Chance and Wildcard winner Juveria Zaheer.
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