‘Jeopardy!’ Host Ken Jennings Gives Update on Show Returning to Normal

Martin Holmes February 26, 2024, 8:44 am

Ken Jennings in 'Jeopardy!' Season 40 — Jeopardy, Inc.

Jeopardy! has been in tournament overdrive for months, ever since the WGA strike paused episodes with new players, but now, Ken Jennings has given fans some idea of when regular episodes will return.

The host and Jeopardy! G.O.A.T. spoke with USA Today ahead of the 2024 Tournament of Champions, which officially kicked off on Friday, February 23. During the interview, Jennings was asked when viewers can expect to see the return of regular, non-tournament play.

“We know there have been a lot of tournaments. We are sympathetic with tournament overload, but this is one we’re really excited about,” Jennings said, referring to the upcoming Jeopardy! Invitational, which is set to air following the TOC.

“For the first time this year we’re going to do a Jeopardy! invitational tournament where we bring back some favorite contestants from the past years, in some cases the past decades,” he continued. “And one winner of that competition will advance to Jeopardy! Masters.”

The record-holding 74-game winner then confirmed, “It will be early spring for the first time in many, many months, we will finally have new players back on.”

Since September 2023, Jeopardy! has been in full-on tournament mode, with two editions of Second Chance and two editions of Champions Wildcard featuring past contestants from Seasons 37, 38, and 39. These former players have been battling it out for a spot in the upcoming TOC.

“This year, because of the strike, we had a series of second-chance competitions to allow people who had lost their very first Jeopardy! game a shot at redemption, and it’s been amazing,” Jennings shared.

He added, “Some of them turn out to be incredibly strong players who just had a rough Game 1. It’s tough to just go from Jeopardy! on your couch to Jeopardy! in the studio, and not everybody who could be an all-timer wins that first game. I almost lost my first game.”

Courtesy of Jeopardy Productions, Inc.

One of those contestants is Juveria Zaheer, who lost her first game to super-champ Hannah Wilson but returned to the Alex Trebek stage with a vengeance. Zaheer not only won the Second Chance tournament but powered through and won Champions Wildcard, cementing her spot in the TOC.

In addition to the Wildcard winners, the TOC will feature super-champs and three-game winners from Season 39, the High School Reunion tournament winner, and comedian Ike Barinholtz, who won the first season of ABC’s Celebrity Jeopardy!

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Elsewhere in the interview, Jennings touched on his former co-host, Mayim Bialik, who was dropped from the show in December. Jennings has since been confirmed as the game show’s permanent host.

“I’m not blowing smoke here. I really enjoyed Mayim’s hosting,” Jennings stated. “You could tell she was just a born performer, very confident on stage in a way that I was not at first. I learned a lot from watching her, and I really enjoyed her hosting. But I do understand – there’s a reason why TV shows don’t tend to have two hosts.”

At the recent Television Critics Association press tour, Jeopardy! executive producer Michael Davies claimed he was “forced” into having two hosts and said Jennings “really won the job.”

“I saw that, and I think [Davies] was right,” Jennings responded. “He talked about how Jeopardy! is a symbol of consistency and reliability for a lot of our viewers. It’s part of the ritual of their day, and they want to tune in and know what they’re going to see and not wonder, “Oh, which host do I see tonight?” And I do understand that.”

Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions, Weekdays, Check Local Listings