‘Jeopardy!’ Bosses Respond After Viewers Slam ‘Unfair’ & ‘Biased’ JIT
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Jeopardy! producers Michael Davies and Sarah Whitcomb Foss have hit back at those who have accused the show of “recency bias” in the Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament.
This comes after some fans, as well as JIT semi-finalist Jennifer Quail, slammed the show for its alleged favoritism towards recent fan favorites, such as 2022 Tournament of Champions winner Amy Schneider and the TOC runner-ups Andrew He and Sam Buttrey.
Schneider and He were the first two contestants to qualify for the JIT final and had Buttrey won last Thursday’s (April 4) game, it would have resulted in a 2022 TOC and Jeopardy! Masters rematch.
“See, yesterday and today is why I feel like the three people who knew a year in advance they’d be here should have had to play each other in the semis or quarters, because we’re one game away from it making no difference, it would just be a Masters repeat,” Quail tweeted last week, referring to how Schneider, He, and Buttrey automatically qualified for the JIT due to their Masters placement.
See, yesterday and today is why I feel like the three people who knew a year in advance they’d be here should have had to play each other in the semis or quarters, because we’re one game away from it making no difference, it would just be a Masters repeat. #Jeopardy
— Author Jennifer Quail (@jenniferquail) April 3, 2024
“I sort of feel like, okay, if you wanted players who’ve been away longer than the last two tournament cycles maybe keep it just those players,” she added. “Some people hadn’t been on since some of the rest of us were, uh…still in primary school.”
On the latest episode of the Inside Jeopardy! podcast, Davies, the show’s executive producer, responded to the criticism, acknowledging, “I know I’ve been accused of recency bias by a few people.”
“But it’s pretty hard to argue with Amy’s 40 games… the second most in Jeopardy! history,” he continued, referring to Schneider’s impressive 40-game winning streak.
“And Andrew He, only a five game champ but came to TOC and won, I think, two games against Amy Schneider, who ended up winning it. And went to Masters and finished fourth and won some big games in that tournament as well. So, I think Amy and Andrew deserve to be there.”
He then addressed another part of the complaints, saying, “I know another part of the criticism is we should have the former Masters play against each other, to only have one spot, but that feels like a manipulation of the competition.”
“I want to see the very best go through in a tournament,” he added. “We didn’t seed them. We put them into the main draw. The biggest recency bias or the real advantage of recency is, yes, the more recently you’ve played, the more prepared you are going to be on that stage.”
“And yes, if you lose in Masters, you do know a year before that you’re going to get back and be in JIT when it happens,” he noted. “But these were very close games; we saw some great players. I have no doubt in the future we’ll see players from the pre-Michael Davies era make it into the top of our pyramid.”
Davies concluded, “I just want to see the best Jeopardy! players get a chance to compete on this stage and get a chance to get to Jeopardy! Masters.”
Foss also shared her thoughts, saying, “I’ve heard comments saying, ‘Those from Masters who are coming to JIT knew a little longer,’ but remember, we did announce JIT last year. And no one knew they’d be guaranteed an invitation, but I think certain people had to expect that maybe they’d be given an invitation.”
She also pointed out how a similar thing happens in the TOC, especially for those who qualify early in the season, meaning they have a longer wait.
“It’s just something natural and inherent about Jeopardy!,” she said. “Any of these games could have gone in any different direction. I look forward to future JITs. I can’t wait to see from past, present, and future who becomes a part of this new Jeopardy! pyramid.”
What do you think? Does the show play favorites with the recent champions? Let us know in the comments section below.
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