Did ‘Jeopardy!’ Accidentally Reveal Tournament of Champions Results?

Brittany Sims January 26, 2026, 12:23 pm

Ken Jennings for 'Jeopardy!' — Jeopardy, Inc.

Jeopardy! might have accidentally revealed a Tournament of Champions spoiler on its website. The bonus “exhibition game” has set its players and fans think this may have spoiled results.

The exhibition game is a special, non-stakes match featuring the top contestants in the tournament. It is designed to let seeded contestants practice with the buzzer. Usually, the game takes place before the semi-finals, but this year it is after.

Monday, January 26, is the last quarterfinals game for the TOC against Celebrity Jeopardy! winner Lisa Ann Walter, Mike Dawson, and TJ Fisher. Then, three semifinal games happen on the 27, 28, and 29. The website then shows Scott Riccardi, Laura Faddah, and Paolo Pasco playing on Friday, January 30. These three contestants earned a bye and didn’t have to compete in the quarterfinals, automatically advancing to the semi-final games.

However, some fans think that having this game and seeded players compete AFTER the semi-finals means that at least one of them didn’t advance to the finals. The finals would start on Monday, February 2.

“It’s kinda weird that they will air it after the semis, not before. I’m thinking (with my tinfoil hat on lol) that that means AT LEAST one of them will not be a finalist,” a Reddit user said.

Ken Jennings Shows Off His Massive Organized Junk Drawer That 'Jeopardy!' Fans Call 'Genius'

“Doesn’t make sense airing it after the semifinals. I’d be interested to see how they played before their semifinals as it would be like a warm-up game,” another commented.

The finals of the ToC come down to whoever wins three games first. It is the best out of seven, so the end date is not confirmed.

Competing alongside Riccardi, Faddah, and Pasco, so far, are Steven Olson, Ashley Chan, Cameron Berry, Allegra Kuney, and Tom Devlin. Monday night’s winner will also compete in the third semi-final game against Pasco and Olson.

What do you think of this change? Let us know in the comments.

Jeopardy!, weekdays, check local listings, stream next day on Hulu and Peacock