‘Jeopardy!’ Bosses Detail Big New Changes for Season 43
Jeopardy! will soon be back with another season, and the producers are sharing changes for Season 43, from set designs to tournament rules, and more. They also shared updates about the spinoffs, ESPN Jeopardy! and Jeopardy! Masters.
With Season 43 kicking off on September 14, there are only a few more weeks without new episodes. Executive producers Michael Davies and Sarah Whitcomb-Foss shared the changes on the September 3 episode of the Inside Jeopardy! Podcast.
Obviously, Ken Jennings will be back as host. The same question-and-answer format will remain the same, but a new set and tournament rule changes may shake up the game.
“Some very big announcements are coming up in the next month and a half in the world of Jeopardy!” Davies said.
Here are all of the changes coming to Jeopardy!.
Set Changes
“I don’t know if everyone has noticed at home, but we’ve had a few upgrades,” Whitcomb-Foss said. “Our lighting team has been hard at work. New columns. New lighting colors. It’s like a glow-up.”
Davies shared that watchers wouldn’t notice the changes if they weren’t watching very closely. The columns now have vertical lines in them. “We’re going for a richer lighting look, and I think we achieved that,” he said.
A Live Version
Davies teased that not only are more live events coming up, but he has also been desperate to do a live version of the show since he signed on. “Live is terrifying for a quiz show producer,” he said. “But I think we’ve got to go live. We need to have a version of Jeopardy! that is live. That is something we will be talking about in the next few months.”
New Jeopardy! Writer
They received over 1,300 applications for the new writer position after Jim Ryan retired. Many former contestants, writers for other shows, and everyday people have applied. They narrowed it down to the final four and are still picking.
Non-Used Clues
The game show hit a record with only 11 clues that weren’t read. They said that was intentional. Jennings’ pacing, as well as editing, played a role in that. They intend to beat that record in Season 43.
A Theme for the Season
The theme is “Knowledge Wins.” “I think this is very, very true about our program,” Davies said. “Facts matter. Knowledge wins.”
Post-Season Change
The qualification period for the post-season has ended. It won’t go into the next season as usual. They are starting fresh in Season 43. No more rolling qualification weeks. At the end of the season, fans will know who is in the postseason.
“This was the season to do it because we’ve got enough people who have qualified,” Davies said.
Jeopardy!, Season 43, weekdays, beginning September 14, check local listings
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Conversation13 Comments
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I
I think that they need to stop having tournaments with the same players.
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F
Please don't change this too much. l already stopped watching some of the tournament shows. I am getting tired of seeing the same faces every week. And trying to understand these tournaments and their evolution was impossible for me.
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P
They really need to get over this "we have to do a LIVE SHOW" thing. What's going to happen when it takes 10 minutes to review if an unexpected response is actually correct? (It's rare, but it has happened.) Are they going to go over the allowed time, or will they "Heidi" it. There's a reason the show is taped. It's not a sports event, no matter how much Davies wants it to be.
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K
Re: New Jeopardy! Writer
Paolo Pasco would be an obvious choice!
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G
A 'theme' for the season? This show doesn't need a theme.
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C
For years, I've been suggesting a really dramatic change. When a contestant gets the Double Jeopardy, and bids whatever money and doesn't get the answer right, the other contestants can ring in, get the answer correct and win the money that was bet. I'd love to see that!
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W
Daily Double.
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R
i would like to see the same setup as on the tournaments. Go through the first round non stop and then talk to the players. After that double jeopardy should start.
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D
They need to raise the wheel so it's not so hard for the contestants to spin it.
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P
This is about not about wheel of fortune, it is about jeopardy.
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S
How about a new host? Tired of kem
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S
KEN
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W
I actually liked Mayim Bialek.
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