Former ‘Jeopardy’ Contestant Criticizes the Show for Not Covering Players’ Travel Expenses: “Not Everyone Can Afford a Trip to LA”

Jeopardy fans have found a new topic to debate online, and for once, it’s not about who’s a better host between Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings.

Former contestant Ben Goldstein criticized the game show for not covering contestants’ travel expenses after a Jeopardy fan blog explained the history behind the show’s policy.

“Personally, I think covering travel/lodging would make the show more accessible to a wider range of contestants,” Goldstein tweeted. “Not everyone can afford a trip to LA with no guarantee of payback.”

Goldstein explained that the show only paid for his second flight to Los Angeles after he advanced to the next episode and had to return for filming. “But the first flight and 4 total nights in a hotel and a lot of Ubering was on me,” he said.

When someone pointed out that the arrangement was likely due to “budgetary constraints,” he replied, “But we’re talking about an additional ~$2,500 per episode to pay for a flight and two nights in a local hotel for the two new challengers. That really doesn’t strike me as that much.”

Interesting discussion of the "Why doesn’t #Jeopardy pay airfare and accommodations" question here. Personally, I think covering travel/lodging would make the show more accessible to a wider range of contestants. Not everyone can afford a trip to LA with no guarantee of payback. https://t.co/C317e7kAro

— Ben Goldstein (@GoldsteinRaw) June 25, 2023

According to The Jeopardy Fan, the policy is in place to maintain fairness between contestants.

The inciting blog post quoted a 1994 interview where then-contestant coordinator Kelley Carpenter said, “Because we have both out-of-towners and locals appearing on the show, if we were to pay for an airfare and a hotel, we would have technically given away money to some contestants coming from the East Coast, which wouldn’t be fair to someone who only lives 20 minutes away.”

Jeopardy producer Sarah Whitcomb Foss confirmed this in an episode of Inside Jeopardy last October, saying, “Our contestants are asked to fly themselves out to Los Angeles for their first appearance. If they end up being a returning champion then we do provide travel for them on their return trips out here.”

Foss also explained that contestants are sometimes given brief notice before they’re expected to film.

When reached for comment by Decider, Jeopardy did not reply by time of publication.

Fans were divided on the matter – and shocked.

“If you can’t afford airfare and hotel, don’t apply to be a contestant. Pretty simple,” one user replied.

“I totally agree! There are some extremely smart people out there but can’t afford all the extras just to get there,” another fan said.

Many fans of the show pointed out that second and third-place contestants are typically given consolation prizes, but that may not be enough to cover their travel to Culver City, Calif., where the show films. The consolation prize can reportedly range from $1,000 to $2,000.

Goldstein recently ended a five-day winning streak on the show, with a total of $49,298.

Jeopardy! airs on weeknights at 7/6c on ABC.