PHEW!
Jeopardy! bosses point out ‘wonderful’ detail about next Tournament of Champions after ‘huge issue’ with previous lineup
Plus, a total overhaul to the game show's schedule
JEOPARDY! producers have celebrated a win for diversity regarding the next Tournament of Champions.
Compared to the male-dominated 2024 ToC, the current qualifiers for the next $250,000 event are all female.
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Executive Producer Michael Davies joined producer Sarah Whitcomb-Foss on the latest Inside Jeopardy! podcast.
They discussed the long-awaited return to regular shows after a barrage of tournaments consumed the ongoing Season 40.
Just two weeks into regular play, and fans already scored a terrific five-day winner in Alison Betts, who made $121,500 this month.
She and Celebrity Jeopardy!'s Lisa Ann Walter are the first two players to qualify for the next ToC.
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The producers were hyped up that the next Tournament of Champions has only female contestants so far - and justifyingly so.
'TWO FEMALES!'
"It's just a couple of weeks into regular gameplay and we already have our first regular season ToC qualifier in Alison Betts," Foss said.
"Of course, Lisa Ann Walter will be the first official qualifier [for winning Celebrity Jeopardy 2024.]"
"But yeah, two females in the ToC so far!" Foss exclaimed.
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EP Davies applauded Alison as a, "Wonderful, great player, loved watching her compete on the stage."
BOYS CLUB
This comes after the previous Tournament of Champions - won by Yogesh Raut - was nearly all men.
By the time Season 39 ended, the game show only had one female qualifier in Hannah Wilson, shocking fans.
"Too bad there are only men in the Tournament of Champions," one internet user lamented by the time.
"I mean, I would have liked to see more women in the TOC," wrote another.
Jeopardy! would not have had more than one female player if they hadn't added three-day champs or aired past-player contests the following fall.
By the time the postponed 2024 ToC finally aired, there were four female contestants out of its 27 players, which still wasn't great.
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'REGULAR GAMES UNTIL 2025'
Meanwhile, producers also revealed a big change to the show schedule: They are sticking to good ol' regular Jeopardy! for an extended period of time.
Regular-style Jeopardy! shows with new contestants will be airing every weeknight until Season 40 ends in late July 2024.
In fact, the show will continue with its tried-and-true format well into Season 41.
That means they are pushing the next Tournament of Champions - and all of its qualifying events - to 2025.
So instead of having tournaments in the fall like the previous two seasons, regular gameplay will air until the New Year.
This comes after huge backlash over the unprecedented number of tournaments the show opted for, and because they now need enough qualifiers for the next Tournament of Champions.
“We now have, lots and lots - a number of consecutive weeks of original recipe Jeopardy! until we get to the next ToC,” EP Davies said.
He clarified that "What’s happening in primetime with Masters and Celebrity Jeopardy," which they're "hoping" will be renewed, will not get in the way.
Foss chimed in to make it clear, “All of the remaining of 2024 of syndicated Jeopardy!, you are watching regular games."
In other words, all of the events like Second Chances, Wildcards, and JITs that fans were in for these past few months will be off the board until next year.
JEOPARDY! SPOILING WHO WINS?
Meanwhile, the return of regular gameplay hasn't come without its issues.
On Wednesday, Jeopardy! fans pointed out that the show's online Contestant Zone keeps prematurely revealing who wins.
Multiple times this week, the tracker has accidentally shown the player who'd win in a different outfit than what they wore on stage.
On Tuesday's episode, one-day champ Nam Nguyen was defeated by contestant Mark Lindsey at the very last minute.
Mark donned a green sweater and blue shirt for his unexpected win. However, he was shown in a pink shirt and blue sweater on the Contestant Zone.
Since contestants change their outfits each game, fans pointed out it was "obvious" he'd win and play another game.
One day earlier, Nam wore a maroon cardigan on stage, but online, he was shown in a maroon blazer - which was his outfit for his next game.
A fan titled their Reddit thread, "Dear Jeopardy Web Team: Stop Giving Away Game Results With the Incorrect Clothes On Winning Contestant Portraits. It's dumb and bad, and it's happened at least twice this week. Stop it or be shunned."
"That’s actually hilarious, but maybe just don’t go on the Jeopardy website and look at winning contestant portraits?" wrote another.
"Yes, please! I can't go on the website anymore because of this! :(" wrote a third.
"It's probably because they only take pics at the end of a run, not after every game," speculated a fourth.
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"This is why all contestants should wear jumpsuits a la Squid Game," joked a fifth.
Jeopardy! airs at 7 p.m. ET on ABC - check your local listings.
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