‘Jeopardy!’ Big Changes Ahead For Season 40 Amid Writer Strike
Jeopardy! Season 40 is going ahead as planned, even with the WGA strike ongoing. However, to achieve this, the show is making some major changes to its format. This is one way to make sure that the show doesn’t miss any air time and for another a way to appease past champions.
Here is what Jeopardy! is going for Season 40 and why.
Jeopardy! Season 40 changes
When the WGA strike started, there was enough Jeopardy! questions to get through Season 39. However, Season 40 can’t happen without new questions or reusing old ones. While past champions have spoken out about using old questions on the hit game show, showrunner Michael Davies said the show will use them anyway. However, he has a compromise that might make it all work out okay.
Davies said that the new season will feature recycled questions and some questions that WGA writers had submitted before the WGA strike began. However, on top of the recycled questions, the new season also plans to recycle old contestants. According to Davies, bringing in new contestants with recycled questions wouldn’t be “fair” (via Inside Jeopardy!).
Davies said that Jeopardy! Season 40 will invite players from Season 37 back to the show who lost in their first appearance, but might be good enough to become champions. The winners of the Season 37 second chance matches will move on to a Champions Wild Card round with the Season 38 second chance players. The contestants from Season 38 already had their competition.
After the WGA strike ends, the show will move into the Season 39 post-season which will all end with the Tournament of Champions. When the new season starts, the show will bring in the Season 37 contestants and use questions “still in the database and material that is being redeployed from multiple, multiple seasons of the show.”
Who will host Jeopardy! Season 40?
The one question remaining is who will host Jeopardy! Season 40 when it starts. Mayim Bialik walked off the show when the SAG-AFTRA strike began. While SAG members can technically work on game shows during the strike, many stand in solidarity with their fellow actors. Bialik won’t be back until the strike ends.
There has also been some pressure on Ken Jennings to follow suit. As a result, there is no word on whether Bialik or Jennings will be there to host Jeopardy! Season 40 when it returns to the air.
One other big change in Jeopardy! Season 40 will be the increase of the prize money. The second and third-place contestants will each get a $1,000 increase in their prize money. Third place gets $2,000 and second place gets $3,000.
What are your thoughts about the changes to Jeopardy! Season 40? Will using old questions hurt the show? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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