(Photo: ABC)
Jeopardy! viewers may experience deja vu this fall. The syndicated series will have new episodes for season 40 but, at least for the time being, it won’t be business as usual due to the current writers strike. According to showrunner Michael Davies, viewers will see recycled questions and returning players in the upcoming season.
Davies revealed the show’s plans in the most recent episode of the Inside Jeopardy! podcast. Viewers will see returning contestants from seasons 37 and 38 as they get a second chance at the game. He said the following, per TV Insider:
“I believe, principally that it would not be fair to have new contestants. Making their first appearance on the Alex Trebek stage, doing it with non-original material or as we’ll talk about a combination of non-original material and material that was written pre-strike. And so we decided that really we needed to invite back and give a second chance in general to players who probably thought that their chance to come back and play on the Alex Trebek stage had gone forever.”
The minimum winnings are also being increased. In season 40, the second-place and third-place winnings will be increased by $1,000. So third place will take home $2,000 while second place will receive $3,000.
It isn’t clear if Mayim Bialik and/or Ken Jennings will return to host the series when episodes begin filming. In the final weeks of season 39, Bialik backed away from her post to show solidarity for the writers strike. Jennings continued to film episodes, but he received criticism for doing so.
A premiere date for Jeopardy! season 40 will be announced in the future.
What do you think? Are you a fan of Jeopardy!? Are you okay with these adjustments to bring the series back this fall?
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