Jeopardy game show fans can stop worrying that the Writers Guild Of America (WGA) strike will delay season 40.
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Because the game show found a way to continue despite the writers’ strike. However, the new season will include some major changes.
Find out how Jeopardy will air shows amid the writers’ strike. And learn how the game show will increase the prizes to attract contestants as well. Get all the details below.
Jeopardy Scores Amid Writers’ Strike
How to create new content amid the writers’ strike? Season 40 of Jeopardy will answer that question by making some changes to the traditional game show’s format.
And Jeopardy show-runner Michael Davies explained via TV Line that viewers will see both recycled questions and returning contestants.
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“I believe, principally that it would not be fair to have new contestants,” explained Davies. “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.”
As a result, the Jeopardy show-runner plans to open season 40 with “a second chance tournament for players from Season 37 who lost their initial game,” shared Davies. “
And winners from that will advance to a Season 37 and Season 38 Champions Wild Card.” But the Jeopardy leader also made a contingency plan for after the writers’ strike concludes.
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And after the writers’ strike ends, Davies plans to start “our Season 39 post-season, which will culminate” with the Tournament of Champions.
As a result, Jeopardy plans that the season’s first episodes for the Season 37 and Season 38 contestants will use a “combination of material that our WGA writers wrote before the strike, which is still in the database, and material that is being redeployed from multiple, multiple seasons of the show.”
But those contestants who win will get a nice reward.
Jeopardy Boosts Prize Amounts
And for the first time in more than 20 years, Jeopardy will boost “the second and third place prize amounts by a thousand each,” shared Davies.
“So the third place prize will move up to $2,000. The second place prize will move up to $3,000. This is something that we’ve been working on ever since I really took the reins of the show.”
However, the question of who will host remains unanswered. Because when season 40 of Jeopardy debuts on September 11, Ken Jennings faces pressure to agree with co-host Mayim Bialik’s refusal to cross the picket line.
Mayim previously left amid the last weeks of season 39 to show her support for the striking writers. And that led to Jennings replacing her.
However, a Jeopardy spokesperson shared that the show will debut season 40 as planned. But the rep added, “We have always been careful to honor our WGA agreements and we would never air game material not created by WGA writers. However, just as we did, led by Alex Trebek, during the 2007-2008 strike, we will deliver first-run episodes again this fall.”
And the rep promised that the show will feature “the best of our WGA written material.”
Tell us what you think. How do you react to Jeopardy’s writers’ strike workaround? And after you share your views, check back on our site for more TV news.
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