‘Jeopardy!’ champ James Holzhauer pans Season 40 modifications

TV

By Jane Herz

August 8, 2023 | 9:53pm

The gambler has a chip on his shoulder.

“Jeopardy!” showrunner Michael Davies this week revealed plans for the upcoming season amid the continued Hollywood writers’ strike — drawing criticism from veteran champion James Holzhauer.

In the course of the “Inside Jeopardy!” podcast on Monday, Davies mentioned the long-running quiz present will use recycled materials and have former contestants in Season 40.

“In case you don’t have time to pay attention, right here’s the chief abstract of as we speak’s announcement,” Holzhauer, 39, wrote Monday on the platform X, previously referred to as Twitter, as he shared a hyperlink to the podcast.

“1:00-2:00: Jeopardy’s writers are invaluable and we couldn’t produce the present with out them,” he continued. “2:00-15:00: Right here is how we’ll produce the upcoming season with out them.”

The Put up reached out to representatives for Holzhauer and “Jeopardy!” for remark.

The skilled sports activities gambler gained 32 consecutive video games in 2019 and prevailed on this yr’s “Jeopardy! Masters” event.

He comes second solely to the present’s host, Ken Jennings, for the best winnings in common season play. He holds single-game winnings data.

In the course of the podcast episode, Davies mentioned he “admires” and “misses” the present’s “beloved” writers, who’re petitioning for larger wages, regulation surrounding synthetic intelligence, and higher pay from streaming providers.

“I perceive that the very best episodes which might be attainable are episodes that characteristic our writers writing authentic materials and the easiest contestants that we placed on the air taking part in that authentic materials,” he admitted.

He defined that the present could be taking contestants from Season 37 and having them play in a “second likelihood event.”

“The fabric that we’re gonna be utilizing is a mix of fabric that our WGA writers wrote earlier than the strike, which remains to be within the database and materials that’s being redeployed from a number of, a number of seasons of the present,” Davies shared.

Amongst different modifications, there can even be a bump in prize cash for the upcoming season.

Davies wasn’t in a position to give a solution for when the present’s “common” programming would air.

Final month, after rumors swirled that the present could be continuing with its annual “Match of Champions” amid the strike, a number of contenders vowed to not cross the picket line.

Nevertheless, a “Jeopardy!” rep informed The Put up that there was by no means “any intention of manufacturing a Match of Champions for Season 39 till the strike is resolved.”