Every week, it seems likeJeopardy!is the subject of a new controversy. Issues have been brought up with the clues in recent episodes, including those thatconcern sexismorTaylor Swift’s dating life. A lawsuit has been filedthat brings up discrimination claimsagainstJeopardy!andWheel of Fortune. This has led fans to declare thatJeopardy!has lost its magic,with a Reddit threaddiscussing their issues with the show’s current era. Those issues aren’t completely unfounded, either.Jeopardy!was recently eclipsedbyWheel of Fortunein the ratings, which is a major deal.
But hasJeopardy!lost its magic? I don’t think so; the general concept of the show hasn’t changed, and current hostKen Jenningshas proven himself to be a great successor to the lateAlex Trebek. The current season does prove thatthere are a few tweaks that could be made to the show, so here’s what I feelJeopardy!could do to win back its fans.
’Jeopardy!’s Categories Should Focus More on Knowledge Than Gimmicks
One element that I do feelJeopardy!has lost out on isthe focus on testing contestants' knowledge. Part of the joy of watchingJeopardy!is seeing who has the brainpower to get to the final round; that’s what made Jennings stand out when he competed onJeopardy!. However, recent episodes put a heavy focus on pop culture and attempted to shake up the traditional categories. The most infamous of these shakeups is “Rhyme Time,” where contestants' answers depend on whether they can guess the secret behind a clue that rhymes.Jeopardy!fans arenotfans of “Rhyme Time,” as the category reappeared on this week’s episode and led toa flurry of furious postssuggesting thatJeopardy!scratch the category entirely.
I don’t think “Rhyme Time” should be fully eradicated, but I believe it should be spaced out with other classic categories like “Before and After,” or even “Four Letter Words.“There should also be more of a focus on general knowledge,with a dash of pop culture. Don’t get me wrong, I love putting my pop culture knowledge to the test, but having a contestant who knows a broad range of topics makes for a more interesting game. Next month will also see the debut ofPop Culture Jeopardy!, a show hosted byColin Jostthat will test teams of contestants on their pop culture knowledge. It’s the best way to giveJeopardy!a spin-off while focusing on a honed-in topic. That wayJeopardy!can continue to tackle pop culture knowledge without letting the main show get overrun.
‘Wheel of Fortune’ Host Ryan Seacrest vs. ‘Jeopardy!’ Host Ken Jennings
Ryan Seacrest and Ken Jennings compete head-to-head for game show glory.
There’s a Reason for the Constant Tournaments on ‘Jeopardy’
One element ofJeopardy!that has bothered fans was the string of tournaments in 2023. Throughout last year, events including the Tournament of Champions, Second Chance Tournament, and Champions Wildcard Tournament brought back pastJeopardy!contestants to participate in various tournament games. Fansonce again vented their frustrations online… but they failed to recognize that last yearsaw the dual strikes by the Writers' Guild of America and the SAG-AFTRA Guild. The WGA strike hitJeopardy!hard, as its writers weren’t around to craft new clues. (Yes,there’s actual researchthat goes into thoseJeopardy!clues!) ProducerMichael Davieseven discussed the effect of the WGA strike onJeopardy!on theInside Jeopardy!podcast:
“Our number one, sort of, imperative right now is to get the post-season back on track. And then after that, our regular season, as many weeks as possible of the regular season after that post-season.”
Indeed, recent episodes have gotten back toJeopardy!’s standard structure, which I’m happy about. But there’s one current trend that I feel could backfire on the show, and it involves Ken Jennings himself.
‘Jeopardy!’ Shouldn’t Be Pushing So Hard for the Next Ken Jennings
The biggest comment in the Reddit thread that really stuck out to me was a fan saying thatJeopardy!seems to be focused on finding contestants who can be “super champions.” For those unfamiliar withJeopardy!terminology, a super champion is someone who’swon 10 games or more in a row. While it’s cool to see the rise of new super champions, it also leads to a lack of variety in contestants. Again, the fun ofJeopardy!is seeing folks from all walks of life being able to participate in the show, and having super champs participate can take some of the suspense out of things.
It also feels likeJeopardy!’s crew is hoping for someone to reach the same status that Ken Jennings did.But Jennings is a one-of-a-kind contestant; when he participated, his winning streaks were a rarity inJeopardy!history, while his demeanor made him a great choice to serve as the current host. Trying to replicate that success is a one-in-a-million shot, andJeopardy!should instead focus on diversifying its pool of contestants. Overall, I don’t thinkJeopardy!has lost its magic. Butit should recalibrate a little. When I was a kid, I loved watching the shows and making guesses to the point where my parents said I should go on the show. I’d like there to be an environment that could give me that chance.
Jeopardy!airs every weeknight on ABC in the U.S. Episodes are also available to stream on ABC.com.
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