The world of Jeopardy! is continuing to expand. With the long-running quiz show having success with its primetime airing Celebrity Jeopardy! tournament and other specials proving to get fans attentions, the Jeopardy! producers have announced that they are launching a brand new tournament, with many familiar names set to take part.
On a recent edition of the podcast Inside Jeopardy!, and officially confirmed by numerous outlets on Wednesday, January 11, ABC has ordered Jeopardy! Masters, a new primetime tournament. Jeopardy! Masters is intended to be an elite level competition of the show, featuring the six highest-ranked current contestants facing off in what is being described as a Champions League-style tournament; what exactly that means in terms of format was not shared at this time.
Executive producer Michael Davies said on the Inside Jeopardy! podcast about the inspiration for the tournament. "It really did strike me that we have these pro-level, elite-level players," Davies stated. "I know sometimes you get tired of them and want to see new players… [But] I just look at the ratings, and when we have a super champion in the mix and playing against each other, the quality, ratings and social media is off the charts."
The six confirmed contestants for Jeopardy! Masters are Matt Amodio, Sam Buttrey, Andrew He, James Holzhauer, Mattea Roach and Amy Schneider. Though an official airdate has not been set, Ken Jennings is going to host this tournament.
Speaking of hosting duties, Davies also shed some light on how the Jeopardy! host job is being split by Jennings and Mayim Bialik. Davies said that Jennings is going to continue hosting the show through January and into February, with Bialik coming back to host the upcoming High School Reunion tournament, which is going bring back 18 Teen Tournament champions from Jeopardy! season 35, all of whom are now in college. An exact date for the High School Reunion tournament has also not been announced.
At the very least, all of this will come after Celebrity Jeopardy! concludes its run, with the tournament airing Thursdays at least into February. And of course, there is still the daily episode of Jeopardy! for fans to watch, though at what exact time and channel depends on what market you’re in.
