‘Jeopardy!’ Rule Change Riles Viewers – Show’s Bosses React

Martin Holmes December 11, 2023, 7:59 am

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When Jeopardy! returned for its Second Chance and Champions Wildcard tournaments back in September, it came with a new rule, which sees contestants required to read out the entire category name each time they select a new clue.

However, this new rule might not stick around much longer, as many viewers have complained that it disrupts the flow of the show, especially when the category names are a mouthful, like last Thursday’s (December 7) “During Lou Gehrig’s Consecutive Game Streak.”

Jeopardy‘s long-time producer Sarah Whitcomb Foss and former Tournament of Champions winner Buzzy Cohen addressed the backlash on the latest Inside Jeopardy! podcast, with Foss explaining why they introduced the rule change in the first place.

“We’ve seen the chatter online about contestants reading the full category, which is a change to the rules this season,” Cohen brought up, though Foss disagreed with the term “rule.”

“Not really a rule, a suggestion,” Foss said before explaining that they introduced it because some fans had complained about losing track of where contestants were on the board.

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“Everyone has a lot of opinions, but we heard viewers are having trouble with where people were going on the game board and couldn’t really follow it,” she continued.

However, as with most things on Jeopardy!, Foss noted, “It’s not set in stone… it’s just a recommendation.”

“We’d like to know what people think of it,” she added. “Nothing can’t be changed or altered, but we’ve made it through every clue this season.”

Fans sounded off about the category rule last week following Thursday’s episode, with one Reddit commenter writing, “The producers forcing contestants to say “During Lou Gehrig’s Consecutive Game Streak” every time is ridiculous.”

“Same, I’m beyond sick of this rule,” another fan replied.

Another added, “Seriously, if I ever get on [the show] I’m not following that rule, whatever wrath it incurs. What are they gonna do, kick me off in the middle of the episode?”

“They need to at least make less awkward category titles if they’re going to insist on this,” another suggested.

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“I had no idea, is this new?” asked another commenter. “Was literally yelling at the tv, “You guys don’t have to say the whole thing every time ” whoops.”

As for how the contestants feel, Champions Wildcard semifinalist Joe Velasco told The U.S. Sun, “As part of a change to the new season, and this is for the benefit of the audience moreso, they need us, or prefer us, to say the whole category every time.”

“I mean, thankfully, for a tournament of returning champions like us, we know how the game works, so we were all pretty efficient,” he continued. “I would imagine for new contestants it would probably trip them up, and I would be afraid it would lead to some clues being left on the board.”

What do you think about this new rule? Let us know in the comments below.

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