‘Jeopardy!’ Bosses Finally Reveal When Show Will Return to Normal With New Contestants

Martin Holmes April 3, 2024, 9:37 am

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Jeopardy! has been in tournament mode for what feels like forever, but there is great news for fans waiting on the return of regular games with brand-new contestants.

On the latest episode of the Inside Jeopardy! podcast, long-time producer Sarah Whitcomb Foss was joined by her regular co-host and former Tournament of Champions winner Buzzy Cohen, where she confirmed regular Jeopardy! will be back next week.

“The finals of the [Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament] will kick off on Friday (April 5), and, as a reminder to our listeners, it is the first player to win two games who will be our champion. So this could run as little as two games and as many as four.”

She continued, “Which means next week, no matter what, we will be back to regular Jeopardy! I know people are excited.”

“We’re gonna welcome back, you might not remember him [because] it was so long ago, our 3-game champion, Lucas Partridge,” Foss added, noting how Partridge now “has a record he never wanted to hold, and that is, our longest-reigning Jeopardy! champion.”

Cohen pointed out how Partridge probably “wanted to hold that [title] but not for the reasons that he has,” which is due to the long hiatus since the end of Season 39 in July 2023.

The previous record for longest hiatus between games for a current champion was Zach Newkirk, who was the reigning champ when the show shut down in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. His break lasted between June 12, 2020, to January 28, 2021.

Partridge, a school counselor from Las Vegas, Nevada, won three games between the 26 and 28 of July, amassing a current total of $66,200. He will face off against two brand-new players when the show returns to regular games next week.

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Jeopardy! has been airing a long series of tournaments since September, due largely to last summer’s writers strike. This led to the show recycling past clues and inviting back former contestants.

The show’s executive producer, Michael Davies, said at the time, “I believe, principally, that it would not be fair to have new contestants making their first appearance with non-original material.”

Since September, the show has aired two Second Chance tournaments, two Champions Wildcard contests, the 2024 Tournament of Champions, and the Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament, which is currently airing. A second season of Jeopardy! Masters is also scheduled to air in primetime on ABC this May.

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