‘Jeopardy!’ Bosses Defend Amy Schneider ‘Masters’ Pick Amid Backlash
Jeopardy! super-champ Amy Schneider is the Producers’ Pick for the upcoming Masters tournament and the show’s bosses are sticking by that decision despite fan backlash.
On the latest episode of the Inside Jeopardy! podcast, the show’s executive producer, Michael Davies, and fellow producer, Sarah Whitcomb Foss, discussed the thought process behind selecting Schneider for the final Masters spot, citing both ratings and skill.
“Understand that we get a lot of data, and we’ve talked before about how we share the buzzer data, how we see the players. We’re also evaluating constantly how people are playing against a certain level of material, which is another very important thing,” Davies explained.
“Plus, this being — and I make no apologies for it — Jeopardy! is an entertainment television program,” he continued. “We do have to look at and work with the network on social media reach and popularity, and the number of people across the media who will follow the story, plus the balance of contestants who we’ve already got there. And our unanimous pick is Amy Schneider.”
Davies made similar comments at the Inside Jeopardy Live! Event at Hudson Yards in New York City last Friday, where he first revealed Schneider as the Producers Pick.
“I have to prepare myself for the Redditors,” Davies quipped to the live audience, according to The Sun U.S. “So firstly, it’s a Producer Pick, but it’s not just me. It’s all the producers.”
“We have to acknowledge there were several worthy people. But one person stood above everybody else,” he added. “I’ve got to believe they can go on that stage in Masters and beat everybody. Secondly, we’re a TV program. We depend on ratings.”
Davies also said he “loves a redemption story,” pointing to Schneider’s loss in the first Masters tournament and her second-place finish in the recent Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament.
Following the announcement, fans took to social media to share their reactions, with many disappointed by the pick.
“We just saw her in JIT, whats the point if she can lose that and just move on anyways,” said one commenter on the Jeopardy! Reddit forum, while another added, “The ‘sport’ of Jeopardy: You can lose two opportunities to get into the Masters and be invited anyway! Mind-boggling decision.”
Foss added that Schneider has repeatedly proved that “she is one of the best to play this game” and that she is worthy of a spot on Masters.
“When I say Jeopardy is an entertainment show, performance in Masters is also vital,” Davies added. “I want six players in that competition who I believe can all win. And when I really look at it, and when I look at that competitive nature of Amy Schneider… my hunch is she will perform way better in Masters this year than last year.”
Schneider joins reigning Masters champ James Holzhauer, Season 1 finalists Matt Amodio and Mattea Roach, 2024 TOC winner Yogesh Raut, and Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament winner Victoria Groce. The tournament will begin filming next week and will air on prime-time on ABC, starting May 1.
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