‘Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament’: Why Star Names Are Missing Event

Brittany Sims February 11, 2025, 1:47 pm

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Jeopardy! fans got a taste of who they can expect in the upcoming Invitational Tournament (JIT) when the contestants were announced on Monday, February 10. However, they noticed that a lot of key players were missing from the lineup.

The 2025 JIT will feature contestants such as former Masters Amy Schneider, who also appeared last year, and Matt Amodio, as well as Tournament of Champion winners Troy Meyer and Ben Chan, OG players who were on with former host Alex Trebek like Seth Wilson, and recent memorable players.

On Monday, show bosses Michael Davies and Sarah Whitcomb-Foss discussed the contestants Inside Jeopardy! podcast. In the video, below, they also mentioned the contestants who were offered spots, but turned it down. Those players include Mattea Roach, Cris Pannullo, Brad Rutter, who also turned down the invitation last season, Andrew He, and Julia Collins.

After the contestants were announced, Jeopardy! fans made their way over to Reddit to discuss why certain players that were expected to be on JIT Season 2 were not announced.

Many of them were disappointed that Pannullo would not be playing. “No Cris :(,” a fan commented.

“I’m sad Cris isn’t on it,” said another.

Others were not shocked that Rutter declined once again. “Good on Brad for declining. He is a legend and shouldn’t have to go through all these hurdles to get on Masters. Plus, Brad’s won 4 major tournaments already. The only one he didn’t win was GOAT. So frankly, he has nothing left to prove. If he participated in the JIT, and didn’t advance, it would only damage his reputation even more,” a Reddit user said.

Shane Whitlock was a shock to fans, as well as Doug Molitor. Molitor played with Art Fleming, Trebek, and current host Ken Jennings.

“Probably the biggest surprise to me, in my opinion, is Doug Molitor,” a Reddit user said. “I’m assuming he got on because they wanted someone who also participated in the Art Fleming era to be on the show, therefore he got on, although it is a nice bonus that also was a ToCer in the Trebek era.”

Fans were upset that Julia Collins, the second most-winning woman, will not be on JIT this season, as well as other big names.

“This is a really solid lineup. there are a lot of names here who I’ve been wanting to see again (Skyler, Jonathan, Ryan, Jaskaran, Juveria, Hannah, Roger) and also ones who I’m mega curious about how they’ll do (Doug, Rachael, Maya, Claire, Raymond). I knew about Mattea declining already, which I’m not really too surprised about since they seemed pretty burnt out. I guess Andrew more or less felt the same? Hopefully we see them both again soon. Bummer that Cris, Brad, and Julia declined though. I really feel like Brad may be done, but I think Cris and Julia still have a chance at appearing in the future,” one fan said.

“Gutted at the lack of our Canadian superstar Mattea,” said another.

Eric Ahasic, a former player and 2022 Tournament of Champions contestant, revealed why he will not be on JIT. “Count me in as one of the champs who had to decline an invite. As much as I would have loved to have competed – flying out to LA for a week of Jeopardy with a newborn baby isn’t exactly ‘father of the year’ material haha. He’s super adorable though so it’s totally been worth it! Maybe next year??” he wrote.

Another notable name that was missing from the lineup was Emma Arnold, the first runner-up in the 2018 Teen Tournament. Reddit users begged her to be on Season 2 of JIT since she couldn’t compete in the High School Reunion Tournament in 2023 and the Champions Wildcard/Second Chance Competition in 2024 due to her attending school in the United Kingdom.

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“I would love to have Emma Arnold back for next year’s Invitational. Even though she did well in the finals for the 2018 Teen Tournament, I bet she’ll do well in the 2026 Invitational as well,” a Jeopardy! user asked.

“Can Emma have the same level of competing against James Holzhauer or Victoria Groce, since a spot at the Masters and not TOC is at stake?” asked another.

Fan-favorite Sam Buttrey will also not be returning since he announced his retirement in October 2024.

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