Since premiering in 1964, Jeopardy! has turned into a beloved TV staple.
But the show may be in for its biggest upheaval yet.
And now Jeopardy! is preparing this huge change that has fans in an uproar.
Jeopardy! boss hints at contestant eligibility changes
One of the big challenges for any TV show is how to remain fresh and relevant.
Shows that stay the same grow stale and eventually run off viewers out of boredom.
As Jeopardy! is in its 60th year, its bosses are preparing the biggest changes to contestant eligibility since the 2003 elimination of the five-day rule, which allowed champions to remain on the show for as long as they could keep winning.
At the Inside Jeopardy! Live on Tour at The Edge in Hudson Yards, New York City, producer Sarah Whitcomb Foss revealed that contestants who competed in the junior versions of Jeopardy! would now be eligible for the main show.
“For the first time ever, if you competed in Kids Week, Teen Tournament, or College Jeopardy!, you are going to get to come back and play the syndicated show and see if you can make a run at things and a long streak. So we’re really excited by this new announcement,” Foss stated.
Executive producer Mike Davies then piped in with his even more radical proposed changes.
“I had a slightly more aggressive proposal,” Davies stated.
Davies wanted a rule similar to one recently instituted by the Price is Right which allows past champions to come back after a 10-year window expires.
“I wanted a 10-year rule that applies on a lot of other game shows that anybody, once it’s 10 years have passed that you’ve been on, you can apply again and get on,” Davies declared.
“We’ll see if I can get it past Sarah or our colleagues at Sony,” Davies continued.
Foss didn’t seem enthused by this idea at all.
“Not yet,” Foss shot back.
Why Jeopardy! wants a 10-year rule
Fans worry that allowing past champions back after 10 years would dry up the pool of rookies and fresh challengers.
Davies believes that allowing the best players back makes the competition more valuable.
“I want to see the very best Jeopardy! players on that stage, whether or not they’ve played once,” Davies stated.
Davies compared forcing Jeopardy! champions into retirement after their one run would be like the NBA retiring “Lebron James after one season.”
“There’s no reason we shouldn’t have the best players playing this game,” Davies continued.
Davies spoke to fans worried about a lack of fresh blood on the show if it’s dominated by past winners.
But Davies argued that allowing the best players to compete would create a more attractive TV show.
“We also want to discover new people. We want rookies, but we want to see the best players play,” Davies concluded.
