Jeopardy! is back, and — with its new changes — better than ever!
The 41st season premieres on Monday, September 9, and a handful of changes show that the powers that be have been listening to fan complaints. First of all, while the season usually begins with tournament play, producers are well aware of fans' "tournament fatigue" from the previous season.
Taking that into consideration, Jeopardy! season 41 will begin with regular episodes featuring brand new contestants. In January 2025, regular play will pause for tournaments, but will pick back up in April 2025, and continue through the end of the season in July 2025, per TV Insider.
Jeopardy! — which took home the trophy for outstanding game show at the Creative Arts Emmys on Sunday, September 8 — will also boast just four tournaments this year — with a shorter edition of Second Chance and Champions Wildcast, the 2025 Tournament of Champions, and the Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament.
Due to the writers' strike in 2024, Jeopardy! had to rely on returning players and recycled clues, which led to multiple editions of Second Chance and Champions Wildcard Tournaments in addition to the Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament and the Tournament of Champions.
Many fans had been frustrated by the overwhelming amount of tournaments, with one person posting in a Jeopardy! Reddit forum, "We have been in a tournament from hell since September! Will they ever have new players???" Another took to X (formerly known as Twitter), writing, "When is the regular show coming back? Alex [Trebek] is turning in his grave!"
Ken Jennings — who was nominated at the Creative Arts Emmys as outstanding host for a game show but lost to now-retired Wheel of Fortune legend Pat Sajak — returns as host, and this season he will be the only full-time host for the series. Reigning champion Rachel Bradley, an ESL instructor from Greenbelt, Maryland, will also be returning.
Another big change can be seen on the Inside Jeopardy! podcast, which is welcoming a new co-host. It is currently hosted by producer Sarah Whitcomb Foss and former Tournament of Champions winner Buzzy Cohen.
Many fans have speculated that the new co-host will be Michael Harris, who has appeared on the podcast before, used to serve as Jeopardy!'s senior researcher and gameplay analyst, and currently serves on the show's judging panel.
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