'Danger! Tournament of Champions moved due to writers' strike

July 25, 2023 8:58 p.m.

Jeopardy! upsets its model due to writers strike.< /p>

Sony Pictures Television, which produces the daytime game show, is pushing back the upcoming Tournament of Champions after a number of past winners said they would boycott the show if it used "recycled material" for questions.

A spokesperson said, "Jeopardy! never intended to produce a Tournament of Champions for Season 39 until the strike was resolved."

"Our current plan is to enter some sort of holding pattern, pushing back the playoffs from season 39 to produce original episodes first featuring the best of our WGA written material.Next month, we'll be sharing more news about the exciting plans and improvements to the contestant experience for this season at come and beyond,” he added.

Competitors including Ray Lalonde, Chris Pannullo, Ben Chan, Luigi de Guzman and Amy Schneider had stated that 'they wouldn't be competing under the current circumstances.

Jeopardy! producers said no season 39 contestants had been contacted regarding their availability for all post-season tournaments, including the Tournament of Champions, noting that he "represents the pinnacle of our competition, and is expected to feature our strongest players playing our hardest original material".

"Jeopardy! has a long history and immense respect for the WGA and our writers. We have always been careful to honor our WGA agreements and would never release game material not created by WGA writers. However, just as we did, led by Alex Trebek, during the strike from 2007-2008, we will be airing first-run episodes again this fall to over 200 affiliate stations nationwide," the spokesperson added. "Everyone to Jeopardy hope the guilds and AMPTP can come to a fair resolution soon."

Elsewhere in Jeopardy! land, Celebrity Jeopardy! will return to ABC this fall with original material written by pre-strike WGA writers.

Both Jeopardy! and Celebrity Jeopardy! are covered by the SAG-AFTRA network code, which allows shows to continue running.

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