'Jeopardy!' fans outraged after show makes huge announcement, following season of frustration

"Jeopardy!" fans have not been pleased with many aspects of the current season.

From "bonehead wagers" by contestants to flubs by host Ken Jennings, viewers have been quick to point out issues with the popular game show since the season premiered last month. Now, producers have revealed that "Jeopardy!," which had been operating under new rules to work around the writers strike, won't return to normal until next spring, and the outrage has reached a fever pitch.

"Apparently we're not getting any regular Jeopardy! until April 2024. Nearly two-thirds of this season will be tournaments. So yeah, way, way too much," one fan complained on Reddit.

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"Oh my god, is it really until April?" another replied. "That's absolutely wild."

One person claimed, "The show got its biggest ratings when they had champions go on winning streaks. That's what builds buzz and excitement. Stop with all the gimmicks."

A concerned viewer tagged the show on X, formerly Twitter, and asked, "Is it true regular new Jeopardy shows won't start back until April of 2024? Watching what's being aired now is hard to watch … Please tell me the article I read was BS."

"I’ll be glad when we return to regular Jeopardy! All these special themed shows are just annoying," read another complaint.

On the latest episode of the "Inside Jeopardy!" podcast, producers Michael Davies and Sarah Foss discussed the plans for the immediate future of the show, revealing that now that the writers are back to work, their first priority is the post-season content — meaning the tournaments that would have concluded the last season had the strike not began.

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"Our number one, sort of, imperative right now is to get the post-season back on track," Davies explained. "And then after that, our regular season, as many weeks as possible of the regular season after that post-season."

The show originally made the choice to begin the season with recycled clues and clues that writers had submitted before the strike. Because of that choice, producers believed it wasn't fair to give new contestants old clues, and so the Second Chance tournament was created. After that, the Champions Wildcard began, another tournament that will select players for the Tournament of Champions.

"Celebrity Jeopardy!" has begun airing as well. It's also worth noting that while the strike ended two weeks ago, "Jeopardy!" films episodes far in advance. Considering that and all the tournaments that have yet to air, it won't be until April 2024 at the earliest that brand new "regular" episodes will begin airing. Foss did say that the tournaments could last longer, but they are aiming for at least 16 weeks of normal episodes.

While fans have expressed frustration over the news, it's hardly the first time they've had an issue with the current season.

Last week, a contestant named John was called out after failing to win his game, despite being the only player who answered the Final Jeopardy! clue correctly.

With a category of "American Immigrants," the clue read, "His 1904 will stipulated that ‘All the sums hereinbefore specified for prizes shall be used for prizes only.’"

The other two contestants guessed "Nobel," which was incorrect. John wrote "Pulitzer," the right answer, but he'd made the decision not to bet any of his winnings — he went into the final round with $14,200, only trailing behind the contestant in first place by $9,000.

"A bonehead wager by John!" one person exclaimed in the comment section of the "Jeopardy!" YouTube page. "He got the correct response and was within striking distance of Kendra, but wagered nothing. This victory was snatched from him."

Another noted, "It must hurt to lose, but it must really hurt to lose because you were timid."

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"John's about to get lit up for making such a poor wager," one fan wrote, and another person joked, "I'll start."

Another contestant that caught the ire of viewers was "Schitt's Creek" actress Emily Hampshire, who appeared on "Celebrity Jeopardy!".

During her episode, she answered a total of 15 clues — she got five correct, but was wrong on the remaining 10. One clue read, "Yeehaw! Paniolos are Hawaii's equivalent of these workers, also the name of a Texas sports team," and instead of landing on "Cowboys," the response the show wanted, she said, "Aloha?"

The Final Jeopardy! clue read, "Discovered in the ’60s and ’70s, Cygnus X-1 was the first of these light-trapping gravitational bodies to be identified." While the other contestants, Utkarsh Ambudkar and Mark Duplass, were right with "Black holes," Hampshire wrote, "Stars."

"I’m going to be honest, Emily’s performance on #CelebrityJeopardy may have been the worst Jeopardy performance I’ve ever seen," one person wrote on X.

"Did Emily seriously think we discovered stars in the 1960’s? Like we just thought those were twinkly night lights prior to that?" a Reddit user asked.

The contestants haven't been the only ones receiving criticism — Jennings has also made some missteps, according to fans.

During one episode that aired last month, a clue popped up in the "Real (White House) Wives of D.C." that read, "She met the future president in 1938 when they both tried out for a local play in Whittier, California."

The right answer was Pat Nixon, wife of Richard Nixon, so when a contestant named Alex buzzed in with "Who is Nixon?," many viewers didn't take issue.

Jennings, however, wanted more from his answer, prompting him with "More specifically?"

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He replied with "Richard Nixon," then quickly realized his mistake, saying, "Oh, uh, sorry" and sighing.

Another player named the first lady instead of the president and was awarded the money for the clue.

On Reddit, someone commented, "That is bizarre. What other First Lady with the last name of Nixon did they have in mind that would be a plausible response?"

"It seemed really unfair and illogical to me," someone else agreed. "I'd understand for Barbara Bush, since there are two First Ladies named Bush, but a First Lady named Nixon could only be referring to one person."

A person claiming to be the contestant in question explained, "You can imagine that once I answered Nixon, my mind pivoted completely to the next clue. So when I was asked for clarification, I got caught flatfooted and that’s how it goes! Should have paused and answered."

While specific moments like that always pop up when new episodes air, there's also been an overarching issue that fans have been pointing out — the absence of Mayim Bialik, who shares hosting duties with Jennings but has yet to appear this season.

Reports have long been circulating that Bialik had no interest in filming anything while the writers strike continued, despite the workarounds the producers put in place. She confirmed this general idea in a recent interview with Vanity Fair, stating, "There’s a lot of complexity to this, but my general statement is always that I come from a union family … While it’s not for me to personally judge anyone else’s decision, for me, I am a union supporter — pretty much all unions and what they fight for."

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Most fans prefer one host over the other, but with Jennings taking the helm for all of this season's episodes, those that dislike Bialik have been even more vocal.

"[Mayim] is unwatchable with none of the personality that Ken brings to the show," a fan wrote on X.

"It Takes More Than Being Smart To Host Jeopardy. The Powers That Be Should Announce They Were Mistaken To Hire Hollyweird To Host Jeopardy. Love Ken Jennings I Hope & He The Only Host Going Forward!," another post read.

"Good riddance please don’t put that weirdo mayim back as host she is terrible," one viewer requested, as another wrote, "Mayim is the most terrible host ever on jeopardy. Please don't have her come back."