Ken Jennings is the host of the “Jeopardy!” Tournament of Champions, which begins Oct. 31.
Tyler Golden, Sony Pictures Television
On a recent episode of the podcast “Inside Jeopardy!” the quiz show’s executive producer Michael Davies alluded to having big plans for Election Day on Nov. 8 — which happens to fall on the second anniversary of Alex Trebek’s death.
“We are planning something really tremendous for Election Day,” Davies said last month, per the Deseret News. “I believe it may well break the internet as well. That’s all I’m going to say at this point.”
Davies isn’t wrong.
The show is breaking up the ongoing Tournament of Champions to have a special game featuring three legendary super-champions: 40-game winner Amy Schneider — who is second only behind Ken Jennings for most consecutive games won — 38-game champ Matt Amodio, and Mattea Roach, the youngest super-champion in “Jeopardy!” history with 23 victories.
All three champions appeared on “Jeopardy!” last season. Now, on Nov. 8, the three formidable contestants will face each other for the first time in a “friendly warmup game” ahead of the Tournament of Champions semifinals, according to a “Jeopardy!” news release sent to the Deseret News.
Will ‘Jeopardy!’ air on Election Day?
As a syndicated show, “Jeopardy!” sometimes gets preempted in certain areas on Election Day, per the Deseret News.
“Syndication also means that it’s up to those stations to decide whether a given episode airs at all — or if, because of some breaking news or sporting event, that episode will be delayed till late in the night or another day, or even canceled outright,” Clair McNear of The Ringer previously reported.
The warmup game featuring Schneider, Amodio and Roach will air on Election Day, Nov. 8. The good news is that the game will have no impact on the outcome of the ongoing “Tournament of Champions,” so viewers won’t miss any major updates if the show is preempted in their area.
The bad news for those viewers is that this is a “Jeopardy!” game you really don’t want to miss. All three contestants are securely planted on the “Jeopardy!” Leaderboard of Legends — Schneider and Amodio rank No. 2 and No. 3 for most consecutive games won in the show’s history, and only James Holzhauer separates Roach from Amodio.
However, “Jeopardy!” noted that it will air the full episode on its YouTube channel Nov. 8 at 9 p.m. MST.
The man, the myth, the legend. We miss you, Alex 💛
— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) November 8, 2022
We're honoring Alex Trebek's memory in tonight's special exhibition game. #JeopardyToC pic.twitter.com/lZnw9goZ7B
“Jeopardy!” producer Sarah Whitcomb Foss previously said the special episode will pay tribute to Trebek, who was the face of the beloved quiz show for 36 years and hosted right up until his death on Nov. 8, 2020. A new video from “Jeopardy!” on Nov. 8 revealed that the game will honor its late host with a category titled “Remembering Alex Trebek,” the Deseret News reported.
“Overall we owe him a fantastic episode of ‘Jeopardy!’ on that day,” Davies recently said on “Inside Jeopardy!”
Happy regular Tuesday! If you, like me, often spend US election days glued to CNN in a nervous fugue, I recommend breaking up your evening by watching tn’s special Jeopardy exhibition featuring @Jeopardamy, @AmodioMatt, and me!! It’s a fantastic game and a barrel of laughs ✨
— Mattea Roach (@mattearoach) November 8, 2022
What is the ‘Jeopardy!’ Tournament of Champions schedule?
The “Jeopardy!” Tournament of Champions semifinals begin Nov. 9. Wednesday’s game will feature Schneider; Amodio will follow on Nov. 10; and Roach will play on Nov. 11.
According to the official “Jeopardy!” website the upcoming semifinal matches are as follows:
- Nov. 9: Schneider, four-game champion Maureen O’Neil, and five-game champion Tyler Rhode.
- Nov. 10: Amodio, four-game champion John Focht, and Sam Buttrey, the winner of the “Jeopardy!” Professors Tournament.
- Nov. 11: Roach, six-game champion Eric Ahasic, and five-game champion Andrew He.
The finals for the tournament begin Nov. 14.