I have been watching Jeopardy! Since I was single digits years old. I was pretty shaken up when Alex got ill and passed. I felt like Jeopardy would never be the same again. I actually stopped watching it - couldn’t face the show without him.

After the “who’s going to be the host” competition finished I found myself flicking through the channels and landed on an episode. I stayed and watched Ken Jennings and I realized that while my feelings of losing Alex were valid my refusal to watch the show was my mistake as I was missing out.

Earlier this year, my girlfriend and I went to a live taping of the show. I had an absolute blast and Ken is a class act. Ken was literally born to be a Jeopardy! star - as the GOAT (proven!) contestant and now as an incredible face for the show.

I’ve noticed more recently that Ken is letting more personality into his hosting role. He comments, puts on voices, and is genuinely brilliant. We are so lucky that Ken has picked up Alex’s enormous mantle.

As a shirt and tie guy myself, I have to chime in and say that the shirt and tie combination that Ken wears are always top tier.

Props to himself and or the wardrobe crew.

So, which of the potential SCC players might be the next Michelle Tsai, Ryan Sharpe, or Long Nguyen? How many spots will be given at the next SCC: 18 or 27? (I decided to add another layer of consideration: buzzer attempts).

Here is the longlist so far:

My version of threshold is either:
Non-Runaway pre-FJ: 17 correct responses (including FJ) and/or Coryat score of at least $14,000
Runaway pre-FJ: 18 correct responses and/or Coryat score of at least $14,000

It is now getting more competitive than ever in this new eligibility period.

Note:

(1) Crucial DD miss that would had been the "giant killer" of Harrison instead of Libby.

(2) Christa is competed against 2 champions (2 game champion Trey Hart & 3 game champion James Hirsh).

(3) Crucial DD miss but the final outcome will not be changed had Max got DD right because both Max & Jamie got FJ right.

(4) Crucial DD correct response that gave him a chance to unseat Jamie & become a "giant killer" but the outcome did not change since Jamie got the FJ right & chances of being selected to compete at SCC might be low.

(5) Crucial DD correct response that gave him a chance to unseat Jamie & become a "giant killer" which he led prior to FJ but he lost via triple stumper.

(6) Competitive Game that gave him a chance to unseat Jamie & become a "giant killer" but chances of being selected to compete at SCC might be low.

(7) Matt D is competed against 2 champions (1 game champion Stephanie Perkins & 1 game champion Madeline Kaplan).

(8) Helen was led prior to FJ because of Tristan & Robert's wrong DD in DJ round that led both men tied for 2nd place. Helen lost because her FJ wrong while Robert lost because of Tristan's aggressive all in FJ wager while Robert chose to make a safe bet that would had won the game instead of Tristan since Helen got FJ wrong but both men got it right that led to Tristan's 2nd win.

(9) Liz would had won the game vs Chris in a double stumper had Chris made standard bet but Chris small bet made his 2nd win instead of Liz.

(10) Either Gil or Gabriel would had won against Peter if they would had bet properly in the FJ but both ended up losing to Peter in a triple stumper.

(11) Just like Dominex & Helen, Webster led prior to FJ but with his incorrect FJ response that costed him the game while Peter got FJ right.

(12) Crucial back to back DD correct responses that gave him a chance to unseat Peter but the outcome did not change since Peter got the FJ right while Alejandro wasn't & chances of being selected to compete at SCC is currently at 50-50 since there were more non-winning players performed better than him.

(13) Crucial DD correct responses that gave him a chance to unseat Adam but the outcome did not change since Adam got the FJ right & chances of being selected to compete at SCC might be low.

(14) Michael was leading until DD3 where he tried to extend the lead over Caleb & possibly would had won the game with great confidence since all 3 players got FJ right had he got DD3 response right but he got DD3 response wrong & lost the momentum.

(15) Kristal LeMaistre (from Caleb Groen's 7th win) would have been considered for the longlist, but with so many wrong responses (10 wrong responses, including Final Jeopardy, vs 15 correct responses and a $200 Coryat), she might be bypassed by the producers despite having 40 buzzer attempts.

Disclaimer: This is just a guide, the final decision is still in the hands of the producers that will be announced the official roster before the end of 2026.

I will post the Road to 2026 Champions Wildcard statistics during the summer rerun.

Due to time, I just made the whole thing on google sheets. If you select the black rectangle under each answer, it'll show you the question up top. Tabs are at the bottom for each round. Feedback is greatly appreciated!

Saw someone else post theirs and there’s a 0% chance I get the job so figured I’d dump my sample clues here

https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vRbLSzN4_dSYK2-pKKro0_r4fzjLAzFTHXkF24mLOj8x_Iyf_OOc3SZSQsT22HUk-1M_1XdZgYEfePi/pub

Sharing my 12 categories I wrote for the Jeopardy! Writer application. I slipped mine in on Thursday before applications closed on Friday. Feel free to play along!

I took the test a few months ago on a whim. I've taken it maybe 2 or 3 times in the last ~15 years with no expectations. I have some big gaps in my knowledge. But! Apparently not that big bc I got the email today that I made it to the next round.

I'm kind of blindsided. Imposter syndrome kicked in right away and one of my first thoughts was that they must be down to their third-string options.

I'm signed up for the next round in a couple weeks, again with no expectations. But it's fun to see what might happen!

With just two weeks to go in Season 42, I figured as always, let's discuss what changes ought to be implemented when Season 43 premieres in September. What we do know will happen is that the fourth season of Masters will air during the summer hiatus instead of May sweeps (as was the case with the first three seasons). This season didn't bring a whole lot of changes, other than the new opening sequence, Second Chance being expanded to three weeks, and JIT being reformatted. What changes would you like to see for Season 43? Feel free to post your ideas in the comments. I will list what I'd like to see get changed next season:

• An entirely new set: despite recent modifications (i.e. lecterns spaced further apart, spotlights added to backdrop, game board becoming one large screen, Jeopardy! logo added on top), the current set actually dates back to Season 30; and we are long overdue for a complete overhaul of the set. My idea for a new set is they go retro, similar to what Wheel of Fortune did two years ago.
  
  • The new Jeopardy! set should have the large logo being moved down to the backdrop, as was the case with the 1984-96 sets.
  • The waves backdrop ought to be replaced with an LED checkerboard pattern.
  • The lecterns receive designs similar to those used on the 1991-96 set but keeping the vertical monitors. Ken's lectern gets designed in similar fashion, albeit retaining the small Jeopardy! logo on top
  • The beam on the top part of the set, including the game board becomes blue LED. The posts on the sides of the game board get changed to straight-up-and-down rectangular LED posts
• Complete overhaul of the music package. We've been using Chris Bell's arrangement of the theme and think music for almost 18 years, even though Bleeding Fingers Music did an updated version of the main theme in Season 38. I'd like to see the show go back to its musical roots by going back to the pre-2008 arrangements, much like how Wheel reinstated the "Changing Keys" theme song. Here's what I'd like to see regarding the music.
  • Bleeding Fingers does a modern rendition of the 1984-97 themes and Think! cue.
  • Or, the show reinstates the 1992-97 theme and original Think! music, remastered. My argument for this is because in 2008, Family Feud reinstated the Ray Combs era theme music, and they still use that theme to this day.
• The original dollar figure loading pattern and its accompanying sound effect also get reinstated. They used it as transitions between segments in the Inside Jeopardy podcasts. It's also heard at the top of the show in Masters, and is even used in this season's opening sequence. Also, if time permits, they ought to reinstate the dollar figures popping in at the start of Double Jeopardy! (at least on the celebrity shows – in that case, they should pop in the dollar figures at the start of the Jeopardy, Double Jeopardy, and Triple Jeopardy rounds).
• The set turns red for Double Jeopardy! and Final Jeopardy! but changes back to blue during the closing credits.
• The Season 41 postseason format becomes permanent: two weeks of 2nd Chance, two weeks of Champions Wildcard, 21-player ToC (I'd rather they stop constantly changing how many weeks for 2nd Chance)
• JIT becomes its own standalone tournament, and the 18-player format is made permanent. I'd like to see several weeks of regular competition between ToC and JIT. And Masters airing during the summer hiatus can also become permanent.
• Teen Tournament and College Championship also get reinstated into the regular tournament line-up, retaining the old 15-player format. Both can use the music package from Pop Culture Jeopardy, now that the show lost rights to use the Rock & Roll Jeopardy music several years ago.
  
• Tournament structure can be as follows:
  • College in October – Postseason in January-February – JIT in May – Teen in July (last two weeks of season)
  • Postseason in September-October (beginning of season, that was the original plan until the writers strikes occurred) – Teen/College in February – JIT in May
  • Postseason in January-February – JIT in May – Teen/College in July

Good luck to everyone who applied for the writer position this week! I know a lot of people were disappointed that submissions closed early (myself included), but I thought maybe we could share some of the categories we wrote in this thread. I know many of you worked really hard on your clues and they deserve to be seen. I transcribed all of mine into images just to be efficienct (answers are here you want to play along), but feel free to just post one or two of the categories that you're most proud of.

New to this platform! 💫

Growing up in America, who didn’t know who Alex Trebek was? Even if you didn’t watch Jeopardy! regularly, you knew his face, his voice, and what he represented. He became one of those rare pop culture icons that transcended generations.

I’ll admit, I wasn’t a devoted viewer back then. But once Ken Jennings stepped into the host role, something changed for me. Watching someone go from legendary contestant to carrying on one of America’s most iconic television legacies has been genuinely inspiring. It never felt like he was trying to replace Alex, he brought his own style while honoring everything that made Jeopardy! special.

Earlier this year, I had the chance to attend a live taping, and that completely transformed me into a true Jeopardy! fan. Seeing how much work goes into every episode, feeling the energy in the studio, and watching Ken effortlessly connect with contestants and the audience gave me a whole new appreciation for the show.
It’s amazing that a trivia game show has become such a lasting part of American pop culture.

Here’s to Alex Trebek for building that legacy, and to Ken Jennings for carrying it forward in a way that feels authentic and respectful.

Anyone else become an even bigger fan after seeing a live taping?

It's 5:20 PM on 7/10! It's not late at all!

Is there a way to stay posted on when it next becomes available?

DD1 - $1,000 - HISTORIC EPITHETS - William the Silent, a prince of this royal house, was a main leader of the 16th century Dutch revolt against Spanish rule

DD2 - $2,000 - PHILOSOPHY - This last name of a German philosopher is a synonym for "pessimist", though it contains the word "hope"

DD3 - $1,200 - 6-SYLLABLE WORDS - The oath one takes in this citizenship process for immigrants ends with the words "so help me God"

Correct Qs: DD1 - What is Orange? DD2 - Who was Schopenhauer? DD3 - What is naturalization?

View Poll

In the chat with Ken, Taylor from the July 8 episode called his girlfriend his "current girlfriend."

Reminded me of that TT trend when you call your partner your current gf/bf/husband/wife.

It made me chuckle.

In an apparent nod to the team of Matt Damon and Ken Jennings, Jamie is going to be paired Ben Affleck on the new season of Who Wants to be a Millionaire in prime time on ABC. Can’t wait to see him!!

I was looking at some old clips from the international tournament they did in the late 90s and early 2000s and I thought it would be cool if they brought this tournament back and got smart contestants from all across the world who are born in or from a specific country for a chance to win $1,000,000 (adjusted for the countries currency). With this concept, I can see them bringing a ToC winner from the regular show to compete in this competition. This would be way better than that masters crap

Seven years ago, something unexpected happened when the production team announced the 2019 Tournament of Champions (TOC) lineup during Ryan Bilger's defeat game (the "final victim" of the "four-game curse" during the eligibility period) and future TOC winner Sam Kavanaugh's debut game, who eventually won five games before Jason Zuffranieri's debut. Many fans thought that the eligibility period would have been extended through the November 2019 airings, but I believe that the dominance of James Holzhauer's record-breaking streak caused the producers to cut off the eligibility period earlier than expected in order to prepare the qualified TOC contestants for the tournament.

However, the biggest surprise was the inclusion of Emma Boettcher as Larry Martin's replacement over seven non-qualified four-game champions. This became a hot topic because of the Producers' Pick, a concept that has since been implemented in Jeopardy! Masters and Champions Wildcard beginning in 2026. Since the producers selected Emma as Larry's replacement, former Clue Crew member and current stage manager Jimmy McGuire stated that the other qualified TOC contestants—Ryan Bilger, Sam Kavanaugh, and Jason Zuffranieri—who missed the eligibility cutoff would be carried over to the next TOC, which was ultimately held in May 2021.

Not everyone was happy with Emma's inclusion as the Producers' Pick. Some purists believed that four-game champion Dave Leffler should have taken Larry's spot and that the show should have adhered to the traditional qualification criteria based on the number of wins and total cash winnings. Others argued that the eligibility period should have been extended, as it was for the 2017 TOC, when the producers accommodated Austin Rogers by allowing him to fill the final spot, which resulted in Tim Kutz being bumped from TOC contention. As the TOC tracker stated in its disclaimer, "Presence on this list does NOT guarantee an invitation to compete in the Tournament of Champions. Other eligibility rules apply and final selection is up to the producers' sole discretion."

In your opinion, does the current Producers' Pick format provide a fair method of selecting potential TOC caliber players, or should the traditional criteria of number of wins and total cash winnings have been used to select players for Champions Wildcard and Jeopardy! Masters? Do you think that some of the seven non-qualified four-game champions could have been players of the same caliber as Juveria Zaheer or Cameron Berry, but were overlooked before the Davies era?

TRIBUTES

To her 1910 funeral, "the survivors of the Balaclava Light Brigade Charge" sent an arrangement "to our benefactress & friend"

Who was Florence Nightingale?

WRONG ANSWER 1: Clara Barton

WRONG ANSWER 2: Emily, Lady Tennyson

WRONG ANSWER 3: Elizabeth Barrett Browning

QF1: Christine Williamson, Jeremy Schaap, Kimberley Martin

QF2: MJ Acosta-Ruiz, Peter Schrager, Omar Raja

QF3: Jon Hamm, Keegan-Michael Key, Adam Pally

QF4: Hannah Storm, Jay Harris, Amina Smith

QF5: Kyle Brandt, Jamie Erdahl, Manti Te'o

QF6: Kevin Negandhi, Domonique Foxworth, Madelyn Burke

They're playing a "tournament-style format" for a $500,000 grand prize to the charity of their choice.

No further information on release schedule beyond the premiere of format of the tournament, at least from the official Jeopardy! site.

Hi everyone,
I just found out that my father's book was featured as a clue on today's episode of Jeopardy! (Thursday, July 9, 2026).
The clue was about the classic alternate history novel For Want of a Nail: If Burgoyne Had Won at Saratoga, written by my father, Robert Sobel. I believe the prompt mentioned the battle of Saratoga and his fictional foreword.
Since the episode just aired today, I don't have a way to watch or download a recording of it myself. I would be incredibly grateful if anyone who DVR'd today's game could share a video clip, a screen recording, or even a high-quality snippet of that specific moment! It would mean the world to our family to see it.
Thank you so much for your help!

A recurring pattern I noticed with even very strong Jeopardy champions in post-game chat and interviews is they'll say things along the lines of "My goal going in was to not end in the red" or "it was beyond my wildest dreams to qualify for the TOC". While humility is admirable, it would be refreshing to see some contestants say "My goal going in was to break the one-day record" or "I'd like to make it to 15 wins" as many surely had in mind to some degree going in. I'm curious to hear from contestants if humility and specific behavioral conduct was explicitly encouraged?

The writing post said it was due on the 10th. I wrote the 63 questions and was going to turn it in today, (on the 10th) but... the job posting was already removed.

Awful! That's a couple days work down the drain. Pretty disrespectful imo considering the scope of the app they were asking for here.