JEOPARDY!’s showrunner has spoken out about the sudden influx of celebrities getting their own categories on the iconic trivia show.
The abrupt increase in actors presenting video clues and plugging their latest projects has raised some fan eyebrows.
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Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings has introduced a jarring number of actors for remote video cluesCredit: Getty
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Recently, Tony Hale presented clues about Inside Out 2Credit: Jeopardy!
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In May, Chris Pratt promoted Garfield with Garfield-related questions – and told America to see his flick in theatersCredit: Jeopardy!
Jeopardy! viewers have noticed that there are many more actors invading their screens in recent weeks.
On the Inside Jeopardy! podcast, Executive Producer Michael Davies took time to ensure to fans that nothing shady was going on.
“Regular viewers will realize that we’ve had a lot of movie stars and actors promoting TV shows promoting movies,” he said.
“We’ve had Chris Pratt, Emily Blunt, and Matt Damon—and it’s partly because movie studios and TV networks are realizing that Jeopardy! reaches so many people.
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“That it’s a very good environment to publicize their movies or TV shows.
He assured, “We don’t always say yes; we say yes when editorially it fits our show and is going to advance the game board.”
“No money changes hands, we have to emphasize that.
“We never take money to put things on the game board.”
“It gives us the ability to switch things up,” he justified.
Podcast co-host and longtime producer Sarah Foss brought up the iconic Tony Hale presenting Inside Out 2 clues last week.
She explained that while he did promote the Pixar flick in his cameo, it still fit the show.
“This is a great example,” she said. “We’re not presenting a category on Inside Out 2.
“We’re presenting a category on emotions. The clues feel very Jeopardy!.”
‘JUST A MOVIE TIE-IN…’
Not all fans have been sold on the increase of promotional content on the beloved game show and have voiced their misgivings on social media.
“Jeopardy Masters hate crimed Amy Schneider and Mattea Roach by making them play a Chris Pratt video category about his career that was just a Garfield movie tie-in,” one fan wrote in May.
“Jeopardy masters, why did you let Chris Pratt have an entire category just about himself,” wondered another at the time.
“Yesterday’s #Disney promotion? #InsideOut. Just sayin,” wrote a third, referring to Disney and Sony (Jeopardy!’s parent company) often working together.
Others vented that celebrity categories often take longer than regular clues and can lead to clues left on the board.
DAILY DOUBLE DIP
Last week, a rare redundancy on the show left fans thinking Jeopardy! was accidentally gaslighting them.
The oddity occurred during champ Adriana Harmeyer’s stunning 15-day winning streak.
Adriana, an archivist and history professor from West Lafayette, Indiana, has been on quite the roll, raking in $349,600 and perhaps counting.
But fans noticed something strange after her 12th and 13th wins last Friday and last Thursday.
In Thursday’s Double Jeopardy! round, the players faced a category of “Foreign Words and Phrases.”
And without further adieu, the same category was presented in Friday’s Double Jeopardy! round.
Jeopardy! fans spot ‘weird’ mess-up they think producers ‘didn’t notice’ during Adriana Harmeyer’s huge win streak
The revered game show is not one to present the same topic two nights in a row, so fans were quick to take notice – and, big surprise, they weren’t thrilled.
“FOREIGN WORDS & PHRASES showing up in back-to-back days is weird,” one Redditor posted after both shows aired.
“The only explanation I can think of is this show being the start of another 6-game taping day, so the overlap just wasn’t noticed.”
Another fan replied, “Also had two rhyming categories back to back as well,” though they weren’t named the exact same.
“Seems like they’d want more variety. They = whoever makes the rules,” wrote another.
Jeopardy! airs at 7 pm Eastern on ABC – check your local listings.
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Last week, fans spotted an odd mess-up during Adriana Harmeyer’s big win streakCredit: Jeopardy!
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Last Thursday, there was a category of ‘Foreign Words and Phrases’Credit: ABC
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The very next episode, ‘Foreign Words and Phrases’ reared its head- againCredit: ABC
