It must be about ratings (with tournaments pulling in more viewers than does regular play).
It’s also possible that Jeopardy! keeps down costs by having fewer ‘new’ contestants each season. Getting someone who’s already been a contestant to come back, may be cheaper-per-person than the process of online testing + invitations to audition + running the auditions + assessing the results. (I’m just guessing, of course.)
(And I may have said the same thing last year. 
)
Margaret Cho was on a few weeks ago and she was fantastic.
The show is hugely profitable. (Alex made $10M per year.) They’ll do what drives the ratings, which drives the profits. I would guess that the costs of “new” contestants is insignificant in the scheme of things.
The New York Times reports that Sony Pictures Entertainment is “soliciting bids from major media and tech companies for the streaming rights to new episodes of the two series for the first time.” In other words, it (along with Wheel of Fortune) is probably going to be on one of the major streaming services starting in September. The new deal would be for three years and would have the episodes available for streaming one day after they air on syndicated television.
For some of us, Jeopardy! is one of the few remaining ties we have to broadcast television and might be enough to finally cut the cord.
I bet the Jeopardy viewership skews older. Many might not appreciate it moving to streaming. I know I wouldn’t.
Note that for at least three years, it will still air on syndicated stations first before streaming the next day. The Times article also says, “‘Jeopardy!’ and ‘Wheel of Fortune’ still command big audiences — roughly seven million viewers a night for each, according to Nielsen. That audience, however, is getting older and declining, just like the audiences for rest of traditional television.” It also says, “Exclusive same-day rights to new episodes are available starting in September 2028, when all pre-existing syndication deals expire.” At that point, I suspect it may be available only on a streaming service or at least available on a streaming service the same day it’s syndicated.
Some of us old fartes don’t want to subscribe to multiple streaming sources for one show.
Oh well, by the time it hits streaming only, it’ll be “darker” and “edgy”.
I enjoy the tournaments to an extent. It’s fun to see past champions return, and the clues tend to be more challenging.
The problem is that tournament rules change the game substantially. When the money isn’t real and there’s no difference between second and third place, wagering strategy is entirely different. IMHO, regular season rules make for better and more interesting gameplay.
Edit: although I do prefer the best-of-seven format to the two-day total, which really messes things up.
Yes, some celebrities lack factual knowledge. Also some of them don’t even know the basic rules of the game, let alone betting strategies for DD or FJ. In the immortal words of the late, great Tom Petty, “I can’t decide which is worse.”
On the other hand, there are a few who could compete in regular games, such as Ike Barinholtz or Lisa Ann Walter.
And…what’s…Amodio wins again. Gawd I hate that schmuck.
I’m a few episodes behind, but recently the answer to Final Jeopardy in the category of “Classic Television” was Cheers.
I was surprised that it was a triple stumper. But I was very amused by one contestant’s response of “What is a TV show I don’t know?” Ironically, one of the most Cliff Clavin-ish answers I’ve ever seen on the actual show.
Quite proud of myself for getting FJ today, which was a triple-stumper.
The “Hermit Nation” & the “Land of the Morning Calm” are nicknames for these 2 neighbors
North Korea & South Korea
Same here. For me, “Hermit Nation” was an immediate dead giveaway.
Same here also. And “Land of the morning calm” cinched it.
I got Hermit Nation and should have got the other as it only has 3 neighbors…
Brian
Although I seem to remember “Hermit Kingdom” being more-often seen, despite the Dear Leader not technically being called a king.