‘Jeopardy!’ champ James Holzhauer pans Season 40 changes
The gambler has a chip on his shoulder.
“Jeopardy!” showrunner Michael Davies this week revealed plans for the upcoming season amid the ongoing Hollywood writers’ strike — drawing criticism from veteran champion James Holzhauer.
During the “Inside Jeopardy!” podcast on Monday, Davies said the long-running quiz show will use recycled material and feature former contestants in Season 40.
“If you don’t have time to listen, here’s the executive summary of today’s announcement,” Holzhauer, 39, wrote Monday on the platform X, formerly known as Twitter, as he shared a link to the podcast.
“1:00-2:00: Jeopardy’s writers are invaluable and we couldn’t produce the show without them,” he continued. “2:00-15:00: Here is how we will produce the upcoming season without them.”
The Post reached out to representatives for Holzhauer and “Jeopardy!” for comment.
The professional sports gambler won 32 consecutive games in 2019 and prevailed in this year’s “Jeopardy! Masters” tournament.
He comes second only to the show’s host, Ken Jennings, for the highest winnings in regular season play. He holds single-game winnings records.
During the podcast episode, Davies said he “admires” and “misses” the show’s “beloved” writers, who are petitioning for higher wages, regulation surrounding artificial intelligence, and better pay from streaming services.
“I understand that the best episodes that are possible are episodes that feature our writers writing original material and the very best contestants that we put on the air playing that original material,” he admitted.
He explained that the show would be taking contestants from Season 37 and having them play in a “second chance tournament.”
“The material that we’re gonna be using is a combination of material that our WGA writers wrote before the strike, which is still in the database and material that is being redeployed from multiple, multiple seasons of the show,” Davies shared.
Among other changes, there will also be a bump in prize money for the upcoming season.
Davies wasn’t able to give an answer for when the show’s “regular” programming would air.
Last month, after rumors swirled that the show would be proceeding with its annual “Tournament of Champions” amid the strike, several contenders vowed not to cross the picket line.
However, a “Jeopardy!” rep told The Post that there was never “any intention of producing a Tournament of Champions for Season 39 until the strike is resolved.”
Season 40 of “Jeopardy!” is set to premiere next month.
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