It’s no surprise that Jeopardy! has a pretty dedicated fan base, the series has been on for nearly 60 years, after all, so some who grew up watching it have already gone through their own midlife crisis or two. But what sets the fans apart from, say, The Price Is Right viewers, is that they are not afraid to call out the show when it gets boring.
The latest tournament has been bringing back former teen champions for the High School Reunion tournament, which is now three weeks (!) long. That isn’t going over well with fans who are a little sick of college students who have just been trying to shoot their shot with Mayim Bialik instead of playing the game!
Three weeks of Mayim Bialik on Jeopardy feels like I’m being punished for something. I probably deserve it but I’m still not happy about it
— Matt Capp (@cappcommamatt) February 21, 2023
Fans on both Reddit and Twitter have been criticizing the new format, which consists of 27 former teen contestants returning to the stage over the course of three weeks, as opposed to the old format which was more contained. Many agreed that the tournament would take away from regular season games, or deter potential viewers. As one user pointed out, “As much as I want everyone to have a chance it seems a bit long, folks may lose interest; the ratings will tell. Right or wrong, at the end of the day that’s the number one priority.”
Jeopardy! has gone through a number of changes lately, thanks to hosting duties being handed off between Bialik and Ken Jennings. Another user said that they don’t even watch the tournament, which is now hosted by Bialik, while the normal episodes are hosted by Jennings. “I agree that three weeks is too long for this tournament. I don’t watch many of the tournaments, like Celebrity, Teen, College or this one. Not that they are ‘bad,’, I just prefer regular play and tournaments that are similar.”
One of the biggest complaints from regulars is that the questions are just too dang easy. One fan commented, “That’s my beef with this tournament, the questions have been easier than regular games.” Maybe they should tune into Wheel! It’s been a lot harder lately. For some.
The High School Reunion Tournament will continue until March 9th…unless everyone tunes out by then.
