\n<\/p>\n
Jeopardy!<\/em><\/a>\u2019s showrunner, Michael Davies<\/strong>, revealed that the game show will move forward with season 40 by reusing old questions and former contestants amid the ongoing writers\u2019 strike.<\/p>\n \u201cI believe, principally, that it would not be fair to have new contestants making their first appearance on the Alex Trebek Stage, doing it with non-original material, or as we\u2019ll talk about a combination of non-original material and material that was written pre-strike,\u201d said Davies on the Monday, August 7, episode of his \u201cInside Jeopardy!<\/a>\u201d podcast. \u201cAnd so we decided that really we needed to invite back and give a second chance in general to players who probably thought that their chance to come back and play on the Alex Trebek Stage had gone forever.\u201d<\/p>\n Davies went on to explain that the show would use \u201ca combination of material\u201d that Jeopardy!<\/em>\u2019s WGA writers created before the strike occurred<\/a> and mix in with questions from \u201cmultiple seasons of the show.\u201d<\/p>\n Before the Writer\u2019s Guild of America strike started in May, the show initially planned on doing its annual \u201cTournament of Champions.\u201d However, several participants \u2014 including 13-time winner Ray LaLonde<\/strong> \u2014 announced they would not participate to stand in solidarity with the writers guild<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI am a lifelong devoted fan of Jeopardy!<\/em>. I am and will always be grateful for the experience I had on the show and the opportunity to participate in the [\u2018Tournament of Champions\u2019] is beyond a dream come true for me,\u201d LaLonde wrote via Reddit<\/a> in July. \u201cAs a supporter of the trade union movement, a union member\u2019s son and a proud union member myself, I have informed the show\u2019s producers that if the strike remains unresolved I will not cross a picket line to play in the tournament of champions.\u201d<\/p>\n As no progress has been made on the strike status, the team at Jeopardy!<\/em> has decided to pause the plan for the tournament for the time being. Instead, season 40 will kick off with a \u201csecond chance tournament\u201d for losing contestants from season 37. The winners from that series will move forward to a \u201cChampions Wild Card.\u201d<\/p>\n Davies revealed that the \u201cTournament of Champions\u201d will return once the strike ends.<\/p>\n In addition to the new protocols for the upcoming season, Davies also announced that the game show\u2019s prize fund<\/a> for the runner-ups will also increase by $1,000 each for the first time in two decades.<\/p>\n \u201cThe third place prize will move up to $2,000. The second place prize will move up to $3,000,\u201d he stated while noting the idea has been discussed by fans and contestants. \u201cThis is something that we\u2019ve been working on ever since I really took the reins of the show.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n