Jeopardy! is gearing up for a new season with some familiar faces officially hosting the program full-time. And as taping gets underway for Season 39 there have been some new changes to the show fans are finally seeing for themselves.
The return of a live studio audience to the Jeopardy! tapings means that some details about the show will leak out well before the new episodes air later this fall. And as the Sun detailed, there are a few changes in store for those lucky enough to get tickets to see it happen from inside the studio.
But the biggest thing the attendee mentioned: the official demise of the Jeopardy Clue Crew. The four-person team once helped Alex Trebek read off clues from themed categories, oftentimes traveling the world to recite clues on video from various locations. But it seems the Clue Crew has asked for its last answer in the form of a question.
The fan said that a Jeopardy! crew-member, however: “confirmed the permanent disbandment of the Clue Crew with no plans for its return.”
The Ringer’s Claire McNear also relayed the news amid a lengthy Clue Crew-related thread, which certainly makes it seem like the crew is officially no more.
it seems that the Clue Crew is officially no more, according to a person at one of this week’s Jeopardy! tapings (but Jimmy and Sarah are sticking around in other capacities) https://t.co/EKn5Z3522e
— Claire McNear (@clairemcnear) August 4, 2022
Change isn’t exactly a good thing in the Jeopardy! universe, as we’ve seen with the long string of guest hosts and even how some players perform on stage. But this ultimately doesn’t alter much of the game itself. One Clue Crew member, Kelly Miyahara, left the show in 2019. And two of the Clue Crew are still working on the staff: Sarah Whitcomb Foss is a producer for the show, and Jimmy McGuire is the show’s stage manager. In July, the latter tweeted about his “final lap” as a Clue Crew member of 21 years, an early indication that the group was officially going away.
Please tune-in today/tonight as I take my “final lap as a proud 21 year member of the @Jeopardy #cluecrew bringing you @NASCAR clues from @LVMotorSpeedway! It’s been one heck of a ride and I am@so grateful! pic.twitter.com/N0rYNNKwxc
— Jimmy McGuire (@JimmyClueCrew) July 7, 2022
It seems likely that the show will continue having affiliates and other celebrities read guest clue categories, as they have more and more in recent years.