Being good at general trivia is one thing, but being well-versed in hyper-specific sports data is something that not everyone is capable of. Jeopardy! had been so popular for years for a reason, and now they want to zero in with even more obscure trivia, though this time, without Ken Jennings.
Earlier this summer, it was announced that Colin Jost would step in to host Pop Culture Jeopardy, a new iteration of the game show, and there might even be more spinoffs on the way. A new job listing for Supervising Producer, Contestant Recruitment & Development was posted to the official Jeopardy social media pages, and in the job description it seemed to reveal that a Sports iteration of the series is in the works.
The job description states: “We are looking for someone who has passion and love for Jeopardy!. Maybe you’re a former contestant, or actively involved in the Jeopardy! community or have always dreamt of working at Jeopardy! Whatever the motivation, we’re looking for someone who can enhance Jeopardy!‘s culture and bring a different perspective to the contestant selection process.”
This is where it gets interesting: under the “Responsibilities” section of the job description, Sports Jeopardy is mentioned. “Spearhead Jeopardy!’s efforts to recruit the best players possible to take the Anytime Test and any future specific test (i.e. Pop Culture and Sports Jeopardy!).” We know Jost is locked in for the former, but no word yet on who will host the latter.
This isn’t the first time Jeopardy has ventured into sports territory. Sports Jeopardy was a short-lived spinoff hosted by Dan Patrick from 2014-2016 which never seemed to take off. If only there was a mega-popular athlete who recently began a hosting gig in the off season who could apply for that job….!
Meanwhile, Ken Jennings has no plans to leave the flagship show, according to an insider who says he is “He’s desperate” to make it work and has “no intention of leaving of his own accord.” Jennings has been frequently criticized by fans over the years, though it’s hard to fill Trebek’s shoes.
The source continued, “Privately he would acknowledge these are tough times — especially with Colin Jost coming on to host Pop Culture Jeopardy! and fans calling him awkward, which is hard to take.” Jennings might not want to leave of his own accord, but there is always a chance he will get a foot infection and be forced to leave the gig. It does happen!