Jeopardy! is well-known for having some of the most vocal fans in the syndicated game show world. If its long-spanning quest for a replacement for Alex Trebek is any indication, fans certainly have a lot to say about how the show is made, its adherence to its own rules and even how individual contestants play the game. Especially when they’re on screen for a long time.
Which has certainly happened a lot over the last three or so seasons, with so-called mega-champions going on long runs of success. Winning even a handful of episodes in a row is impressive, but a number of contestants have survived weeks-long gauntlets of trivia to return as champions and rack up hundreds of thousands of dollars in winnings. Not to mention three million-dollar winners in recent years — James Holzhauer, Matt Amodio and Amy Schneider.
Trebek himself had said in the past that the show is about the players, and the truly great ones have become stars in their own right. As well as taken attention away from all the drama around who is hosting. Which is a good thing, but not everyone seems satisfied by the recent string of mega champs.
The show’s very active Reddit community recently debated whether having so many long winning streaks close together has actually been good for the show. In some cases, the returning champions were a more consistent presence than the long string of guest hosts tried out in the wake of Trebek’s death in November of 2020.
As TV Insider pointed out, some fans spoke out about fatigue of seeing impressive runs of success on screen for weeks at a time.
One of the game show’s long-time viewers posted a thread on the Jeopardy! Reddit on Saturday, July 9, asking, “Does anyone else enjoy new champions on the regular?” While the fan noted that mega-champs are “great,” he added that he enjoys “seeing a daily or regular turnover of champions,” pointing to Yungsheng Wang’s recent short tenure as champion and how it “made the whole game more enjoyable.”
There’s something to be said for getting tired of the same players, but it’s certainly worth pointing out just how impressive those long streaks are despite their recent frequency. Contestants tape five episodes a day, so any streak longer than a week requires multiple taping days under hot lights while other contestants try to make the most of their only shot at their own game show immortality.
Not everyone agrees that it’s boring, of course, which is no surprise given how popular Jeopardy! is and how vibrant the community around the show has grown. But it’s certainly interesting to see how fans react to the game’s best players. Even if some people feel they’ve overstayed their welcome a bit.
[via TV Insider]