Jeopardy! champ Yogesh Raut drops backstage photo with fellow Masters as special is just days away

JEOPARDY! Masters is fast approaching, and contender Yogesh Raut got fans buzzing with a behind-the-scenes group photo during taping.

Ken Jennings hosts the six-legend ABC primetime competition starting this coming Wednesday.

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Yogesh shared the new snap on his public Facebook page, where he also recapped his own 2024 Tournament of Champions games.

The photo featured four of the six upcoming Masters.

It had Victoria Groce, Yogesh, and Mattea Roach behind different lecterns on a vintage Jeopardy! setpiece at the L.A. studio.

Mattea stunned as usual in a vintage denim jacket, which appeared to be their late father’s– their favorite item of clothing.

Matt Amodio, meanwhile, stood off to the side in a rare hoodie and shorts moment, flaunting some leg and tossing a thumbs up.

The only Masters not in the snap were reigning champion James Holzhauer and Amy Schneider.

Behind the game show greats was an avalanche of Emmys behind a glass showcase.

While the comments were turned off on the snap, it scored 100 likes from fans who loved seeing the contestants in a more casual setting.

The game show is also amid its Masters social media blitz, dropping the chic poster (above), in which fans joked Ken “looked like a proud dad,” and even a Glambot-style video of the contestants (also above).

BATTLE ROYALE

Meanwhile, Jeopardy! Masters will return for Season 2 on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, at 8 p.m. ET. and fans cannot wait.

The six current highest-ranked contestants compete in primetime on ABC playing in two games per hour-long episode.

The contestants are Masters Season 1 champion James, returning contestants Matt and Mattea, Producer’s Pick Amy, and newcomers Yogesh and Victoria.

Fear not, show traditionalists, as Masters will not interfere with regular gameplay, and both will air those nights.

The Masters grand prize is $500,000, a glitzy Alex Trebek trophy and the title of Jeopardy! Masters Champion.

James is the one to beat, and everyone is looking to see if he can win Masters back-to-back.

WHAT IS: THE FORMAT?

Masters will begin with six quarterfinal episodes and 12 matches where no one is eliminated.

Then, after the fifth and sixth placers are eliminated, two semifinal episodes will begin on Friday, May 17.

The finale will air on May 22 after the fourth placer is eliminated, giving fans our top three. 

One episode of two finals matches will determine the winner based on the highest combined score.

The buildup to Masters hasn’t been without its drama as fans were stunned that Amy was named the Producer’s Pick.

Amy recently and decisively lost the Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament to Groce, only for both to move forward to Masters either way.

This also means Masters 2024 will only have two newcomers (JIT winner Groce and 2024 ToC winner Yogesh) instead of three.

“How do you have a tournament that eliminates people from masters but still pick them…” one fan reacted to the news.

“For the record, as a big Amy fan… I’m not a massive fan of this pick. it’s kind of a predictable choice and I just don’t know if her gameplay will hold up against the other five,” wrote another.

“So then what was the point of the JIT,” asked a third.

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MEET THE MASTERS

James, a 32-time winner and poker pro, won Master Season 1 in a breeze and only lost one match.

Mattea, 24, returns as the runner-up and they nearly defeated James in the finale, who showed no signs of trouble until then.

Mattea wrote on X last week, “Just spent a good portion of my day rifling through my (straight!) brother’s closet looking for cool sh** I can wear on Jeopardy Masters.”

Matt, 39, placed third last year and was the only player to notch a win against James the entire special.

“I feel like a stronger competitor,” Amodio said on his prep at a recent event attended by The U.S. Sun.

Meanwhile, Yogesh punched his ticket by winning the 2024 Tournament of Champions.

Victoria won the Jeopardy’s Invitational Tournament against Amy and Andrew He, no small feat.

GROCE-LY UNDERESTIMATED?

The Queen of The Chase has everyone buzzing after her big JIT win earlier this month, and fans think she could even dethrone James.

Their faceoff comes as they are co-stars on the ABC sister show as experts.

In a Jeopardy-themed Reddit forum, viewers have shared their picks, and many have chosen James to beat the competition. However, newcomer Victoria may give James a run for his money.

“Victoria really impressed me with her buzzer skills when she was on Jeopardy’s Invitational Tournament,” one fan wrote.

“Victoria vs James is gonna be epic, two chasers from The Chase playing against each other!” Wrote a third.

The premiere on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC even sees James and Victoria in separate matches, a hint they’re the frontrunners.

The matchups, standings and contestant bios can be found on Jeopardy!.com.

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