JEOPARDY! favorites have faced off at a “secret event” that fans might want to be clued in on.
Last year’s biggest champs and all-time greats came together before the 2022 Tournament of Champions – and James Holzahuer couldn’t resist slamming an “absent” Ken Jennings.
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Season 38 of Jeopardy! wrapped on July 31st and is airing reruns until September 12th.
When the treasured trivia show returns, alum Ken, 48, will host until January and is permanently doing so with Mayim Bialik, 46.
Ken is also hosting the show’s biggest tradition – the Tournament of Champions – starting October 31st.
Those playing will be facing off to win another $250K, but before they do – some, along with many of the game show’s biggest names ever (minus one) scored quite a special reunion.
Project 150 hosted a three-day event this weekend called Gameshow Bootcamp at The Space in Las Vegas.
Executive Director Kelli Kristo exclusively told The U.S. Sun about the buzz-worthy battle of the brains with champs together “for the first and only time”.
Her charity “helps homeless, displaced, and disadvantaged students here in Nevada,” and the event raised $10K.
160 trivia-loving audience members touched down, she shared on Monday, along with 11 of Jeopardy!’s most familiar famous faces.
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SECRET WEEKEND OF TRIVIA
The multi-round, trivia-teeming event which won’t be televised began with a hoard of “gameshow hopefuls who wanted a shot at Jeopardy or The Chase,” Kelli shared.
16 of them were “selected based on scoring of the pre-test they took” and “took on each other, and then they took on the ‘titans.'”
The two audience members who won then played against those stars.
Which included Season 38’s 40-game champ Amy Schneider and 38-game champ Matt Amodio – who are about to compete in fall’s winner’s tournament – as well as James, Brad Rutter, and more.
The five-versus-five final showdown was then hosted by the beloved alum Buzzy Cohen and it was won by Jason Zuffanieri.
Amy and Jeopardy! James (who lost the famed GOAT tournament in 2020 to Ken) got to chat backstage and looked thrilled to be there.
But the latter couldn’t resist throwing a little game show shade.
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JAMES’ ‘DIG’ AT KEN JENNINGS
Kelli told The Sun: “James Holzhauer was asked a question and he followed it up with a comment about the G.O.A.T. tournament.”
“James mentioned it being Brad Rutter and himself ‘and a guy whos not here but sent a video.'”
He was referring to an absent Ken – who delivered a video message they played wishing he were there, and once beat Brad and James in that momentous match.
“We opened the show with a video Ken sent because he couldn’t participate.
James had to give him a dig here and there.”
AMY & MATT ‘GET PRACTICE’
Kelli shared that the star-studded last round consisted of the champs “all on stage answering 12 questions.”
“This is the first time that all of them have been on the stage at one time playing against each other.”
“Because of the TOC next month – Matt and Amy are both in that so we couldn’t let them play each other so they sat out [of the final tournament round.]”
“It was just too much fun no one wanted to go home. They were all talking smack in the back.
“Mark ‘The Beast’ Labette was saying he was here to give the a**-whooping – that didn’t happen obviously.”
“A lot of them – they took it totally seriously. This was a chance for them to practice for them for their upcoming role, and for Amy and Matt, to get some questions and get a feel for how it’s gonna be before the TOC. This is how that game is going to go.”
“The energy was high intensity all night long – laughing, joking, but they did take it seriously.
[Matt and Amy] were answering questions as if they were on Jeopardy! and as if they were vying for millions of dollars.”
They are both getting byes and advancing right to the semifinals of the big upcoming on-air tournament.
‘HOW TO BEAT THE BUZZER’
Aside from watching the show’s greatest go brain-to-brain, those in attendance got a rare chance to ask Buzzy, James, and the rest how to play the game.
Kelli said: “There was a portion on how to beat the buzzer, the right way to hang onto the buzzer and have your finger on it so you don’t fumble.”
“And the back half of the event Sunday, Jeopardy! held their auditions here – some of the contestants, after they got their tips and tricks – they actually got to audition yesterday.”
This is quite rare since regional auditions have largely been replaced by the show’s online Anytime Test.
“We had previous producers helping us so yes, we had buzzers, tables set up with lights – we had the walk-out screen designed. It was like the game show.”
LINING UP FOR LEGENDS
Finally, the event included a meet and greet with the gameshow Gods.
“We had Maggie Speak with us, a Jeopardy! producer for 22 years.”
The now-retired Maggie famously used to show nervous contestants a photo of a shirtless Alex Trebek in the green room.
“People knew behind-the-scenes people. People showed up in Jeopardy! tee shirts.
“Maggie wasn’t in the autograph signing lineup but people were going off to her. [But] everybody wanted everybody’s signature.”
The champs “did this 100 percent for free for me, there was no money involved, they traveled here to spend the weekend in Vegas.”
Kelli sweetly concluded: “This is the first time and only time you’re gonna have these 11 ‘titans’ under one roof because some are going onto other stuff. It was incredible.”
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