JEOPARDY! has teased a secret episode that execs said will break the internet during the Tournament of Champions.
Fans went wild after spotting a clue about what it could be.
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Season 38 of Jeopardy! wrapped on July 31st and will return with new episodes starting September 12th.
When last season ended, former champ Ken Jennings, 48, and Mayim Bialik, 46, were finally announced as the permanent successors for the late, great host Alex Trebek.
Two months into next season, Ken is also hosting the show’s biggest tradition – the Tournament of Champions – starting October 31st.
21 players who won the most games last year will be back going brain-to-brain for a grand prize of $250K – but something else also is in the works.
The tournament will air instead of regular episodes and until a winner emerges.
But on Election Day – November 8th – neither a regular episode nor the ongoing tournament will air, but something else, so viewers don’t miss out.
Jeopardy! has not revealed what will air yet.
On the podcast Inside Jeopardy! on Monday, Executive Producer Mike Davies said: “I don’t wanna give too much away but we are planning something really tremendous.”
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“It may well break the internet as well. That’s all I will say,” he added.
Podcast co-host, producer and former “Clue Crew” member Sarah Foss chimed in: “And it will be airing on November 8th. So certainly we will also be paying tribute since it is the second anniversary of when we lost Alex Trebek.”
EP Mike concluded: “We owe him a fantastic episode of Jeopardy! on that day.”
‘AMY VS MATT VS MATTEA?’
Fans were left buzzing about this blank show slate, but EP Mike Davies has used similar verbiage before, they realized.
The showrunner accidentally revealed a week earlier on the podcast that the Tournament of Champions will feature a secret, unaired practice match – and he said it would “break the internet” if it did air.
Amy Schneider, who won 40 games last season, Matt Amodio, who won 38 games, and Canadian tutor Mattea Roach , who won 23 games in May – will be facing off in private.
Those three players are proceeding directly to the semi-finals in the tournament – as decided by the show because they’d won so many games.
Fans are convinced the game show has decided to air their practice match on Election Day.
‘COULD IT BE?’
One wrote to Reddit: “Given that [Mike] Davies suggested ‘breaking the internet’ with regards to their Election Day plans, I have to suspect that he’s thinking of running an exhibition match with Matt, Amy & Mattea.”
Another agreed: “I also remembered him using the phrase ‘break the internet’ in reference to a practice game between Amy, Matt, and Mattea.
“So that’s where my mind went when he used the same phrase. I’m hoping it’s the practice match!”
A third wrote: “He’s using the same verbiage intentionally or I’m reading too much into it.”
Those three champs all are on the top 10 list of longest Jeopardy! streaks ever despite playing in the last year – and it may be the only chance to see all three play each other depending on how the tournament goes.
TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS
The major yearly tournament with six quarterfinals games, then three semi-finals games (where Amy, Mattea and Matt will enter).
The finals will be GOAT-formatted in that the winner of the final three will be the first to reach three victories.
The finals may see three episodes before a winner is declared or seven – all of which will air on ABC instead of the normal show.
In addition to Amy, Matt, and Mattea, – the other contestants and their wins are Ryan Long (16 wins) Jonathan Fisher (11 wins), Brian Chang (7), Courtney Shah (7), Eric Ahasic (6), Zach Newkirk (6), Megan Wachspress (6), Andrew He (5), Tyler Rhode (5), Jackie Kelly (4) John Focht (4), Margaret Shelton (4), Maureen O’Neil (4), and Christine Whelchel (4).
It’s also unannounced who will be playing who in the first round, but if a champ wins their first game they of course then advance to the next.
The final two spots of 21 are reserved for the show’s Second Chance Tournament Winners which includes Sadie Golberger of the infamous “Harriet Tubman” signature snub last season.
Hundreds have expressed that Sadie was robbed as she would have won her original episode had the show ruled in her favor – many were left upset calling it the season’s “most painful loss” and are happy she’ll be back.
Ken will be hosting that tournament as well – one month before the ToC, and its mysterious announced special episode.
The Tournament of Champions has taken place since 1964, spanning back to the Art Fleming era, who hosted for 20 years before Alex’s treasured tenure began in 1984.
Ken and Mayim started filling in for the legendary Alex after his tragic 2020 passing and a wide variety of Season 37 celebrity guest hosts, including now-disgraced EP Mike Richards who even scored the host title for a week.
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