'Jeopardy!' viewers slam producers for deciding to continue game show amid WGA strike: 'We will not watch'
CULVER CITY, CALIFORNIA: While most viewers are usually happy to see a beloved show returning to the screens, the same doesn't seem to be the case with 'Jeopardy!' fans. The game show recently revealed its schedule for the summer and many insiders have reported that the producers have already commenced the production of the new episodes.
Fans are quite unanimously disappointed by this decision of the 'Jeopardy!' producers. The show has lost all its writers because of the ongoing WGA strike and this only goes on to prove that they are not supporting the demands and rights of the union. Many viewers have come forward to say that they don't want to watch the game show if no writer has worked on it.
'Jeopardy' plans to recycle clues
The news came to light when former 'Jeopardy!' champ Ray Lalonde shared that he won't be returning to the Alex Trebek stage. He was approached to participate in the 'Tournament of Champions' which is for the 'Jeopardy!' champs of a season. But he refused to take up the offer as, according to his Reddit post, he wants to stand in solidarity with the writers of the WGA union. He also revealed that since the writers are no longer working, 'Jeopardy!' plans on referring to old clues for the new episodes.
Under his post, other 'Jeopardy!' champs like Ben Chan also came forward to show their support for Lalonde's decision regarding the strike. Several champs have stepped down so far from appearing on 'Tournament of Champions' and it is becoming even more of a question if the game show producers will consider taking a break from producing new episodes while the strike is still underway in full swing. 'Jeopardy!' plans to have reruns after the current season ends on Friday, July 28, 2023. While this will be around a month, there are a lot of uncertainties around the show's decision moving forward.
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'We will not watch'
Lalonde's post sparked outrage in the 'Jeopardy!' fan community. In a Reddit thread that discussed the Champs stepping down from working on the game show, several dedicated viewers joined hands in sharing their disapproval of this move. One fan wrote, "I hope the producers can postpone the ToC until next spring since almost all top champions don’t want to cross the picket line to compete in the tournament." Another viewer sympathized with the contestants and said, "Recycled clues is bulls***. Not to mention really screws contestants— many of whom have been trying to get into the show for years—out of an amazing experience."
Some viewers were quick to confirm that they will not be watching 'Jeopardy!' if they decided to use older clues in the tournament. One of the fans wrote, "My action will have little impact, but we will not watch Jeopardy if they opt to produce new episodes with recycled clues." Another agreed and wrote, "Use recycled clues, your viewership will plummet. I won’t be watching."
A fan made a connection to the dystopian Netflix show 'Black Mirror' which recently came out with its sixth season. "I'll throw out there, if you haven't watched "Joan is Awful" on the new season of Black Mirror, do it. A lot of cross over to all of these issues," the fan wrote, adding, Although having AI write J! Q's during the strike wasn't mentioned here, that could also be a possibility in their minds as well."
Many fans also discussed host Ken Jennings' decision to continue hosting while Mayim Bialik had stepped down in support of the strike. On wrote in support of Jennings, "Ken chose to host for people already scheduled to appear reading games that were written and paid for. Other than screwing over the contestants who were already booked, refusing to work wouldn't accomplish anything."