The gambler has a chip on his shoulder.
“Jeopardy!” showrunner Michael Davies this week revealed plans for the upcoming season amid the continuing Hollywood writers’ strike — drawing criticism from veteran champion James Holzhauer.
Through the “Inside Jeopardy!” podcast on Monday, Davies said the long-running quiz show will use recycled material and have former contestants in Season 40.
“When you don’t have time to listen, here’s the manager summary of today’s announcement,” Holzhauer, 39, wrote Monday on the platform X, formerly often called Twitter, as he shared a link to the podcast.
“1:00-2:00: Jeopardy’s writers are invaluable and we couldn’t produce the show without them,” he continued. “2:00-15:00: Here is how we are going to produce the upcoming season without them.”
The Post reached out to representatives for Holzhauer and “Jeopardy!” for comment.
The skilled sports gambler won 32 consecutive games in 2019 and prevailed on this yr’s “Jeopardy! Masters” tournament.
He comes second only to the show’s host, Ken Jennings, for the very best winnings in regular season play. He holds single-game winnings records.
Through the podcast episode, Davies said he “admires” and “misses” the show’s “beloved” writers, who’re petitioning for higher wages, regulation surrounding artificial intelligence, and higher pay from streaming services.
“I understand that one of the best episodes which might be possible are episodes that feature our writers writing original material and the best possible contestants that we placed on the air playing that original material,” he admitted.
He explained that the show can be taking contestants from Season 37 and having them play in a “second likelihood tournament.”
“The fabric that we’re gonna be using is a mix of fabric that our WGA writers wrote before the strike, which continues to be within the database and material that’s being redeployed from multiple, multiple seasons of the show,” Davies shared.
Amongst other changes, there will even be a bump in prize money for the upcoming season.
Davies wasn’t able to offer a solution for when the show’s “regular” programming would air.
Last month, after rumors swirled that the show can be proceeding with its annual “Tournament of Champions” amid the strike, several contenders vowed to not cross the picket line.
Nevertheless, a “Jeopardy!” rep told The Post that there was never “any intention of manufacturing a Tournament of Champions for Season 39 until the strike is resolved.”
