Jeopardy! marked the commencement of its 40th season amidst an ongoing writers’ strike on Monday, making its return to television screens with a series of “Second Chance” episodes featuring both recycled questions and former contestants.
With the writers’ strike affecting the availability of new questions, the show’s executive producer, Michael Davies, decided to bring back past contestants to complement the reused queries.
Host Ken Jennings detailed the plan, revealing that over the next three weeks, 27 former contestants would be invited back, with nine participating in each of the initial three games. The winners from these contests would then advance to a two-game, total-point final to conclude the week. The victor would move on to the inaugural Champions Wild Card Tournament scheduled for later in the fall.
Jennings explained that these contestants were selected based on their strong performances in their initial appearances, even if they hadn’t emerged victorious. He stated, “Their first games may not have ended in victory, but their strong play showed us that they are indeed worthy of a second chance.”
Among the returning contestants were two individuals who had previously discussed the impact of their near-victories on their lives, and they would now grapple with those emotions once more.
One of them was Derek Allen, an accountant from Cassopolis, Michigan, who had originally placed third in an episode aired on June 7, 2021, with a score of $0. He recalled losing due to a Final Jeopardy! question related to the late actress Vivian Leigh. When asked if he was still haunted by that pivotal moment, Allen admitted, “I will never forget Vivian Leigh for as long as I live.” However, he also noted the opportunity for redemption, saying, “But if I’d gotten that question right and won a game, I wouldn’t have the chance to come back here.”
Jennings probed further, mentioning his own loss on the show and how it had a lasting impact, to which Allen responded, “I don’t forget. Let’s just put it like that.”
Another returning contestant was Gabriel Ostler, a scriptwriter from Orinda, California, who had originally placed third in an episode that aired on November 27, 2020, with a total of $2. He discussed his “recovery period” after the loss, stating, “It was about a year, I would say, where I could not see the blues or the category,” referring to the show’s set pieces. He admitted that even his family, who continued to watch Jeopardy!, had to watch it without him during that time.
Jennings inquired if being surrounded by the show’s iconic blue set on Monday had triggered those memories, to which Ostler replied, “The heart rate is elevated for sure. But we’re taking some deep breaths and getting more into it.”
The third returning contestant, Jill Tucker, an operations manager from Mulino, Oregon, had originally placed third in an episode that aired on January 28, 2021, with a score of $21,100. During her interview segment, she wisely chose to discuss a different topic. Ultimately, she secured a victory in Monday’s game, entering Final Jeopardy! with the lead and doubling her winnings to $32,400 for the day.
In the final results, Ostler finished in third place with $0 after incorrectly answering the last question, while Allen secured second place with $16,201 after responding correctly. The topic of their new shared haunting dreams: Queen Victoria.
Depending on the duration of the writers’ strike, a Third Chance tournament could potentially be in the cards.
