The Jeopardy! Champions Wildcard is a tournament for wildcard players who will compete for a berth at the Tournament of Champions. The champions from 1 to 3 wins, along with the Second Chance winners of the season will face off, and the winner will be given the right to participate in the ToC, which will be played in the post season.
Rule[]
- Like Celebrity Jeopardy and the 2023 Jeopardy! High School Reunion Tournament, 27 people will compete, and the winner of each group will qualify for ToC.
- A tournament will be held to determine additional ToC participants, with champions who have won one to three games in a row, from single winners who did not advance to ToC, to participating. The first episode of Season 40 takes place immediately after Second Chance, and due to the writers' union strike, the winners of episodes 1 to 3 of seasons 37 and 38 participated. In the first episode, a 27-person knockout tournament over 14 episodes will be repeated four times, with each winner advancing to ToC. A separate tournament will be held for Season 39 participants after the strike ends.
Match results[]
Winnings[]
| Period | Quarterfinalists | Semifinalists | Finalists (minimum guarantees) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd runner-up | 1st runner-up | Winner | |||
| Tournament #1 and #2 (2023–2024; season 40) | $5,000 | $10,000 | $25,000 | $50,000 | $100,000 + advances to the ToC |
| Tournament #3 (2025; season 41) | $40,000 | ||||
Trivia[]
- Due to the writers' union strike, the season 39 playoffs and the regular season featuring new participants were suspended, and accordingly, a tournament consisting of season 37 participants will be held starting in September 2023 by combining problems written before the strike and questions asked in the past. Organized until December.
- Not only the champions with 1 to 3 wins, but also participants who did not win in other tournaments also appeared.
- As a result, participants who did not advance must play at least 4 games to advance, and the SC winner must play 8 games to advance.
- Some viewers wonder what would have happened if this system had been introduced sooner during S35-36.
- According to the inside jeopardy podcast, the repechage format of SC and CWC will be abolished starting from season 41, and ToC will return to the previous 15-member system. Even considering that this is due to a strike, it seems that the public feels fatigued due to the long tournament and many viewers miss the winning streak system.
List[]
Jeopardy! Champions Wildcard
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |