David Bridges
Jeopardy! loves to keep fans guessing (literally!), and it recently surprised viewers with the premiere of the Second Chance Tournament.
On October 17, Jeopardy! kicked off its Second Chance Tournament, in which previous contestants who just missed out on winning the trivia challenge show get to come back and try again in hopes of becoming a champion. And boy, do folks have mixed reactions about the franchise’s latest expansion.
ICYMI: Each week, nine contestants will play each other through three semifinal rounds. The winners will then face-off in the two-day final event. The last two standing will earn a spot in the much-anticipated Tournament of Champions, set to begin on October 31, which features other big winners like Matt Amodio, Amy Schenider, Ryan Long and Mattea Roach.
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The new iteration, that is being hosted by Ken Jennings over the next two weeks, sparked mixed reactions on social media. On one hand, lots of the fans loved this new twist on the long-running quiz show.
“@Jeopardy love the idea of #jeopardysecondchance following such a huge season. What a great way to lead into an epic #tournamentofchampions,” one person tweeted. “I am so pumped for these whole two weeks of #Jeopardy #SecondChanceTournament if they’re going to be as wonderful as this game was! Congrats to those who can dodge a 2nd and/or 3rd round of bad luck,” another added after the premiere. “Everyone deserves a second chance!!” a different fan said.
But for all the folks who are excited about this opportunity, there are an equal amount of fans unhappy at this chance for redemption.
“The second chance tournament is not good. Jeopardy exists because of intrigue. The intrigue of watching someone new and seeing how far they can go in game play,” a follower commented. “This ‘second chance’ special seems utterly condescending. And pointless. Whomever advances is just going to be defeated by a super champion yet again, so why bother??” a fan tweeted. “There are about 400 spots for new contestants each season … Two weeks of previous players mean at least 30 players who have never been on (and therefore, have never LOST) are denied the chance for a first appearance,” someone else chimed in.
Opinions aside, the games are only just beginning in this second chance spinoff, but we can’t wait to see what unfolds this time around.
Annie O’Sullivan (she/her) covers holiday, gift guide, travel, and lifestyle content at Good Housekeeping. She has a degree in magazine journalism from Syracuse University and previously reported for Runner’s World, NBC New York/NY 4 and Woman’s Day. Annie also has experience writing entertainment news and celebrity-focused content.
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