James Holzhauer blasts Jeopardy! as ‘hypocritical’ after decision to film new episodes ‘without writers’ amid strike

JAMES Holzhauer has ripped Jeopardy! for announcing they’re filming new episodes despite the strike and not currently having writers.

The 32-time champ and Jeopardy! Masters antagonist slammed the jerry-rigged announcement in a scathing Twitter post.

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James Holzhauer accused Jeopardy! of being hypocritical on TwitterCredit: ABC

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He ripped the news that Jeopardy! will film new episodes ‘without writers’ despite them being touted as ‘invaluable’Credit: Twitter/JamesHolzhauer
Jeopardy!’s return on September 11 is fast approaching.

Yet, given the ongoing strike, no one was sure what the beloved game show- which only employs WGA writers- would do.

Showrunner Michael Davies revealed the jarring overhaul to the schedule, given the ongoing strike on Monday.

On a new episode of the Inside Jeopardy! podcast, he announced that since the “best episodes” are the ones that “feature our writers, writing original material,” regular programming will be postponed.

However, the highly anticipated Season 40 will proceed with its fall premiere using recycled questions and contestants.

Instead of the annual Tournament of Champions or regular episodes, an emergency special consisting of dusted-off clues and a Second Chance Tournament of contestants from Season 37 [or 2021] will be filmed.

The content will be a “combination of material that our WGA writers wrote before the strike, which is still in the database, and material that has been re-deployed from multiple seasons of the show.”

‘TODAY’S ANNOUNCEMENT’

Legendary contestant James wasn’t buying it and took to Twitter just hours after the podcast was released.

He wrote: “If you don’t have time to listen, here’s the executive summary of today’s announcement:

“1:00-2:00: Jeopardy’s writers are invaluable and we couldn’t produce the show without them

“2:00-15:00: Here is how we will produce the upcoming season without them.”

FANS SIDE WITH JAMES’ SCORCHING TAKE

“Yikes,” one Twitter user replied.

“Disappointing,” wrote another.

“Somehow, I’m not surprised,” wrote a third.

“Can we not have producers named Mike/Michael run the show? It’s evident Davies wants to milk the show dry even more, especially during the duel strikes,” wrote a fourth.

“This is an accurate summary. Disappointed, big time,” wrote a fifth.

“Don’t do it @Jeopardy, and don’t play along, @KenJennings” wrote a sixth.

RECYCLED QUESTIONS & CONTESTANTS

EP Davies shared the contingency plan on the show’s weekly podcast.

“I believe, principally, that it would not be fair to have new contestants making their first appearance on the Alex Trebek stage, doing it with non-original material or material that was written pre-strike.

“So we decided that really we needed to invite back and give a second chance in general to players who probably thought that their chance to come back and play on the Alex Trebek stage had gone forever.”

Davies announced they will “open the season” with a Second Chance Tournament for players from Season 37 [or 2021] who lost their initial game, and winners from that will advance to a Season 37 and Season 38 “Champions Wild Card.”

Brief winners from Season 37 and Season 38 will then duke it out all via recycled material.

Eventually, the 2023 Tournament of Champions will take place: “once we get our writers back.”

Then, new episodes and new contestants will take the stage after that.

This comes after the 2023 Tournament of Champions was postponed, which was supposed to kick off the hallmark Season 40 but nearly all of the champs involved boycotted it until the strike is resolved.

‘WE MISS OUR WRITERS’

At the beginning of the podcast, Davies shared his appreciation for the Jeopardy! writers despite ditching them come fall.

“There’s something I have to say right at the outset and that is how much I admire and miss our writers,” he said. “They are beloved and valued members of the Jeopardy! team, just as they value every other member of our team. … This really is a family who made this show.”

Meanwhile, this still leaves the question of who will host.

Mayim Bialik, 47, stepped away from hosting the remainder of Season 39, and Ken Jennings has already been criticized as a so-called scab to wrap things up.

Ken would face tremendous scrutiny if he crossed the picket line again, but since he did so before, he is most likely to host Season 40.

One fan reacted on Reddit: “This is a mess lol. I’m sure Michael Davies is being pulled in a bunch of different unpleasant directions but production should be halted, full stop.”

Fan-favorite Mattea Roach, 24, blasted the rumored move last week: “It would be preferable for the season to not commence with new episodes until the strike is resolved.”

Amy Schneider also earlier tweeted: “Disappointed to hear that Jeopardy is considering this course of action. For what it’s worth, I, too, will not be participating in any Jeopardy productions that don’t use new clues written by their amazing, unionized writers under a fair, collectively bargained contract.”

Meanwhile, and perhaps as a way to win over fans, the second and third-place prize pots are being increased by $1,000, meaning that second place gets $3,000 and third place getting $2,000.

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Jeopardy! announced today that its new season on September 11 will debut with recycled questions and a tournament of contestants from three years agoCredit: Instagram/missmayim

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Fans called the move a ‘mess’ and many think Jeopardy! should air reruns instead of crossing the picket lineCredit: Twitter/ KenJennings

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The legendary James won Jeopardy! Masters in May and agreed it’s questionable to continue during the strikeCredit: ABC