A 'Jeopardy!' Producer Details "Massive Plans" for the Tournament of Champions

Jeopardy! season 38 is quickly winding down but not before crowning another champion. (Look at Ryan Long go!) ICYMI: New episodes of Jeopardy! will finish airing on July 22 but there’s no need to fret because the 2022 Tournament of Champions (ToC) is right on the horizon. After Sam Kavanaugh won the 2021 ToC last May, it’s almost time for the quiz show to host the annual competition again.

Here's everything we know so far about the Jeopardy! 2022 Tournament of Champions:

How does the Tournament of Champions work on Jeopardy!?

The Tournament of Champions on Jeopardy! features an elite group of trivia players competing for a grand prize of $250,000. In order to be considered for the exclusive lineup, contestants must first fall under the show’s determined time period. The Jeopardy!'s 2022 Tournament of Champions will select folks who played games from January 5, 2021 and onward.

Once that box is checked off, players who won five consecutive games automatically qualify for the special event. Those who clinched four wins will also be considered. In other words, not everyone who is a four-time Jeopardy! champion will compete in the 2022 ToC. According to the show’s site, landing on the Tournament of Champions Tracker “does NOT guarantee an invitation to compete … Other eligibility rules apply and final selection is up to the producers' sole discretion.”

At the moment, there are 15 contestants eligible for the tournament with winnings that range from $1.5 million to $80,000. Since 1985, the Tournament of Champions has given competitors another chance to show off their trivia skills and earn more prize money in a fierce setting. Apart from players from in-season games, a few have also gotten a spot through special competitions, like the Professors Tournament.

When is the Jeopardy! 2022 Tournament of Champions?

The Jeopardy! 2022 Tournament of Champions will air this upcoming fall in November 2022, according to 40-time Jeopardy! champion Amy Schneider.

Several weeks after ending her historic run, the Ohio native was invited to the White House for International Transgender Day of Visibility on March 31. While there, Amy took a few questions from reporters, including one about her next appearance on the show for the 2022 ToC.

“When do you return to the Tournament of Champions?” a journalist asked. “It’ll be airing, I’m told, in November,” she replied.

What’s more, Jeopardy! legend Ken Jennings seemed to confirm the news when he retweeted a White House correspondent’s message about it. Over the past three decades, the ToC has aired in the fall but sometimes it has premiered in the late winter or late spring. But by the sound of it, the 2022 Tournament of Champions will be right on schedule. The special event runs for a total of two weeks.

What do we know about the Jeopardy! 2022 Tournament of Champions?

Right now, there aren’t a lot of details about what fans can expect to see in the 2022 Tournament of Champions. But in December 2021, Jeopardy! executive producer Michael Davies teased info about what the competition might look like. In a blog post on the Jeopardy! site, the TV veteran reflected on what it was like taking over when former executive producer Mike Richards stepped down from the show last summer. Michael also revealed what the Jeopardy! team has been working on behind the scenes.

“On my first day as interim Executive Producer, the breathtaking Matt Amodio ended his 38-game run,” he wrote. “I thought perhaps I was the proverbial black cat of the studio until Jonathan Fisher, then Tyler Rhode, then Andrew He, and now Amy Schneider went on their own significant runs.”

Michael continued: “All such different personalities and players, each with their own style and substance. I can not express to you how excited everyone at Jeopardy! is for the next Tournament of Champions — we really do have massive plans. Our champions are our All-Stars — our Jordans, our Kobes, our Candace Parkers — and we want to elevate them as such.”

What does this mean exactly? We don’t know but we like the sound of it.

Who is playing in the Jeopardy! 2022 Tournament of Champions?

The Jeopardy! 2022 Tournament of Champions will showcase 15 players competing to win $250,000, a six-digit number that they can add to their in-season earnings. The Tournament of Champions Tracker on the Jeopardy! site currently lists the top eligible players with familiar names like Amy Schneider, Matt Amodio, Mattea Roach and Jonathan Fisher. The current Jeopardy! champion Ryan Long is also climbing his way to the top with his seven-day winning streak.

But there’s a little bit of a twist. One spot in the 2022 ToC is already reserved for Sam Buttrey, who won the Professors Tournament. Jaskaran Singh, winner of the National College Champion, will also be considered.

Who will host Jeopardy!'s 2022 Tournament of Champions?

There is a good chance that Mayim Bialik will host Jeopardy!'s 2022 Tournament of Champions. Throughout the current season, Ken has stepped in to help host the in-season games in addition to his consulting job behind the scenes. Meanwhile, Mayim has hosted regular games and other special Jeopardy! competitions. So, it wouldn’t be a surprise if The Big Bang Theory actress continued this pattern and stood at the podium again for the 2022 ToC.

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