The ‘Jeopardy!’ Tournament of Champions is (finally) back. Here’s the latest

The highly anticipated “Jeopardy!” Tournament of Champions, which was delayed last year amid the writers strike, has finally arrived — and it includes the “largest contestant field in Tournament of Champions history,” according to a news release “Jeopardy!” shared with the Deseret News.

Over the course of a month, the tournament will highlight contestants who won the most games since the last Tournament of Champions in 2022, players from Seasons 37 through 39 (the show is currently in its 40th season), the winner of the quiz show’s High School Reunion Tournament and, in one of the biggest shake-ups, a recent winner of “Celebrity Jeopardy!”

Here’s an overview of the tournament and what to expect.

How does the 2024 ‘Jeopardy!’ Tournament of Champions work?

The first round of the tournament, which begins Feb. 23, will feature nine quarterfinal games for a total of 27 contestants.

The nine winners from the quarterfinal round will then compete over three semifinal games. The final three contestants will compete in a best-of-seven finals series — the first to win three games claims the $250,000 prize and an invitation to compete in the upcoming “Jeopardy!” Masters tournament.

The tournament is expected to go through late March.

Who is hosting the 2024 ‘Jeopardy!’ Tournament of Champions?

Ken Jennings will be hosting the monthlong tournament.

Late last year, Sony, which produces “Jeopardy!” announced that the quiz show would be moving forward with Jennings as its sole host. Jennings previously told The Hollywood Reporter that Mayim Bialik’s exit from “Jeopardy!” came as a surprise.

“It took me off guard, because I loved working with ... Mayim and I’m going to miss her,” the 74-game “Jeopardy!” champ said. “I can’t speak to her decision-making process or her opinions about it. But on my end, I’m just a fan of ‘Jeopardy!’ and I’m always delighted to host when they call upon me. I just feel extremely lucky to have even been considered for this job, as a non-broadcaster.”

Who is competing in the 2024 ‘Jeopardy!’ Tournament of Champions?

“Jeopardy!” fans will see several favorites returning for the tournament. Some competitors of note include:

• Twenty-one-game champ Cris Pannullo, who now ranks No. 6 on the show’s Leaderboard of Legends for most consecutive games won, and No. 5 for highest winnings in regular-season play, the Deseret News previously reported.

• Ray Lalonde, a 13-game champ who spoke out in support of the writers strike and informed “Jeopardy!” producers he wouldn’t participate in the Tournament of Champions until the matter was resolved.

• Nick Cascone, a one-time “Jeopardy!” winner in 2021 who returned when the show brought back former competitors to play amid the writers strike last year (“Jeopardy!” was recycling clues from previous seasons and wasn’t inviting new players at the time). Cascone ended up winning the Season 37/38 Champions Wildcard (he also apparently appeared in the film “Titanic”).

• Justin Bolsen, the winner of the High School Reunion tournament.

• “The Mindy Project” star and comedian Ike Barinholtz, who won Season 1 of ABC’s “Celebrity Jeopardy!” Barinholtz is the first celebrity to enter the Tournament of Champions.

The ‘Jeopardy!’ 2024 Tournament of Champions schedule

Below is the full lineup for the nine quarterfinal games, which run through March 6, per the news release.

Note: This section will be updated each night to note the winner of each game.

• Feb 23: Quarterfinal 1 — Suresh Krishnan, a six-game champion from Suwanee, Georgia; Matthew Marcus, a four-game champion from Portland, Oregon; and Emily Sands, a three-game champion and Season 37/38 Champions Wildcard winner from Chanhassen, Minnesota.

Who won? Per The Jeopardy Fan website, Sands won the game by a landslide, securing her spot in the semifinals.

• Feb. 26: Quarterfinal 2 — Ben Goldstein, a five-game champion from Dexter, Michigan; Pannullo, a 21-game champion from Ocean City, New Jersey; and Jared Watson, a three-game champion from Greenville, Texas.

Who won? Per The Jeopardy Fan website, Pannullo, who was a favorite to win the game if not the whole tournament, lost to Watson.

• Feb. 27: Quarterfinal 3 — David Sibley, a four-game champion from Walla Walla, Washington; Yungsheng Wang, a three-game champion and Season 37/38 Champions Wildcard winner originally from Lafayette, Louisiana; and Hannah Wilson, an eight-game champion from Chicago, Illinois.

Who won? Per The Jeopardy Fan website, Sibley won in a tight game against Wilson, edging her out by just $6.

• Feb. 28: Quarterfinal 4 — Cascone, a one-game champion and Season 37/38 Champions Wildcard winner originally from Queens, New York; Jake DeArruda, a three-game champion originally from Ludlow, Vermont; and Yogesh Raut, a three-game champion from Vancouver, Washington.

Who won? Per The Jeopardy Fan website, Raut won the game by a wide margin.

• Feb. 29: Quarterfinal 5 — Kevin Belle, a three-game champion from Silver Spring, Maryland; Luigi de Guzman, a five-game champion from Arlington, Virginia; and Juveria Zaheer, a Season 39 Second Chance winner and Season 39 Champions Wildcard winner from Whitby, Ontario, Canada.

Who won? Per The Jeopardy Fan website, de Guzman won his quarterfinal game against Belle and Zaheer.

• March 1: Quarterfinal 6 — Brian Henegar, a three-game champion from LaFollette, Tennessee; Josh Saak, a three-game champion and Season 37/38 Champions Wildcard winner from Boise, Idaho; and Stephen Webb, an eight-game champion from Longmont, Colorado.

Who won? Per The Jeopardy Fan website, Henegar won his quarterfinal game against Saak and Webb.

• March 4: Quarterfinal 7 — Barinholtz, “Celebrity Jeopardy!” Season 1 champion from Chicago, Illinois; Melissa Klapper, a three-game champion from Merion Station, Pennsylvania; and Lalonde, a 13-game champion from Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Who won? As the Deseret News reported, Barinholtz won in one of the more competitive matches of the tournament (so far).

• March 5: Quarterfinal 8 — Bolsen, the “Jeopardy!” High School Reunion Tournament champion from Canton, Georgia; Ben Chan, a nine-game champion from Green Bay, Wisconsin; and Emmett Stanton, a three-game champion from Baltimore, Maryland.

Who won? Per The Jeopardy Fan, Chan won by a landslide.

• March 6: Quarterfinal 9 — Sean McShane, a three-day champion from South Boston, Massachusetts; Troy Meyer, a six-day champion from Tampa, Florida; and Deb Bilodeau, the Season 39 Champions Wildcard winner.

The semifinal games will run March 7, 8 and 11, with the final best-of-seven series starting March 12 and extending as late as March 20.

Who are the 2024 ‘Jeopardy!’ Tournament of Champions semifinalists?

So far, eight contestants have secured their spot in the semifinals:

• Emily Sands.

• Jared Watson.

• David Sibley.

• Yogesh Raut.

• Luigi de Guzman.

• Brian Henegar.

• Ike Barinholtz.

• Ben Chan.

Who won the last ‘Jeopardy!’ Tournament of Champions?

Amy Schneider, a 40-game champ who sits No. 2 behind Jennings for most consecutive games won in show history, won the last Tournament of Champions in 2022, the Deseret News reported.