Why Jeopardy!'s Next Season Is an Open Question as Former Winners Threaten Not to Return
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13-time winner Ray Lalonde revealed that the game show was already "making contingency plans for the next season with old and/or recycled material" should the WGA strike continue
Jeopardy! is subject to be, well, in jeopardy, as former champions announce their intent to stand in solidarity with the Writers Guild of America (WGA) amid its strike for fair wages.
Former winners Ben Chan, Cris Pannullo, Hannah Wilson, Ray Lalonde and Troy Meyer — who were slated to play in the trivia game show’s annual Tournament of Champions — recently announced they will not be participating if the strike goes into the fall.
In a post shared to Reddit, Lalonde revealed that the game show was already "making contingency plans to start filming the next season of the show with old and/or recycled material if the WGA strike remains unresolved."
Related: Why Mayim Bialik Walked Off the Set of 'Jeopardy!'
"I believe that the show’s writers are a vital part of the show and they are justified in taking their job action to secure a fair contract for themselves and their fellow WGA members,” Lalonde, a 13-time winner and a member of IATSE (a union for film, TV and theater crew workers) wrote. “As a supporter of the trade union movement, a union member’s son and a proud union member myself, I have informed the show’s producers that if the strike remains unresolved I will not cross a picket line to play in the tournament of champions."
Lalonde added that he hopes that his public declaration of solidarity will "perhaps influence some future decision to proceed without the writers and to encourage any others in the community who feel the same way to speak out as well."
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“A few small voices may not change any minds but we can try," he concluded.
Shortly after Lalonde’s post, Pannullo, who has won 21 games, shared his own statement in the comment section. "As I have already told Ray personally, though like all of us I am a huge Jeopardy fan and it was a dream to appear on the show, I fully agree with his stance and will not participate in any games comprised of recycled clues while the WGA strike is in effect," he wrote.
Meyer, a six-time champion of the trivia game, chimed in and stated: “I stand with Ray!"
Related: Late-Night Shows Shut Down as Hollywood Writers Strike Begins After Failed Negotiations
"Ray, thank you for taking this stand. If you are out, I am out," Chan, winner of nine games, agreed.
Wilson, who has won eight games, shared the same sentiments."I’ll stand with you, Ray! A TOC with all recycled clues doesn’t sound like much fun to play in, anyway," he declared.
The WGA went on strike on May 2 after failing to negotiate new contract terms that included higher wages and residuals from streaming and AI regulations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). Earlier this month, SAG-AFTRA members also went on strike over similar issues.
The former Jeopardy! winners aren’t the only ones who are standing in solidarity with Hollywood writers.
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Shortly after the WGA strike was announced, Mayim Bialik said that she would be stepping back from her hosting duties and walked off set in support of the ongoing strike, joining a handful of other writers, including Jim Rhine and Billy Wisse.
"Our words are on the screen every night. There is no Jeopardy! without writers,” Michele Loud, a writer for the show, told Variety. “Without us it's just an empty blue screen."
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