A new rule that requires Jeopardy! contestants to read out the entire category name when choosing a clue has viewers up in arms.
Beginning in September, when Jeopardy! returned for its Second Chance and Champions Wildcard tournaments, the new rule was applied.
This meant that the quiz show competitors could no longer get away with shortening the category names.
Reading out the sometimes lengthy category names often throws the show into disorder and cuts into precious air time, according to Jeopardy! fans.
During a recent episode of the Jeopardy!-inspired podcast, Inside Jeopardy!, the show’s producer, Sarah Whitcomb Foss, and a former Tournament of Champions winner, Buzzy Cohen, discussed the controversial rule.
Buzzy told their listeners, “We’ve seen the chatter online about contestants reading the full category, which is a change to the rules this season.”
However, Sarah intervened and pointed out that the rule wasn’t technically a rule but rather a suggestion.
Jeopardy! contestants technically aren’t required to read categories in their entirety
“Not really a rule, a suggestion,” Sarah chimed in. “It’s not set in stone… it’s just a recommendation.”
“Everyone has a lot of opinions, but we heard viewers are having trouble with where people were going on the game board and couldn’t really follow it,” Sarah acknowledged.
“We’d like to know what people think of it. Nothing can’t be changed or altered, but we’ve made it through every clue this season,” Sarah added.
Jeopardy! viewers heeded Sarah’s suggestion and offered their take on the gameplay suggestion, taking to a Reddit thread to sound off.
Jeopardy! viewers aren’t pleased with the show’s new ‘rule’
Referencing one of the recent long-winded category names, one irked Jeopardy! viewer wrote, “The producers forcing contestants to say ‘During Lou Gehrig’s Consecutive Game Streak’ every time is ridiculous.”
Another Redditor agreed with the sentiment, admitting they’re “sick” of the rule.
One fan of the show griped that if they ever make an appearance on Jeopardy!, they will not be following the suggestion.
“What are they gonna do, kick me off in the middle of the episode?” they asked.
“They need to at least make less awkward category titles if they’re going to insist on this,” complained another Redditor.
According to Sarah Whitcomb Foss, the whole reason this new “rule” was even put into place was because some fans complained about losing track of contestants’ progress on the board.
Perhaps enough complaints from Jeopardy! viewers will urge producers to drop this new suggestion altogether.
Please get rid of that suggestion/rule. It is very annoying when there is a long category name to hear it read over and over every time somebody chooses it when most of us know what it is if they say one or two words.
Make the category names shorter also please.
I find it irritating that they read the whole category when a few words will suffice.
It slows down the whole game. Especially when a contestant is “on a roll” and has to stop to make sure they repeat the entire category title.