Ike Barinholtz has made Jeopardy! history with his appearance in the Tournament of Champions.
The actor and comedian is the first winner of Celebrity Jeopardy! ever to be invited to participate in the tournament, and his fans are happy to see it.
The 47-year-old father of three qualified for the Tournament of Champions following his Celebrity Jeopardy! win last year, winning $1 million for charity.
Ike was admittedly thrilled about the opportunity and recently told Vulture that he “still can’t believe” it happened.
Ike revealed that growing up, he would watch Jeopardy! with his parents, who were huge fans of the trivia show, and he grew to love the show just as much.
So when Jeopardy!’s executive producer, Michael Davies, asked him to appear in the Tournament of Champions, he responded, “Yes, sir!”
Ike Barinholtz says a Stanley Kubrick film is to thank for his Jeopardy! victory
Ike opened up about his Final Jeopardy!
The actor and comedian is the first winner of Celebrity Jeopardy! ever to be invited to participate in the tournament, and his fans are happy to see it.
The 47-year-old father of three qualified for the Tournament of Champions following his Celebrity Jeopardy! win last year, winning $1 million for charity.
Ike was admittedly thrilled about the opportunity and recently told Vulture that he “still can’t believe” it happened.
Ike revealed that growing up, he would watch Jeopardy! with his parents, who were huge fans of the trivia show, and he grew to love the show just as much.
So when Jeopardy!’s executive producer, Michael Davies, asked him to appear in the Tournament of Champions, he responded, “Yes, sir!”
Ike Barinholtz says a Stanley Kubrick film is to thank for his Jeopardy! victory
Ike opened up about his Final Jeopardy!
- 3/10/2024
- by Mona Wexler
- Monsters and Critics
Order has been restored to Jeopardy!‘s 2024 Tournament of Champions thanks to fan favorite Ben Chan, who won Tuesday night’s (March 5) episode in dominant fashion. Chan, who won nine consecutive games in Season 39 before a controversial wrong-letter ruling knocked him out, entered the Toc as one of the front-runners. However, so far, this has been a cursed competition for the favorites, turning into the Tournament of Death with Cris Pannullo, Hannah Wilson, Juveria Zaheer, and Ray Lalonde all losing their quarter-final games. The philosophy professor from Green Bay, Wisconsin, broke the curse on Tuesday as he faced off against Emmett Stanton, a freelance writer from Baltimore, Maryland, and Justin Bolsen, a public policy economics student at Brown University from Canton, Georgia, who won last year’s High School Reunion Tournament. Chan set the pace right from the off when he clinched a true Daily Double and took an early lead with six correct clues.
- 3/6/2024
- TV Insider
Jeopardy!‘s Tournament of Champions is bigger than ever this year.
To celebrate its 40th season, the American trivia institution invited a record-breaking 27 contestants to its hallowed annual tourney featuring the previous season’s best champions. (It also certainly didn’t hurt that the show needed to add some extra tournaments for ToC eligibility due to the Hollywood writers strike messing with its usual production schedule).
The expanded contestant count has given Jeopardy! the opportunity to invite back some intriguing contenders who didn’t hit the required benchmark of at least five wins in their initial run. It’s also meant that the show has gotten to try something it’s never done before: bring on a Celebrity Jeopardy! champion to contend with the “real” trivia masters.
Said Celebrity Jeopardy! champ on this year’s ToC is comedic actor Ike Barinholtz, who you may know from his time on Mad TV,...
To celebrate its 40th season, the American trivia institution invited a record-breaking 27 contestants to its hallowed annual tourney featuring the previous season’s best champions. (It also certainly didn’t hurt that the show needed to add some extra tournaments for ToC eligibility due to the Hollywood writers strike messing with its usual production schedule).
The expanded contestant count has given Jeopardy! the opportunity to invite back some intriguing contenders who didn’t hit the required benchmark of at least five wins in their initial run. It’s also meant that the show has gotten to try something it’s never done before: bring on a Celebrity Jeopardy! champion to contend with the “real” trivia masters.
Said Celebrity Jeopardy! champ on this year’s ToC is comedic actor Ike Barinholtz, who you may know from his time on Mad TV,...
- 3/5/2024
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
[Warning: The below contains Major spoilers for the March 4 episode of Jeopardy!] Jeopardy! features a first with its Tournament of Champions in 2024: an actor, who won Celebrity Jeopardy!, taking part. Ike Barinholtz won three games, like one of his opponents Melissa Klapper; the third player in the March 4 quarterfinal, Ray Lalonde, won 13. Barinholtz started off great, with the first correct answer (in Vacation Spots for $800). He was in third after the first break, when host Ken Jennings asked him what it’s like to be the first Celebrity Jeopardy! champion to appear in the Tournament of Champions. “I feel like a guinea pig a little bit, but I like guinea pigs, they’re adorable, like me. But yeah, it’s an honor to be here.” Barinholtz shared. “A lot of people were giving me well wishes, and a lot of them were tinged with the tone of, ‘I thought you were dumb,’ and I am, full disclosure, but it was...
- 3/5/2024
- TV Insider
Jeopardy!‘s Tournament of Champions is making way for a first as actor Ike Barinholtz, the champion of Celebrity Jeopardy!, enters the competition among regular game players. The former Mindy Project actor is set to compete against 13-game champion Ray Lalonde and 3-day champion Melissa Klapper in the Quarterfinals. Considering Barinholtz competed in the Celebrity version of the series that is more about raising funds for charity than answering hard clues, does that mean he’s equipped for regular game success? Having won three games himself, Barinholtz isn’t a stranger to the format at this point. According to the actor, his success with the trivia game show shouldn’t be shocking, as he told The Hollywood Reporter, “The people who know me were not surprised because I’m a trivia freak — just an endless source of useless knowledge. But a lot of characters I’ve played are, oh, I...
- 3/4/2024
- TV Insider
Jeopardy!‘s strike-delayed Tournament of Champions is getting celebritized.
Sony announced Tuesday that this year’s contest — which kicks off Friday, Feb. 23 — will feature among its contestants Celebrity Jeopardy! breakout Ike Barinholtz. This will be the first time ToC will welcome a champion from ABC’s starry primetime spinoff.
More from TVLineJeopardy! Boss Breaks Silence on Mayim Bialik Firing, How Ken Jennings 'Really Won the Job'Did Kimmel Spoil Celebrity Jeopardy? Why Didn't NCIS: Sydney Ex Text? Who Is Way Home Mystery Person? Thirsty Med Resident? And More TV Qs!Ousted Jeopardy! Host Mayim Bialik Reacts to Show's Emmy Win
Barinholtz,...
Sony announced Tuesday that this year’s contest — which kicks off Friday, Feb. 23 — will feature among its contestants Celebrity Jeopardy! breakout Ike Barinholtz. This will be the first time ToC will welcome a champion from ABC’s starry primetime spinoff.
More from TVLineJeopardy! Boss Breaks Silence on Mayim Bialik Firing, How Ken Jennings 'Really Won the Job'Did Kimmel Spoil Celebrity Jeopardy? Why Didn't NCIS: Sydney Ex Text? Who Is Way Home Mystery Person? Thirsty Med Resident? And More TV Qs!Ousted Jeopardy! Host Mayim Bialik Reacts to Show's Emmy Win
Barinholtz,...
- 2/20/2024
- by Michael Ausiello and Ryan Schwartz
- TVLine.com
Jeopardy!’s long-anticipated 2023 Tournament of Champions (Toc) is almost here, and Ken Jennings has been surprising former three-day champions with invites to participate. But the show host acted all mean at first, teasing the contestants that he had bad news for them. You can see how things unfolded in a series of video clips below. The Toc was delayed this year due to this summer’s WGA strike; in the meantime, Jeopardy! has been airing tournaments such as Second Chance and Champions Wildcard featuring former contestants and recycled clues. The Season 39 post-season editions of Second Chance and Wildcard are scheduled to start soon in the lead-up to Toc. Eight winners from both sets of Wildcard competitions will qualify for the Toc, which will kick off in early 2024 (likely the end of February). They will join super champs Cris Pannullo and Ray Lalonde, as well as fan favorites like Ben Chan,...
- 12/8/2023
- TV Insider
Jeopardy! has revealed all the details of its upcoming Champions Wildcard tournament, and it gives fans further insight into who will participate in the 2023 Tournament of Champions, plus when regular Jeopardy! will return with new contestants. The Champions Wildcard, which kicks off on Monday, October 2, will feature brief winners from Season 37 and Season 38, as well as the three winners from the currently airing Second Chance tournament. The series will culminate in December with four overall winners, each earning a spot in the 2023 Toc. This would bring the current total of Toc players up to 17. We already know 11 of the four-plus game champions from Season 39 will be taking part. Also competing will be High School reunion champ Justin Bolsen and Celebrity Jeopardy! winner Ike Barinholtz. A fan on the Jeopardy! Reddit ...
- 9/27/2023
- TV Insider
While Jeopardy!‘s 2023 Tournament of Champions has been temporarily postponed due to the ongoing WGA strike, it hasn’t stopped fans from discussing the upcoming competition and who has qualified to take part. One things that stands out for many is the lack of diversity. Season 39 finished airing last Friday, July 28, and throughout the season, only one woman qualified for the upcoming Tournament of Champions, data scientist Hannah Wilson, who won eight games earlier this year. A player must win at least four games to be eligible for the Toc. Thirteen contestants officially qualified for the 2023 Toc, including fan favorites Ray Lalonde, Cris Pannullo, Luigi de Guzman, and Ben Chan. Celebrity Jeopardy! winner Ike Barinholtz is also set to compete in the tournament. “There’s no way they would go ahead with such an un-diverse tournament after the 50% non-male field from the last tournament,” wrote one fan on the Jeopardy!
- 8/2/2023
- TV Insider
When the actors in the SAG-AFTRA guild joined their writing counterparts in the WGA in going on strike, nearly all production in Hollywood came to a grinding halt. That result certainly made sense as most of the entertainment we consume employs the services of actors and writers.
But what about game shows? Surely, those won’t be affected by AMPTP’s refusal to negotiate with writers and actors in good faith! Well, as Jeopardy!‘s producers already know and as fans will soon find out, the trivia show’s clue writers are in the WGA too … and they would also like to be properly compensated for their work, believe it or not.
Ever since it first premiered in the 1960s, venerable quiz show Jeopardy! has featured questions (or “answers” as they’re know in the show’s goofy parlance) written by a staff of dedicated researchers and writers. While the...
But what about game shows? Surely, those won’t be affected by AMPTP’s refusal to negotiate with writers and actors in good faith! Well, as Jeopardy!‘s producers already know and as fans will soon find out, the trivia show’s clue writers are in the WGA too … and they would also like to be properly compensated for their work, believe it or not.
Ever since it first premiered in the 1960s, venerable quiz show Jeopardy! has featured questions (or “answers” as they’re know in the show’s goofy parlance) written by a staff of dedicated researchers and writers. While the...
- 7/31/2023
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
Jeopardy's Tournament of Champions will be airing later than planned.
Producer Sony Pictures Television postponed the competition series after news broke that former winners said they would not participate if the show went with "recycled material" for questions.
According to THR, the production company claims it had no intention of shooting the primetime iteration until after the strike is resolved.
"Jeopardy! never had any intention of producing a Tournament of Champions for season 39 until the strike is resolved," a spokesperson for the show said in a statement to the outlet.
"Further, no contestants from season 39 have been contacted regarding their availability for any postseason tournaments, including the Toc."
"The Jeopardy! postseason represents the pinnacle of our competition, and it should feature our strongest players playing our toughest original material."
"Jeopardy! has a long history with and tremendous respect for the WGA and our writers," the statement continues.
"We have always...
Producer Sony Pictures Television postponed the competition series after news broke that former winners said they would not participate if the show went with "recycled material" for questions.
According to THR, the production company claims it had no intention of shooting the primetime iteration until after the strike is resolved.
"Jeopardy! never had any intention of producing a Tournament of Champions for season 39 until the strike is resolved," a spokesperson for the show said in a statement to the outlet.
"Further, no contestants from season 39 have been contacted regarding their availability for any postseason tournaments, including the Toc."
"The Jeopardy! postseason represents the pinnacle of our competition, and it should feature our strongest players playing our toughest original material."
"Jeopardy! has a long history with and tremendous respect for the WGA and our writers," the statement continues.
"We have always...
- 7/26/2023
- by Paul Dailly
- TVfanatic
Following vows by several recent champions to boycott the “Jeopardy!” Tournament of Champions if it takes place amid the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike, the show’s producers say they “never had any intention” of holding the annual contest “until the strike is resolved.
Furthermore, the show’s spokesperson said in a statement Tuesday, none of winners from the most recent season have even been contacted about participating.
The statement emphasized that the show has “a long history with and tremendous respect for the WGA and our writers,” and that “we would never air game material not created by WGA writers.” The statement also emphasized that it operates in compliance with SAG-AFTRA.
Instead, the statement says, the show will go into “a holding pattern,” postponing the Season 39 Tournament of Champions and instead producing new original episodes using material that was written before WGA went on strike. More details will be announced in August.
Furthermore, the show’s spokesperson said in a statement Tuesday, none of winners from the most recent season have even been contacted about participating.
The statement emphasized that the show has “a long history with and tremendous respect for the WGA and our writers,” and that “we would never air game material not created by WGA writers.” The statement also emphasized that it operates in compliance with SAG-AFTRA.
Instead, the statement says, the show will go into “a holding pattern,” postponing the Season 39 Tournament of Champions and instead producing new original episodes using material that was written before WGA went on strike. More details will be announced in August.
- 7/26/2023
- by Ross A. Lincoln
- The Wrap
“Jeopardy!’s” Tournament of Champions has a bigger problem on its hands than trivia this year.
Starting with a Reddit post made on Friday by 13-time “Jeopardy!” winner Ray Lalonde, several prominent contestants have pledged not to return to the series to compete in the Tournament of Champions in solidarity with the Writers Guild of America, as the series employs WGA members.
Lalonde, an IATSE member who works in scenic design, wrote that that there were “credible reports that the producers are making contingency plans to start filming the next season of the show with old and/or recycled material if the WGA strike remains unresolved.” Lalonde then went on to praise “Jeopardy!” writers for their work and their current efforts to secure a new deal with the studios, before making a promise to support them. “As a supporter of the trade union movement, a union member’s son and...
Starting with a Reddit post made on Friday by 13-time “Jeopardy!” winner Ray Lalonde, several prominent contestants have pledged not to return to the series to compete in the Tournament of Champions in solidarity with the Writers Guild of America, as the series employs WGA members.
Lalonde, an IATSE member who works in scenic design, wrote that that there were “credible reports that the producers are making contingency plans to start filming the next season of the show with old and/or recycled material if the WGA strike remains unresolved.” Lalonde then went on to praise “Jeopardy!” writers for their work and their current efforts to secure a new deal with the studios, before making a promise to support them. “As a supporter of the trade union movement, a union member’s son and...
- 7/26/2023
- by Selome Hailu
- Variety Film + TV
Jeopardy! is shaking up its pattern due to the writers strike.
Sony Pictures Television, which produces the daytime game show, is pushing back the upcoming Tournament of Champions after a number of former winners declared that they would boycott the show if it used “recycled material” for questions.
A spokesperson said, “Jeopardy! never had any intention of producing a Tournament of Champions for Season 39 until the strike is resolved.”
“Our current plan is to go into a holding pattern of sorts, pushing back the Season 39 postseason to first produce original episodes featuring the best of our WGA written material. Next month, we will share more news about exciting plans and enhancements to the contestant experience for this upcoming season and beyond,” it added.
Contestants including Ray Lalonde, Chris Pannullo, Ben Chan, Luigi de Guzman and Amy Schneider had said that they would not be competing under the current circumstances.
Jeopardy!
Sony Pictures Television, which produces the daytime game show, is pushing back the upcoming Tournament of Champions after a number of former winners declared that they would boycott the show if it used “recycled material” for questions.
A spokesperson said, “Jeopardy! never had any intention of producing a Tournament of Champions for Season 39 until the strike is resolved.”
“Our current plan is to go into a holding pattern of sorts, pushing back the Season 39 postseason to first produce original episodes featuring the best of our WGA written material. Next month, we will share more news about exciting plans and enhancements to the contestant experience for this upcoming season and beyond,” it added.
Contestants including Ray Lalonde, Chris Pannullo, Ben Chan, Luigi de Guzman and Amy Schneider had said that they would not be competing under the current circumstances.
Jeopardy!
- 7/26/2023
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Questions are swirling around the viability of Jeopardy! Season 40 amid the ongoing writers’ strike, with a delay looking increasingly likely.
Amid talk that the game show’s producer, Sony Pictures Television, is mulling a number of strike workarounds — including recycling old questions — several Tournament of Champions contestants say they will not appear on Jeopardy! until the work stoppage is resolved. Production on Season 40 is set to get underway in mid-August, with the annual Toc typically among the first episodes to be shot. The final episode of Season 39, meanwhile, airs this Friday.
More from TVLineJeopardy! Officially Delays This Fall's Tournament of...
Amid talk that the game show’s producer, Sony Pictures Television, is mulling a number of strike workarounds — including recycling old questions — several Tournament of Champions contestants say they will not appear on Jeopardy! until the work stoppage is resolved. Production on Season 40 is set to get underway in mid-August, with the annual Toc typically among the first episodes to be shot. The final episode of Season 39, meanwhile, airs this Friday.
More from TVLineJeopardy! Officially Delays This Fall's Tournament of...
- 7/25/2023
- by Michael Ausiello
- TVLine.com
Several “Jeopardy!” champions have vowed to exit the game show’s annual tournament in solidarity with the ongoing WGA strike, which just entered into its 13th week.
As the syndicated competition series gears up for its 2023-2024 season, the writers’ strike has not only impacted planning for the upcoming installment but will also now prompt absences for former winners set to appear on this season’s Tournament of Champions.
Recent “Jeopardy!” champion and self-proclaimed “lifelong devoted fan” Ray Lalonde announced he would not to compete in the tournament should the WGA strike remain unresolved on social media, first pointing out reports that the game show has “contingency plans to start filming the next season of the show with old and/or recycled material.”
“I am and will always be grateful for the experience I had on the show and the opportunity to participate in the Toc is beyond a dream come true for me,...
As the syndicated competition series gears up for its 2023-2024 season, the writers’ strike has not only impacted planning for the upcoming installment but will also now prompt absences for former winners set to appear on this season’s Tournament of Champions.
Recent “Jeopardy!” champion and self-proclaimed “lifelong devoted fan” Ray Lalonde announced he would not to compete in the tournament should the WGA strike remain unresolved on social media, first pointing out reports that the game show has “contingency plans to start filming the next season of the show with old and/or recycled material.”
“I am and will always be grateful for the experience I had on the show and the opportunity to participate in the Toc is beyond a dream come true for me,...
- 7/25/2023
- by Loree Seitz
- The Wrap
Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions is the latest series to be hit by the writers strike.
A number of former champions are planning to boycott the daytime game show over fears that the show will use “recycled materials”, otherwise known as questions, as a result of the fact that it is a WGA-written show.
Ray Lalonde, who won over $386,000 last season, revealed that he has informed the producers that if the WGA strike remains unresolved, he will not cross the picket line to play.
“There are now credible reports that the producers are making contingency plans to start filming the next season of the show with old and/or recycled material if the WGA strike remains unresolved,” he wrote on a Reddit thread. “I am a lifelong devoted fan of Jeopardy!. I am and will always be grateful for the experience I had on the show and the opportunity to participate...
A number of former champions are planning to boycott the daytime game show over fears that the show will use “recycled materials”, otherwise known as questions, as a result of the fact that it is a WGA-written show.
Ray Lalonde, who won over $386,000 last season, revealed that he has informed the producers that if the WGA strike remains unresolved, he will not cross the picket line to play.
“There are now credible reports that the producers are making contingency plans to start filming the next season of the show with old and/or recycled material if the WGA strike remains unresolved,” he wrote on a Reddit thread. “I am a lifelong devoted fan of Jeopardy!. I am and will always be grateful for the experience I had on the show and the opportunity to participate...
- 7/25/2023
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
The annual Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions is being pushed back.
After several big winners from the 2022-23 season say they won’t take part in the tournament while the writers strike is ongoing, producer Sony Pictures TV said late Tuesday that it “never had any intention” to tape the tournament until after the strike is resolved.
Jeopardy! employs Writers Guild of America members, and the syndicated game show is planning to rely on material from prior seasons (39 years’ worth) as it begins taping shows for the 2023-24 season, the show noted in its statement Tuesday. The Tournament of Champions usually tapes in late August and September but will be moved until after the strike.
Ray Lalonde, a TV set builder and painter from Toronto who won $386,400 over 13 games last season, told The Washington Post that he emailed the show’s producers on July 21 to say he wouldn’t take part...
After several big winners from the 2022-23 season say they won’t take part in the tournament while the writers strike is ongoing, producer Sony Pictures TV said late Tuesday that it “never had any intention” to tape the tournament until after the strike is resolved.
Jeopardy! employs Writers Guild of America members, and the syndicated game show is planning to rely on material from prior seasons (39 years’ worth) as it begins taping shows for the 2023-24 season, the show noted in its statement Tuesday. The Tournament of Champions usually tapes in late August and September but will be moved until after the strike.
Ray Lalonde, a TV set builder and painter from Toronto who won $386,400 over 13 games last season, told The Washington Post that he emailed the show’s producers on July 21 to say he wouldn’t take part...
- 7/25/2023
- by Rick Porter
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Jeopardy! champion Ray Lalonde won his fourth straight game on Tuesday (December 20), but his “distracting” on-air behavior has grabbed the attention of viewers and the show’s producers. A scenic artist from Ontario, Lalonde has impressed viewers across his four episodes so far, which has seen him qualify for 2023’s Tournament of Champions. However, in addition to his immense trivia knowledge, Lalonde also has a penchant for swaying back and forth (watch in the clip below) while he’s answering questions. “Could one of the Jeopardy producers suggest to Ray that his twisting is distracting, please?” tweeted one viewer after a recent episode, while another added, “Can the Jeopardy! producers, Please tell Ray to stand still.” Did you have as much trouble as we did keeping a straight face while Ken reads this clue? #Jeopardy! pic.twitter.com/XG1MsWv0DL — Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) December 21, 2022 Please tell contestant Ray to Stop...
- 12/21/2022
- TV Insider
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