Ken Jennings confirmed as host when Jeopardy! returns today for "changed" Season 40

[James28]

So, IceCream, what are your thoughts on the Tournament of Champions changes in the past two years (dropping the wildcard spots and making the final round a best-of-seven series instead of a two-game total-point affair). You like the format change, or should the ToC just return to the previous format already?

[James28]

Here is the complete field for this new Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament, as confirmed on Jeopardy.com:

• Alan Lin - (6-day champion, 2017 ToC 1st runner-up and 2019 ASG 2nd runner-up) Total winnings of $258,933

• Alex Jacob - (6-day champion, 2015 ToC winner) Total winnings of $426,802

• Amy Schneider - (40-day champion, 2022 ToC winner and 2023 Masters quarterfinalist) Total winnings of $1,709,800

• Andrew He - (5-day champion, 2022 ToC 1st runner-up and 2023 Masters semifinalist) Total winnings of $359,365

• Arthur Chu - (11-day champion, 2014 ToC 1st runner-up) Total winnings of $398,200

• Austin Rogers - (12-day champion, Biggest Money Winner of Season 34 and 2017 ToC 2nd runner-up) Total winnings of $488,000

• Ben Ingram - (8-day champion, Biggest Money Winner of Season 29 and 2014 ToC winner) Total winnings of $444,201

• Brandon Blackwell - (2008 Teen Tournament semifinalist) Total winnings of $10,000

• Celeste DiNucci - (5-day champion, 2007 ToC winner) Total winnings of $339,601

• Chuck Forrest - (5-day champion, Biggest Money Winner of Season 2, 1986 ToC winner, 2002 MDM & 2014 BotD semifinalist) Total winnings of $252,800

• Colby Burnett - (2012-B Teachers Tournament & 2013 ToC winner, 2014 BotD semifinalist, and 2019 ASG 2nd runner-up; only Teachers Tournament winner to win the ToC) Total winnings of $408,334

• Dan Pawson - (9-day champion, 2009 ToC winner and 2014 BotD quarterfinalist) Total winnings of $431,902

• David Madden - (19-day champion, Biggest Money Winner of Season 22, 2006 ToC semifinalist, and 2019 ASG winner) Total winnings of $775,733

• Dhruv Gaur - (2018 College Championship winner and 2019 ToC semifinalist) Total winnings of $110,000

• Jason Zuffranieri - (19-day champion, Biggest Money Winner of Season 36 and 2021 ToC semifinalist) Total winnings of $544,496

• Jennifer Quail - (8-day champion, 2021 ToC 1st runner-up) Total winnings of $330,800

• Larissa Kelly - (6-day champion, Biggest Money Winner of Season 24, 2009 ToC 1st runner-up, 2014 BotD invitee, and 2019 ASG winner) Total winnings of $661,930

• Leonard Cooper - (2013 Teen Tournament winner) Total winnings of $100,000

• Lilly Chin - (2017 College Championship winner & ToC semifinalist) Total winnings of $110,000

• MacKenzie Jones - (8-day champion, 2021 ToC quarterfinalist) Total winnings of $211,808

• Matt Jackson - (13-day champion, Biggest Money Winner of Season 32, 2015 ToC & 2019 ASG 1st runner-up) Total winnings of $613,612

• Monica Thieu - (2012 College Championship winner and 2019 ASG 1st runner-up) Total winnings of $205,000

• Pam Mueller - (2000-B College Championship winner, 2001 ToC, 2005 UToC, 2014 BotD semifinalist, and 2019 ASG 2nd runner-up) Total winnings of $215,534

• Sam Buttrey - (2021 Professors Tournament winner, 2022 ToC 2nd runner-up, and 2023 Masters quarterfinalist) Total winnings of $200,000

• Sam Kavanaugh - (2021 ToC winner) Total winnings of $407,202

• Terry O'Shea - (2014 College Championship winner & ToC semifinalist) Total winnings of $110,000

• Victoria Groce - (David Madden's giant killer) Total winnings of $23,801

While I understand this new "Invitational Tournament" being a good way to celebrate Jeopardy!'s 40th anniversary, I thought this new Invitational Tournament would be restricted to major contestants who completed after 2005's Ultimate Tournament of Champions: This would make four choices questionable: Chuck Forrest; Pam Mueller; Victoria Groce; and Brandon Blackwell. The former two are pre-UToC major champions (in fact both of them have already competed in the UToC itself); and the latter two aren't even "major" champions (meaning they never appeared in a Tournament of Champions, regular or otherwise).

[TMC]

Jeopardy! returning with regular episodes

People certainly are excited! The last time three civilians brandished the buzzers was on July 28, 2023. That will end next week, with regular Jeopardy! starting back between Tuesday, April 9, and Thursday, April 11, depending on how long it takes someone to clinch the Invitational Tournament.

[James28]

Okay, why the hell was the closed-captioning for the second game of the Invitational Tournament Finals rendered in all-capitals? I suspect this was by accident. If this turns out to be permanent, I'm going to be very pissed. I thought non-live-event programs were supposed to move away from all-caps CC for good.

EDIT: I guess the CC for last Monday's episode being done in all-caps was because of a technical error at Los Angeles Distribution and Broadcasting. The last Invitational Tournament Final game (yesterday) and the first regular-play game of Jeopardy!'s season 40 (today) had mixed-case CC.

[James28]

It was Victoria Groce who won that Invitational Tournament early last April, earning herself a spot in the second edition of Jeopardy! Masters. And how did the second edition of Jeopardy! Masters end? VICTORIA GROCE ENDED UP REACHING THE FINAL AND WINNING THE WHOLE THING! She attained the first-place prize of $500,000, defeating James Holzhauer (who finished in 3rd place) and Yogesh Raut (who finished second).

Also, Yogesh Raut became the first major champion whose regular-play cash winnings did not exceed $100,000 to win the Tournament of Champions since Celeste DiNucci in 2007 (Mr. Raut's cash winnings were $96,403 plus $2,000, while Ms. DiNucci's were $83,601, plus $1,000).

And since the end of the "Tournament Season" that hogged 75% of Jeopardy!'s current 40th season, we've had six Jeopardy! champions cross the threshold of eligibility for the next Tournament of Champions. The total cash winnings for two of them didn't even exceed $100,000. The most significant regular-play champion of season 40 is Adriana Harmeyer, who won $349,000 over 15 days, plus the third-place prize of $2,000 in her 16th game.