'Jeopardy!' Tournament of Champions 2022 Gets Format Changes

The 2022 Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions will look a little different than past tournaments. There is an expanded field, with 19 confirmed champions returning from the 2021-2022 season to compete, and two winners from the first-ever Second Chance Tournament. Ken Jennings will also host the tournament since he's hosting the first four months of the season.

The new plans were revealed during the latest episode of the Inside Jeopardy! podcast with executive producer Michael Davies, producer Sarah Foss and 2017 tournament champion Buzzy Cohen. Davies and Foss shared the complete list of tournament entrants, which includes Amy Schneider, Matt Amodio, and Mattea Roach. Since they won the most games last season, they all secured byes to the semi-finals. Davies said they were "so far ahead of the curve" that it would be unfair to have them compete with contestants in the lower bracket, notes TVInsider.

The tournament will start with six quarter-final games, with the winner of each advancing to the next round. Nine semi-finalists will play three games to determine who will compete in the final round. The final match will follow the rules set for the 2019 tournament, where the tournament winner is the first player to reach three wins. This means the competition could last as little as three days or up to seven.

The full list of competitors, via The Jeopardy Fan, is as follows:

  1. Jaskaran Singh, 2022 National College Championship winner
  2. Sam Buttrey, 2021 Professor's Tournament champion
  3. Amy Schneider, 40 wins
  4. Matt Amodio, 38 wins
  5. Mattea Roach, 23 wins
  6. Ryan Long, 16 wins
  7. Jonathan Fisher, 11 wins
  8. Brian Chang, 7 wins
  9. Courtney Shah, 7 wins
  10. Eric Ahasic, 6 wins
  11. Zach Newkirk, 6 wins
  12. Megan Wachspress, 6 wins
  13. Andrew He, 5 wins
  14. Tyler Rhode, 5 wins
  15. Jackie Kelly, 4 wins
  16. John Focht, 4 wins
  17. Margaret Shelton, 4 wins
  18. Christine Whelchel, 4 wins
  19. Maureen O'Neil, 4 wins
  20. Second Chance Tournament – Week 1 Winner
  21. Second Chance Tournament – Week 2 Winner

Davies announced in July that Jennings and Bialik will again split hosting duties during the 2022-2023 season. Jennings will host from September to December, including the Second Chance competition and Tournament of Champions. Bialik's tenure will start in January, and she will host "new tournaments" and the National College Championship. After January, her availability will depend on her commitments to Fox's Call Me Kat. She will also host ABC's Celebrity Jeopardy! this season.  

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