‘Jeopardy!’ Bosses Unveil Bold New Look For Show

The second season of Celebrity Jeopardy! kicked off on Wednesday (September 27) night, and, as promised, the show featured a big visual change, allowing viewers to keep track of the categories while the contestants answer clues. Now fans are wondering if the bold new look is headed for the regular edition of the show.

Showrunner Michael Davies teased the change on this week’s episode of the Inside Jeopardy! podcast, saying, “I’m not gonna try to describe it too much because describing it, when you see it, you’ll instantly understand, but it’s a way that you get to focus much more on the individual categories every single time that a category is being chosen.”

Though this could be seen as somewhat of a test run for the syndicated show, Davies said that right now, “We by no means are committed to go and do this on the regular show. We’ve actually debuted the regular Monday-through-Friday Jeopardy! and we haven’t included this change.”

He added, “But we’re interested, as we try to make the show more engaging and more easy to follow for a broader audience, as well as to satisfy our very top-notch, most-experienced viewers who have been watching the show and enjoying it for years.”

On Wednesday’s episode, which featured filmmaker/actor Mark Duplass, Schitt’s Creek star Emily Hampshire, and Ghosts actor Utkarsh Ambudkar, the screen changed to a four-camera split-screen every time a contestant picked a category.

The game board appeared on the left of the screen, with the three contestants shown in a vertical row of smaller boxes on the right. This marked the first time ever the clue board and all three players have been shown on the screen at the same time.

Once a contestant selected their category and dollar amount, the clue filled the entire screen as normal.

ABC/Eric McCandless

The reaction across social media was mixed, with some fans appreciating the new visual experience and others struggling to adjust to the change.

“The new formatting in #CelebrityJeopardy is definitely cool. I knew they were planning something similar, but wasn’t sure how it would be implemented. Add it to regular #Jeopardy, please,” wrote one viewer on Twitter/X.

“This new formatting for #CelebrityJeopardy is making my eyes hurt. Why does Davies always have to mess with stuff that isn’t broken?” said another less-than-impressed fan.

ABC/Eric McCandless

“The side-by-side view on #CelebrityJeopardy is pretty cool, actually,” added another viewer.

“So you may have noticed that #Jeopardy is testing a new presentation concept in this new #CelebrityJeopardy season. I’m going to need to see a little more of it before I pass judgment,” said another.

“I hate the format when picking clues. It does not make the game better in anyway. If they make regular jeopardy this way we must boycott!” added another.

As for the episode itself, Ambudkar took home the victory, sneaking out a win over Duplass by just a $4 lead. The Dropout actor became the first celebrity to advance to the semi-finals.