When one Reddit user put out an all-call for Jeopardy! “hot takes,” many fans buzzed in with their least-favorite aspects of America’s favorite quiz show.
Some hot takes on the thread were well-reasoned; others were just wacky. (“Jeopardy! should buy a dormitory and house the incoming contestants and tape it like Big Brother,” former contestant Jesse Chin suggested.)
As you might expect, many viewers groused about the show’s many, many tournament episodes. But other comments called out the categories, the clues, the Forrest Bounce strategy, and even the answer-and-question format.
Categorical category complaints
“Tired of all the categories where usually it’s a [TV show] being plugged,” one commenter wrote. “The actors take forever to say the clue, and it’s boring. Also tired of all the pop categories. Every show has at least one, maybe more. Since Alex [Trebek] passed, there are fewer classic categories.”
Another Redditor also wants a return to businesslike categories, writing, “I miss the days when the writers weren’t constantly trying to be ‘funny’ and the longest category title was ‘Actors and Their Roles.’”
Ruing the cluing
One commenter beseeched Jeopardy! to do away with the video clues. “They take way too long, and the person on them spends more time promoting something than giving the clue,” they explained.
Another wants Daily Double clues to be “way harder” during tournament play. “We’re at the point where players are so good that Daily Doubles are currently just ‘double your money’ clues and practically determine who wins the game,” they said.
Tournament scorn
Echoing the complaints of many other viewers, a Reddit user said there are “way too many tournaments,” adding, “I’m sick of seeing the same people constantly. I like regular Jeopardy! I really don’t care to watch a four-week-long Select Two-Day Champions Invitational where the winner has to go on to six more tournaments before they make it the Tournament of Champions.”
Someone else, meanwhile, doesn’t think Celebrity Jeopardy! winners should be invited to the Tournament of Champions. “I’m unconvinced that Celebrity Jeopardy! is at the difficulty level that qualifies someone for the ToC,” they argued. “Having someone who is already famous, even B- or C-list, takes attention away from the normal-but-smart other contestants.”
And speaking of spinoffs, another Reddit user doesn’t want a new Jeopardy! Masters season each year. “Especially with the current format,” they added. “You’re getting half of the same contestants returning each year (especially with James [Holzhauer]/Victoria [Groce] locked in for every year until they retire). I’d be fine if they want to do it every two to three years with a more diverse field (maybe top two returning with the two ToC winners and one winningest non-ToC winner and 1 Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament winner).”
Denouncing the bouncing
A couple of commenters don’t like Jeopardy! contestants who jump around the board à la Chuck Forrest, the namesake of the “Forrest Bounce” strategy to confuse competitors.
“Jumping around the board makes the show less watchable,” one person wrote on the Reddit thread.
“Running categories in order is more fun to watch,” said someone else.
Questioning the question format
And finally, some viewers would do away with the most well-known Jeopardy! rule: answering in the form of a question.
“The ‘answer in the form of a question’ rule is iconic, but it’s arbitrary, and none of the answers are really answers,” one person said.
“You shouldn’t have to say ‘what is,’” someone else complained.
And a third user even called the rule “a stupid gimmick”!
