JEOPARDY! has just dropped the schedule and full lineup for its nail-biter next tournament, hitting the screens on December 19.
Prepare for 36 power players who stumbled a bit last season, now thirsty for redemption and the upcoming Tournament of Champions.
The hotly-anticipated 2023 Tournament of Champions (TOC) is on the horizon, with the biggest lineup in history.
The annual $250,000 event was sidetracked due to the WGA strike this summer, but fear not - it's back, and it will be epic.
In the meantime, Jeopardy! has been airing placeholder programming like Champions Wildcardfeaturing 2020/2021 contestants andrecycled clues.
Although fans may be OD'd on tournaments, Season 39 Second Chance is the starting pistol for the 2023 Tournament of Champions and was meant to kick off Season 40 before the strikes.
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Season 39 Second Chance consists of players who lost upon arrival last season, giving them another shot at glory.
These brave souls clashed with super-champs (and upcoming ToCers) like Cris Pannullo, Ray LaLonde, and beloved favorites Ben Chan and Hannah Wilson.
It will also see the return of fresh material, a flashy new opening, and some oh-so-familiar faces.
Each week, one victor will strut away with a $35,000 cash prize and move on to a brief Season 39 Wildcard (starting January 9).
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The two ultimate Wildcard winners will snag a golden ticket to the TOC (kicking off in late February).
Here are the players who could potentially beat the frontrunners they initially lost against or skyrocket to stardom a la Rowan Ward, who stole the show in Second Chance last year.
Week 1 (December 19-25)
Mike, a meat cutter from New Hampshire, carved into ToC frontrunner Cris during his 8th of 21 wins, with $26K to Cris' $37K going into Final Jeopardy.
Eva, an attorney from Brooklyn,New York, led against eventual three-day champ Jared Watson nearly all game, but he got Final Jeopardy.
Sam lost last April after a very questionable Final Jeopardy regarding the metaverse that was a triple stumper.
Karen lost big with a $10,000 bet from a runaway position, earning her a spot in Jeopardy! history for what critics dubbed one of its "dumbest moments."
While the first week was announced on Jeopardy.com, the rest were dropped via press release - here's who else is competing.
Week 2 (December 26 - January 1)
Brace yourselves for Xanni Brown, Mitch Cutter, Greg Czaja, Tammy Groner, Ben Hebert, Myles Karp, Emily Kawaler, Raquel Matta, and Christopher Pennant.
Xanni also got 'Pannullo'd' losing to Cris during his 16th win but led against him after the first round.
Emily led against 13-time champ Ray going into Final Jeopardy but got the crucial clue wrong- writing on social media she "misread the question".
Week 3 (January 2-8)
The third group features Sharon Bishop, Michael Cavaliere, Rachel Cohen, Max Davison, Matt Harvey, Randall Rayford, Kelly Shannon-Henderson, Sophia Weng, and Andrew Whatley.
Michael dominated the infamous three-day champ Yogesh Raut before stumbling on Final Jeopardy.
Week 4 (January 9-15)
The last group brings out the big guns: Roy Camara, Denise Carlon, John Guszkowski, Rotimi Kukoyi, April Marquet, Long Nguyen, Allison Strekal, Michael Vallely, and Pam Warren.
Roy almost toppled 8-day champ Stephen Webb.
He then got an invite to an unforgettable trivia night with Ben Chan and Hannah Wilson (the former beat the latter last season in a co-champ oddity matchup).
Denise Carlton lost by a mere $100 to Ray LaLonde but won hearts with a wicked Dr. Evil impression.
Rowan Ward even declared Denise a must-have for the event, threatening a "riot" if she wasn't invited.
Michael Vallely, with a hefty lead, missed the final clue against six-day champ Suresh Krishnan while bravely revealing his practice sessions with a cancer support group.
Meanwhile, Long Nguyen was on the brink of victory against Stephen Webb, but a "You know what, I'm from Vegas, let's bet it all," $12,400 Daily Double bet did him in.
And then, there's April, enduring what fans dubbed the most gut-wrenching loss last season.
Set to conquer five-day champ Luigi de Guzman, she fell short on Final Jeopardy, not with the wrong answer but the wrong wager amount.
The winner of the annual ToC joins a short list that includesAmy SchneiderandJames Holzhauer.
In amajor twist, all three-time champions from Season 39 also received invitations to the annual tournament last week via their local news stations.
The lineup will now include the infamousYogesh,Jake DeArruda, and more in an unprecedented move (the tournament is usually for four-day-plus winners).
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Twenty-seven overall slots (including the four winners of thenow-airing Season 37/38 Wildcard) would make the 2023 ToC the largest contestant field ever.
The winner will also get invited to the nextJeopardy Mastersin May, so fortune and perhaps even TV fame are at stake.
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