It’s not yet known how Andrew Knowles, the latest Portlander to compete on “Jeopardy!” will fare in the game that airs Tuesday. But it seems Knowles was lucky to appear on the popular syndicated quiz show before current controversy surfaced, in the wake of the Writers Guild of America strike, and its potential impact on “Jeopardy!”
Knowles, a psychologist resident from Portland, will be playing in the “Jeopardy!” episode that airs Tuesday, July 25. He’ll be competing with returning champion Taylor Clagett, a marketing director originally from Chesapeake Beach, Maryland; and another Northwest-based competitor, Julie Sisson, a library circulation assistant from Everett, Washington.
In recent days, “Jeopardy!” has made news after some of the big-money winners from the 2022-2023 made public that they don’t intend to participate in the upcoming “Jeopardy!” Tournament of Champions episodes if it means crossing Writers Guild of America picket lines, or playing games that use quiz questions from earlier seasons of the show.
As The Hollywood Reporter and other sources are reporting, Ray Lalonde, a “Jeopardy!” champion from Toronto, wrote on the Reddit forum devoted to “Jeopardy!” that he doesn’t plan to participate in the Tournament of Champions if the writers strike continues.
Lalonde wrote, in part, “There are now credible reports that the producers are making contingency plans to start filming the next season of the show with old and/or recycled material if the WGA strike remains unresolved.”
Despite describing himself as “a lifelong devoted fan” of “Jeopardy!,” who is “and will always be grateful for the experience I had on the show,” Lalonde went on to write, that, as a supporter of the trade union movement, “I have informed the show’s producers that if the strike remains unresolved I will not cross a picket line to play in the Tournament of Champions.”
As The Hollywood Reporter article notes, Lalonde is one of a group of 2022-2023 winners who have said they won’t play in the Tournament of Champions as long as the writers strike goes on. “Jeopardy!” employs members of the Writers Guild of America, the union that represents writers in film, TV and other media, and which went on strike in early May after failing to reach a new deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
At this point, there is no sign that the strike will be settled anytime soon.
TV Line reports that the controversy surrounding the show is raising questions about whether Season 40 can proceed, “with a delay looking increasingly likely.” As the article says, production for Season 40 is supposed to begin in the middle of August, and the Tournament of Champions episodes are “typically among the first episodes to be shot.”
The final episode of Season 39, meanwhile, is scheduled to air this Friday. TV Line also notes that Mayim Bialik, who shares “Jeopardy!” hosting duties with Ken Jennings, already decided to step away from hosting earlier than was originally scheduled, due to the writers strike.
Viewers who want to see how Portland’s Andrew Knowles fares can tune in to tonight’s “Jeopardy!” at 7 p.m. on KATU-TV. No cable or antenna? You can stream “Jeopardy!” via Sling TV, which has promotional offers.
