Fans of Jeopardy! are wondering if the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike hinders the game show at all. Moreover, could the writers guild strike cause new episodes of the NBC game show to come to a grinding halt?
Turns out, the executives of the game show caught wind of concerns from viewers regarding how the WGA strike could hinder the show. And, producer Sarah Whitcomb Foss addressed the concerns during a recent episode of the Inside Jeopardy! podcast.
So, have the executives had to adjust things behind-the-scenes to continue to move forward with the game show amid the WGA strike? Or, is there nothing for viewers at home to worry about? Keep reading for the details on what producer Sarah Whitcomb Foss shared during this recent podcast episode.
Is Jeopardy! Being Hindered By The Writers’ Guild Strike?
Viewers have been expressing concerns that a few of the categories seemed to be intentionally difficult over the past couple of weeks. These same viewers are concerned that perhaps the game show doesn’t have its usual writers because of the WGA strike and the writers they are using in substitution are just not as good.
On a recent episode of the Inside Jeopardy! podcast, Sarah Whitcomb Foss insisted that viewers have nothing to worry about.
I saw a lot of commentary about the difficulty of the boards in this game. Yes, difficult. People were also commenting, ‘It’s because the writers are on strike.’ No, everyone. We finished all of Season 39 with material written completely by our union WGA writers. And sometimes game boards seem more difficult based on contestants. Sometimes, a category does not play well as expected.”
She continued to explain: “But it really is about the combination of the three people on that stage in that show, and their wealth of knowledge. You really could play those same boards on a different day and have a different result.”
Sarah Whitcomb Foss insisted that there was no foul play being carried out by a writer or an executive trying to intentionally make the game harder for contestants.
Have started watching more Jeopardy lately. The flow of the show seems so off. Weak contestants? No Alex? Contestants starting with hardest clues? Obscure categories? Not sure what the deal is, but it’s a hard watch lately.
— Kyle McIntosh (@kylegmcintosh) July 1, 2023
Viewers Are NOT Alone In Feeling This Way
Surprisingly, viewers at home are not the only ones criticizing the difficulty of the categories or the writing style of the different questions. There have also been some very vocal contestants who have ripped the writing style of the questions in the past month stating that the categories have been inherently more difficult.
#Jeopardy !’s Ben Goldstein talks ‘adapting’ to win 5 ‘difficult’ games & having ‘work to do’ for Tournament of Champions https://t.co/WPfLcJZUgT
— Billionaireclubcollc (@TavaresDavis15) June 28, 2023
Contestant Ben Goldstein has argued that it felt like many questions were being written intentionally to trip people up. And, Jeopardy! Masters 2023 champion, James Holzhauer ripped the show stating that despite his love for the show, he thinks the writing style over the past month could have been executed better.
‘Jeopardy!’ legend James Holzhauer shades ABC for neglecting other show https://t.co/6owJplRpBj pic.twitter.com/rHMxNmVBm5
— New York Post (@nypost) July 3, 2023
Do you agree that some of the categories have been significantly harder as of late? Were you among the fans who questioned if the WGA strike could have been the reason the categories felt more challenging? Are you glad the executives of Jeopardy! regularly listen to viewers’ concerns and address them on the podcast? Let us know your answers to these questions in the comments below.
