‘Jeopardy! Masters’ Host Ken Jennings & Players Detail Major Differences From Syndicated Show
The Jeopardy! Masters competition continues to heat up in Season 2, and the highest-ranked current contestants are eager to show off what they know, but who’s feeling confident? What do they love about being back on Jeopardy? What’s different about this stage from the syndicated show? Host Ken Jennings and the six contestants—Matt Amodio, Victoria Groce, James Holzhauer, Yogesh Raut, Mattea Roach, and Amy Schneider—address just that and more in TV Insider’s exclusive video ahead of the new episode airing on May 10.
As Jennings points out, there’s quite the prize at stake ($500,000 and bragging rights as Jeopardy! Masters Champion). “I feel very confident in myself, but at the same time, I recognize this is probably as tough a field as has ever brought me here, so I’m not taking anything for granted,” Holzhauer admits. And as Schneider points out, “I know that anything less than my very best effort and my total focus, I don’t have a chance against these people.”
“It would’ve been completely the robbery of the century if I had managed to win Masters last year. James was so a cut above throughout most of the competition,” says Roach.
As the host, Jennings notices what makes the players and the primetime show stand out. “There’s part of their brain that while they’re playing the game and keeping all of the strategy in mind is also aware that they’re on TV,” he explains. “They’re playing to the cameras, they’re playing to their supporters and the home audience, you can tell they’re comfortable and having fun playing Jeopardy, and that’s very different from every night on the syndicated show.”
Adds Amodio, “I know things are going to get a little bit deeper, so I try to just know one level of depth beyond what I thought I would have to in a regular syndicated episode because it’s the Masters.” Watch the full video above for more from Jennings and the players.
Jeopardy! Masters features hour-long episodes showcasing the contestants across two action-packed and high-stakes games. It’s produced by Sony Pictures Television and executive produced by Michael Davies.
