Jeopardy! contestants weigh a second shot at glory versus crossing the picket line

polygon.com:

Jeopardy! is not like other game shows. Players who pass the tests, nail the interviews, and receive the call to take the stage to test their trivia knowledge have often waited years for the opportunity — it is a dream come true. A second chance is basically unheard of, save for the few who wind up on a Tournament of Champions-qualifying winning streak.

But thanks to extraordinary circumstances, a second chance is exactly what the show is offering to some former players: As of now, Jeopardy!’s 40th season, set to premiere on Sept. 11, is inviting select contestants from previous seasons to play in a new set of games. The season will start with a Second Chance tournament, in which players from the COVID-restricted season 37 who excelled but didn’t win will return for another chance at glory. Later in the season, a Champion’s Wild Card tournament will bring together champs from seasons 37 and 38, along with the Second Chance winners, to face off in an even bigger showdown.

As fiveformerJeopardy! contestants who were offered spots in these tournaments tell Polygon, it’s the opportunity of a lifetime — again. It’s also an ethical nightmare.

“When I got a call gauging my interest in participating, my initial reaction was pure shock, because I’d given up any fantasies about being invited back,” one season 38 champion says. (All spoke on condition of anonymity, so as not to affect their chances to appear on Jeopardy! in the future.) “But once that initial shock wore off, it was replaced by the dread of having to make an impossible decision.”

Disclosure: Rank-and-file staffers at Polygon are members of the Vox Media Union, which is affiliated with the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE). The Vox Media Union’s collective