'Jeopardy!' Producer Tries To Hush Criticism Over Proposed Rule Change

“Jeopardy!” executive producer Michael Davies wants to clear the air after facing criticism in September for a proposed rule change to the game show.

Davies, who took over as executive producer in 2021, had expressed interest in “Jeopardy!” giving cash prizes to contestants who correctly answered all of the clues in a single category.

Davies added at the time that the suggested rule change would be an incentive that wouldn’t impact who wins the game.

“Jeopardy!” fans asked on social media if the change was “too big” to be a good idea , while others hoped the incentives would not impact the game’s score.

During an “Inside Jeopardy!” podcast on Monday , Davies spoke about the response to “positing the not yet reined-in idea,” TV Insider reported .

“It doesn’t need to be reined in yet because it hasn’t been enacted in any way,” he said. “But a lot of responses on social [media] to award a prize of some sort to people who run a category on Jeopardy! That would not … would not affect gameplay.”

“It would not add to that game total; it would not be there [on players’ scores],” Davies continued. “It would be a separate thing.”

“Jeopardy!” has sparked debates among fans before this year, including criticism over what judges accept for written answers.