FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

THE ROAD TO THE TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS

BEGINS TUESDAY, DECEMBER 19

WITH THE PREMIERE OF THE

‘JEOPARDY!’ SEASON 39 SECOND CHANCE COMPETITION

 

36 Contestants Will Return to Play in Four Week-Long Competitions;

Four Winners Will Advance to Champions Wildcard

 

CULVER CITY, CALIF. (December 12, 2023) – JEOPARDY! announced today the 36 contestants returning for the Season 39 JEOPARDY! Second Chance  competition. The field consists of players who didn’t become JEOPARDY! champions in their initial appearances last season, but whose performances convinced the JEOPARDY! producers that they have what it takes to win on the Alex Trebek Stage if given a second chance to compete.

 

The Second Chance event consists of four competitions airing Tuesday, December 19 to Monday, January 15. The winner of each week will take home $35,000 and punch their ticket to the Season 39 JEOPARDY! Champions Wildcard competition. Champions Wildcard features players who won one or two games last season returning to compete for a spot in the 2024 Tournament of Champions.

 

The 36 players from last season returning for this Second Chance competition are as follows:

 

Week 1 (December 19-25)

Jason Carpenter, a stand-up comic from Santa Rosa Valley, Calif.

Sam Claussen, a history professor from Santa Clarita, Calif.

Mike Elliot, a meat cutter originally from Derry, N.H.

Jake Garrett, a football coach and teacher from Trussville, Ala.

Iris Masucci, a pharmacist from Rockville, Md.

Karen Morris, a veterinary student from Christiansburg, Va.

Eva Thomas, an attorney from Brooklyn. N.Y.

Michael Vaz, a tutor from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

Juveria Zaheer, a psychiatrist from Whitby, Ontario, Canada

 

Week 2 (December 26 – January 1)

Xanni Brown, a postdoctoral researcher originally from Cincinnati, Ohio

Mitch Cutter, a salmon conservation associate from Boise, Idaho

Greg Czaja, a cardiologist from San Diego, Calif.

Tammy Groner, a legal assistant from Hamilton, N.J.

Ben Hebert, a shipping manager from Chicago, Ill.

Myles Karp, a journalist and consultant from Weston, Fla.

Emily Kawaler, a bioinformatician from New York, N.Y.

Raquel Matta, a copy editor from San Pablo, Calif.

Christopher Pennant, a sports journalist and podcaster from Chicago, Ill.

 

Week 3 (January 2-8)

Sharon Bishop, a high school Spanish teacher from Pawtucket, R.I.

Michael Cavaliere, a consultant from New York, N.Y.

Rachel Cohen, a consultant originally from Chevy Chase, Md.

Max Davison, a writer from Studio City, Calif.

Matt Harvey, a healthcare administrator from Providence, R.I.

Randall Rayford, a solar project developer from Houston, Texas

Kelly Shannon-Henderson, a classics professor from Cincinnati, Ohio

Sophia Weng, a senior at Harvard University from Chevy Chase, Md.

Andrew Whatley, an academic administrator from Chicago, Ill.

 

Week 4 (January 9-15)

Roy Camara, a grocery specialist from Crawfordville, Fla.

Denise Carlon, an attorney from Seaside Heights, N.J.

John Guszkowski, a planning consultant from Pomfret, Connecticut

Rotimi Kukoyi, a sophomore at UNC-Chapel Hill from Hoover, Ala.

April Marquet, a digital production artist from Oakland, Calif.

Long Nguyen, a retired engineer from Las Vegas, Nev.

Allison Strekal, a nonprofit development director from Missoula, Mont.

Michael Vallely, a program analyst from Cleveland, Ohio

Pam Warren, a high school science teacher from Petersburg, Ill.

 

For more information about JEOPARDY! Second Chance, please visit Jeopardy.com/second-chance/. Check local listings for show times and stations.

 

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JEOPARDY!, America’s Favorite Quiz Show™, is in its 40^th season in syndication. With a weekly audience over 20 million viewers, JEOPARDY! is the top-rated quiz show on television. The show has won a total of 43 Emmy^® Awards, holds the Guinness World Records^® title for the most Emmy^® Awards won by a TV game show, and received a Peabody Award for “celebrating and rewarding knowledge.” JEOPARDY! is produced by Sony Pictures Television, a Sony Pictures Entertainment Company; it is distributed domestically by CBS Media Ventures and internationally by Paramount Global Content Distribution, both units of Paramount.

 

Follow JEOPARDY!: Jeopardy.com | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Instagram

 

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Press Contacts:

Alison Shapiro Cooke

Executive Director, Communications & Community Engagement | JEOPARDY!

(310) 244-6514

alison_shapiro@spe.sony.com

 

Susie Eun

Senior Publicity Manager | JEOPARDY!

(310) 244-6517

susie_eun@spe.sony.com