Michigan Jeopardy Champion Slams Show for Alleged Bias

A former Jeopardy champion from Michigan has harsh words for the iconic gameshow, claiming other players were given an unfair advantage.

Jennifer Quail is an author from Dowagiac, Michigan. Dowagiac is a small city with a population of about 5,000 people in Cass County. It's located about 45 miles southwest of Kalamazoo.

About Jennifer Quail

Quail is no stranger to the Jeopardy stage. She first appeared in season 36 of the quiz show in 2019, nearly a year before Alex Trebek's death. She was a eight-game champion during the show's regular play and returned in 2021 to participate in the 2021 Tournament of Champions where she finished in second place.

She returned to the Alex Trebek stage this season to participate in the 'Jeopardy Invitational Tournament' (JIT) which began in March. She made a stunning, come-from-behind win against formidable foes Alex Jacob and Brandon Blackwell (who you may recognize from 'The Chase' and advanced to the tournament's semifinal round.

Player Claims Unfair Semifinal Matchup

But Jennifer didn't fare so well in the tournament's semifinals, losing to Jeopardy stalwart Amy Schneider.

After she was eliminated from the tournament, Quail threw shade at the quiz show, tweeting that some players had had nearly a year to prepare for the show's JIT competition, while others had been given significantly less notice.

Quail contended that veteran players Amy Schneider, Andrew He, and Sam Buttrey should have been pitted against each other in a semi-final round because each had participated in the show's Masters Tournament and had faced off in the final round of the 2022 Tournament of Champions.

The Michigan player offered more criticism in a Tweet dated April 3.

"See, yesterday and today is why I feel like the three people who knew a year in advance they'd be here should have had to play each other in the semis or quarters, because we're one game away from it making no difference, it would just be a Masters repeat."

The Daily Mail rounded up more tweets from fans who had similar opinions, criticizing the show for what they felt was an unfair matchup between unequally-prepared contestants.

Jeopardy airs weeknights on WNEM-TV in the Flint area and other stations across Michigan.