Jeopardy! Isn’t Slowing Down After Second Chance. It’s About to Get Ruthless in the Champions Wildcard. Just when fans thought the chaos was over, the winners of Second Chance didn’t get a victory lap — they got thrown straight into an even fiercer arena. The Champions Wildcard lineup is stacking familiar faces, unfinished business, and reputations that refuse to stay buried. Viewers expected closure, but instead got escalation, as returning contestants prepare to clash with everything on the line. Social media is already buzzing over who truly belongs here and who’s about to be exposed under pressure. This isn’t redemption anymore — it’s survival among the smartest. And as the brackets tighten, one thing is clear: Jeopardy! is setting the stage for its most unforgiving battles yet.

Ken Jennings
Sony/Jeopardy! Inc.
Sony/Jeopardy! Inc.
The 2025 Jeopardy! postseason is just heating up. With the Second Chance Tournament now over, Jeopardy! fans can look forward to The Champions Wildcard next. Read the lineup below, including who was added from the Second Chance Tournament.

Executive producers Sarah Whitcomb-Foss and Michael Davies shared the lineup and scheduled on the Inside Jeopardy! podcast on Monday, November 17.

Harrison Whitaker will not be in the 2026 Tournament of Champions as his run came too late into the season to qualify for it. However, he is the first seed in the 2027 ToC. Whitaker took home a total of $375,999 after 15 games and 14 wins with his final one on December 1.

Although the EPs announced the premiere date for Celebrity Jeopardy!: All-Stars — February 27 — they told fans to “stay tuned” and “use their imaginations” for the cast, which can’t be announced just yet.

Pop Culture Jeopardy! Season 2 is still auditioning, and Davies shared that celebrities as well as Jeopardy! champions and former contestants are interested.

Find out who will be in the postseason tournaments below as Ken Jennings returns to host.

  • Champions Wildcard — starting January 5 for two weeks, the winner of this tournament secures a berth in the ToC. The roster features one and two-day champions. Plus, the three-day champions who didn’t make it to the ToC and those who advanced from Second Chance.
    • Geoff Barnes, an analyst from Washington, D.C.
    • Cameron Berry, a data analyst and college administrator from Brighton, Massachusetts
    • Dave Bond, an art student from Rochester, N.Y.
    • James Corson, a nuclear engineer from Frederick, Maryland
    • Jonathan Hugendubler, an adjunct professor and trivia host from Baltimore, Maryland
    • Bill McKinney, a VP of restaurants and bars from San Diego, California
    • Ian Morrison, an airline ramp agent originally from Aurora, Colorado
    • Harvey Silikovitz, an attorney and worldwide karaoke singer originally from West Orange, New Jersey
    • Jason Singer, a real estate agent from Portland, Maine
    • Vickie Talvola, a quantitative trader from Jersey City, New Jersey
    • Stella Trout, a software engineer originally from Houston, Texas
    • Dargan Ware, an attorney and writer from Bessemer, Alabama
    • Pete Johnston, a university professor, from Alma, Michigan
    • Michelle Tsai, a tutor, from Honolulu, Hawaii
    • Ryan Sharpe, a recent graduate, from Oakville, Ontario, Canada
  • Tournament of Champions — kicking off January 19, the ToC is the marquee event of the Jeopardy! season. The ToC features the players who won the most games during the eligibility period, plus the winner of Champions Wildcard, and Celebrity Jep! champions. 
    • Scott Riccardi, a 16-game super-champion from Somerville, N.J.
    • Laura Faddah, an eight-game champion from Memphis, Tenn.
    • Paolo Pasco, a seven-game champion originally from San Diego, Calif.
    • Andrew Hayes, a six-game champion originally from Tupelo, Miss.
    • Liam Starnes, a six-game champion from Columbus, Ohio
    • Josh Weikert, a six-game champion from Collegeville, Pa.
    • Ben Ganger, a five-game champion from Goshen, Ind.
    • TJ Fisher, a five-game champion from San Francisco, Calif.
    • Alex DeFrank, a four-game champion from Brooklyn, N.Y.
    • Allegra Kuney, a four-game champion from New Brunswick, N.J.
    • Steven Olson, a four-game champion from Princeton, Ill.
    • Bryce Wargin, four-game champion from Kansas City, Mo.
    • Ashley Chan, a four-game champion from Lewisville, Texas
    • Matt Massie, a three-game champion originally from South Charleston, W.Va.
    • Tom Devlin, a three-game champion from Washington, D.C.
    • Brendan Liaw, a three-game champion from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    • Mike Dawson, a three-game champion from Portland, Ore.
    • Aaron Levine, a three-game champion from Seattle, Wash.
    • Lisa Ann Walter, Celebrity Jeopardy! Season 2 champion originally from Washington, D.C.
    • W. Kamau Bell, Celebrity Jeopardy! Season 3 champion from Oakland, Calif.
    • Champions Wildcard Winner TBD

Which contestants are you most excited about? Let us know in the comments.

Champions Wild Card, starting January 5, check local listings 

Tournament of Champions, starting January 19, check local listings

Pop Culture Jeopardy!, TBD 2026, Netflix

Celebrity Jeopardy!: All-Stars, Fridays, starting February 27, ABC

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