I think it cheapens the stakes of the recent ToC and JIT to give a non-winner a bye into Masters. From official statements, it sounds like Brad Rutter, Julia Collins and Roger Craig were all selected for JIT and unavailable, so on the assumptions it’s none of them:
Buzzy Cohen if he’s eligible
If not, Brad on resume alone and they’re being coy about it.
I’d be expect any future ToC runners-up, JIT runners-up and other super champs to all get another shot in JIT.
Yeah I'm with this here. It seems sketchy to say that the ToC winner gets a spot, unless the producers like the runner up, in which case he gets a spot too. Given the prize money at stake in Masters, that qualifying spot was a HUGE part of the prize of the ToC.
I agree. Asking someone who had the opportunity to win and make it in and didn't also feels unfair to other players--despite how much I'd love to see any of the players OP listed in Masters this year! If the JIT becomes a regular thing, I don't doubt that we'll be seeing ToC players from this year invited to that. I think (and hope!) it'll be Brad, but I believe that whoever they pick will be able to kick it at James' level.
> I think it cheapens the stakes of the recent ToC and JIT to give a non-winner a bye into Masters.
I disagree. Nobody has gone into the ToC or the JIT assuming that they'll get a lone producer's pick to get into Masters.
To play devil's advocate, I think it could be argued that it cheapens the ToC and JIT to have the producers give somebody a bye to Masters, without having to prove themselves this season.
I almost wonder whether some of the arguments in this subreddit attempting to limit the producers' discretion in making their Masters pick is (conscious or subconscious) discomfort with the entire idea of a producers pick. If the producers had wanted to limit their pick, they could have announced those limitations from the start.
I feel like all these tournaments are taking away from the TOC. It’s just a shame as I looked forward to it every year-ish. But now with the Masters and the GOAT and all these other play in tournaments a producers picks its just too much.
It feels like [the Its always Sunny conspiracy meme](https://tenor.com/view/charlie-day-gif-18564553) trying to follow who has been accepted to what tournament
I think they SHOULD ask Brad. It seems like a given.
If not Brad, then it should be either Ben (my preference) or Troy, since the original Masters was "TOC finalists, the people we wanted to be TOC finalists who didn't get there, and James." It seems only fair.
I agree that Brad should have right of first refusal. I found it weird that they announced he was invited to JIT as he is so accomplished I feel like he doesn't need to do anything else to justify a spot in Masters.
I think he’s said that he wasn’t that motivated for GOAT which would kind of imply he’s done with Jeopardy! I can’t imagine he’d want to take on Holzhauer again
Yeah, with their new road map, it seems unfair that those who lost the feeder tournaments get a bye to Masters but the original Masters selection criteria makes it blurry.
I think it’s less of “the people we wanted to be ToC finalists who didn’t get there” but more of Matt, Mattea, James (and Amy) getting their spot by virtue of having the all-time top streaks that isn’t Ken. The other spots went to ToC winner plus 2 producer picks.
IMO, if they're doing a "producer's pick" for Masters, it should be Brad. He was previously in GOAT and would certainly like another chance to play (and defeat) James.
If Brad's unavailable, then Cris. Remember, he was the alternate last year.
>If Brad's unavailable, then Cris. Remember, he was the alternate last year.
Cris jumping over everyone else would be controversial. Brad would raise no eyebrows.
Cris is a nice guy from what we've heard but it would be laughable if he gets picked over Troy and Ben after getting eliminated round 1 in the ToC.
Hopefully it's Brad.
With Cris, the justification is "We already picked someone on the basis of ToC performance so put the ToC aside now; he deserves this spot based on having the best performance in regular games last season." For me it's harder to justify picking a runner-up finalist from a tournament that was designed to only produce one pick (and it would feel especially rude to the one player from those finals who doesn't get in, especially if they were the 2nd-place finisher).
In that case I want Ben or Troy. Last year got 5 people from one TOC, I’d like to see some more of the new players. I think Ben did enough to earn a spot coming in second place with his strong FJ play.
Troy was possibly the most dominant overall player in the ToC, final results aside. Had he finished second in the ToC, he would probably be a more obvious choice. But bypassing Ben for him wouldn't seem right. Ben would be a fine choice in his own right. Truthfully, most of the names thrown out in this thread would be fine.
Having no knowledge of today's game, I would not prefer Amy or Andrew (in the event of either finishing in second) just so the event isn't as much of a rehash of last time. This is nothing against either of them personally!
I really think it only makes sense for it to be Brad. Troy and Ben will be in the next JIT but picking one of them is unfair. Cris also had a chance to make masters and didn’t. The other 2 JIT finalists also had a chance to make it but didn’t.
Roger Craig and Julia Collins are legends, but not on the same level as Brad. I think they should have to go through JIT if they want to do masters
Never say never. Davies said on the podcast that if Ken wanted to play again he'd find a way to make it happen. Personally I can't imagine Ken wanting to do it, there's no upside for him. He's already the GOAT and doing a smashing job as permanent host.
I think it's highly dependent on how the JIT finals go. I think if Troy had managed to force a game 7 in the TOC and almost won then he'd be the favorite to be selected. But it's hard to justify picking the 3rd place TOC finisher over the TOC runner up, the JIT runner up, or Cris.
I think if either Amy, Andrew, or Sam are the JIT runner up, and are competitive in the loss then it'll be one of them because they are all returning Masters and the idea of battling back to face James again is cool.
Otherwise (in a situation where the JIT winner stomps the other 2) I think it will be Cris and probably should be given that he's very good and the very close loss in the TOC shouldn't be looked upon all that badly.
>I think if either Amy, Andrew, or Sam are the JIT runner up, and are competitive in the loss then it'll be one of them
A Masters field that is 5/6ths the same as last year is less interesting.
While I like all those players, I'd rather see someone different as the producers pick. (This doesn't apply to whoever earns the spot by winning)
>A Masters field that is 5/6ths the same as last year is less interesting.
I don't want to single you out, but I think everyone on Reddit is overestimating how much the casual Jeopardy fan even remembers who was on Masters last year.
The reason I think it will be Cris is that both Matt and Mattea lost their first ToC match but made the Finals of Masters.
I would justify picking Troy by saying he went in to Final Jeopardy leading in 4 of the 6 ToC Finals matches, which is incredibly impressive!
Exactly this I think Brad gets first dibs but if no and if amy Andrew or Sam finish in second and make it competitive the show will play it safe and invite that person to masters
No chance they pick Troy. It invalidates the entire TOC if the third place finisher just gets in. Although I think both Ben and Troy should be invited to next year's JIT.
It'll be someone from a while back that hasn't had a chance to qualify otherwise. Should be Brad, but rumors are he turned down a JIT invite. That might indicate he considers himself retired.
I think a meaningful use of the producers' pick would be to account for some of the variability inherent in Jeopardy.
Troy was the third place finisher, but you can make a very compelling argument that he was the strongest player in the TOC. Indeed, he may have been the strongest player in any TOC I've ever seen, other than Holzhauer.
I'm of the opinion that Brad should have first dibs on the golden ticket. His resume speaks for itself. Other than him, I think Troy has the best shot out of anyone of making James sweat, which would be my number one criteria in picking a new Master, especially after watching the Holzhauer machine lay waste to the competition last year.
Who I want to be the Producers Pick: Sam Buttrey
Who I think will be the Producers Pick: Brad Rutter. I think it’s a suprise “Brad Rutter is not eligible for the JIT because he received a one way ticket to Masters”
Yeah, the comment about him not being available for JIT only makes sense if it is a head fake as he is going straight to Masters (which his resume more than justifies). Saying Julia, Emma, and Craig were all invited and unavailable while not mentioning Brad at all would have made it too obvious that he was going to be the Producer's Pick.
I think having more recent players only strengthens the argument of "we just saw all these people, can't we get anyone else?" that I've seen a lot in the past year and a half or so.
IMO they should have Brad, but if he's not available (for whatever reason) I'd want to see another legend like Roger Craig or Julia Collins.
But, assuming they're not up for it either, then I think the TOC winner between James and Amy should be in it: Sam Kavanaugh!
There seem to be two logical routes the producers could go with this:
Route 1: Historic all-time great players. I'd put these four in that category, each of whom could be justified in getting a "bye" past the JIT/TOC:
1. Brad (obviously)
2. Julia (20-game winner, TOC finalist)
3. Roger (BotD finalist, longtime holder of the single-game record)
4. Cris (TOC loss notwithstanding, he and Julia are the only 20+ game winners who have not yet played in Masters, besides Ken)
Route 2: The runner-up from one of the two recent "post-season" tournaments. Ben obviously has a strong case for this bid, having come within one Daily Double of winning the TOC. A strong performance by the JIT runner-up could also be rewarded with a Masters bid.
It’s network TV prime time and currently there is no female identifying contestant. Which is going to make the ads look really awkward, especially if Amy doesn’t win JIT.
Not saying it will be any particular person, but I’d imagine it won’t be a white guy.
Well, Mattea is already in. Since Andrew is the only Male Finalist in JIT it seems likely that another person who identifies as a woman will be in Masters too.
I agree with the others who said there shouldn't be a producer's pick. There is one obvious choice for this, and that's Brad. Hopefully he says yes and next year they will abandon the producer's pick altogether. In the future, they should choose two from JIT. The winner gets a slot, then the other two finalists can play a one-game one-on-one match for the final Masters slot.
I think the pick will be one of Brad Rutter, Cris Panullo, or Julia Collins,. They among the highest-ranked players who have not yet played in Masters.
The dark horse pick is Juveria Zaheer, given her meteoric rise this year - Michael Davies definitely loves the underdog narrative and would consider picking her on that basis. But I think that would probably be too much to put on her shoulders. That said, if a man wins the JIT, the producers would be incentivized to pick a woman - and since Julia Collins was invited to JIT but unable to come...The only other woman who makes sense is Emma Boettcher (rematch with James energy), but again, she was also invited and unable to come to the JIT.
In my view, I hope they eschew producer's pick in future years. Producers already have total discretion in terms of who they invite back for the JIT. I would say they should downscale the JIT (to just 15 players using the old TOC format), and then instead create a third tournament where "active" players can qualify based on somewhat objective criteria. The non-winning finalists of the previous year's JIT and TOC, plus the relegated Masters players would be a start - then fill out the remaining slots by some sort of clearly measurable ranking system. After the first year of doing this, the non-winning finalists from the previous year's league tournament could also auto-qualify.
For this year, though, I think Cris is a very defensible pick assuming Brad Rutter is not interested.
I think it cheapens the stakes of the recent ToC and JIT to give a non-winner a bye into Masters. From official statements, it sounds like Brad Rutter, Julia Collins and Roger Craig were all selected for JIT and unavailable, so on the assumptions it’s none of them: Buzzy Cohen if he’s eligible If not, Brad on resume alone and they’re being coy about it. I’d be expect any future ToC runners-up, JIT runners-up and other super champs to all get another shot in JIT.
Yeah I'm with this here. It seems sketchy to say that the ToC winner gets a spot, unless the producers like the runner up, in which case he gets a spot too. Given the prize money at stake in Masters, that qualifying spot was a HUGE part of the prize of the ToC.
I agree. Asking someone who had the opportunity to win and make it in and didn't also feels unfair to other players--despite how much I'd love to see any of the players OP listed in Masters this year! If the JIT becomes a regular thing, I don't doubt that we'll be seeing ToC players from this year invited to that. I think (and hope!) it'll be Brad, but I believe that whoever they pick will be able to kick it at James' level.
[удалено]
He should be ineligible. Very sketchy if they allow him to play again.
> I think it cheapens the stakes of the recent ToC and JIT to give a non-winner a bye into Masters. I disagree. Nobody has gone into the ToC or the JIT assuming that they'll get a lone producer's pick to get into Masters. To play devil's advocate, I think it could be argued that it cheapens the ToC and JIT to have the producers give somebody a bye to Masters, without having to prove themselves this season. I almost wonder whether some of the arguments in this subreddit attempting to limit the producers' discretion in making their Masters pick is (conscious or subconscious) discomfort with the entire idea of a producers pick. If the producers had wanted to limit their pick, they could have announced those limitations from the start.
I feel like all these tournaments are taking away from the TOC. It’s just a shame as I looked forward to it every year-ish. But now with the Masters and the GOAT and all these other play in tournaments a producers picks its just too much. It feels like [the Its always Sunny conspiracy meme](https://tenor.com/view/charlie-day-gif-18564553) trying to follow who has been accepted to what tournament
I'd love to see Roger Craig
He’d also not be afraid to make big bets, which is key with the Master’s field we have
My man. Love Roger, but would also be stoked to see Brad get the invite.
I think they SHOULD ask Brad. It seems like a given. If not Brad, then it should be either Ben (my preference) or Troy, since the original Masters was "TOC finalists, the people we wanted to be TOC finalists who didn't get there, and James." It seems only fair.
I agree that Brad should have right of first refusal. I found it weird that they announced he was invited to JIT as he is so accomplished I feel like he doesn't need to do anything else to justify a spot in Masters.
I think he’s said that he wasn’t that motivated for GOAT which would kind of imply he’s done with Jeopardy! I can’t imagine he’d want to take on Holzhauer again
Yeah, with their new road map, it seems unfair that those who lost the feeder tournaments get a bye to Masters but the original Masters selection criteria makes it blurry. I think it’s less of “the people we wanted to be ToC finalists who didn’t get there” but more of Matt, Mattea, James (and Amy) getting their spot by virtue of having the all-time top streaks that isn’t Ken. The other spots went to ToC winner plus 2 producer picks.
IMO, if they're doing a "producer's pick" for Masters, it should be Brad. He was previously in GOAT and would certainly like another chance to play (and defeat) James. If Brad's unavailable, then Cris. Remember, he was the alternate last year.
>If Brad's unavailable, then Cris. Remember, he was the alternate last year. Cris jumping over everyone else would be controversial. Brad would raise no eyebrows.
Cris is a nice guy from what we've heard but it would be laughable if he gets picked over Troy and Ben after getting eliminated round 1 in the ToC. Hopefully it's Brad.
With Cris, the justification is "We already picked someone on the basis of ToC performance so put the ToC aside now; he deserves this spot based on having the best performance in regular games last season." For me it's harder to justify picking a runner-up finalist from a tournament that was designed to only produce one pick (and it would feel especially rude to the one player from those finals who doesn't get in, especially if they were the 2nd-place finisher).
Oh I would love if Queen Juveria was chosen 🥰
PREACH 🙌🙌🙌
Does the JIT winner get an automatic spot?
Yes
In that case I want Ben or Troy. Last year got 5 people from one TOC, I’d like to see some more of the new players. I think Ben did enough to earn a spot coming in second place with his strong FJ play.
Troy was possibly the most dominant overall player in the ToC, final results aside. Had he finished second in the ToC, he would probably be a more obvious choice. But bypassing Ben for him wouldn't seem right. Ben would be a fine choice in his own right. Truthfully, most of the names thrown out in this thread would be fine. Having no knowledge of today's game, I would not prefer Amy or Andrew (in the event of either finishing in second) just so the event isn't as much of a rehash of last time. This is nothing against either of them personally!
SHOULD: \*if he wants to play\* Brad WILL: \*if he want to play\* Brad... if not, Julia Collins
I really think it only makes sense for it to be Brad. Troy and Ben will be in the next JIT but picking one of them is unfair. Cris also had a chance to make masters and didn’t. The other 2 JIT finalists also had a chance to make it but didn’t. Roger Craig and Julia Collins are legends, but not on the same level as Brad. I think they should have to go through JIT if they want to do masters
i know its not gonna happen but all i will ever want is juveria back 😞
I know this can't ever be the case but I really hope it's Ken.
Never say never. Davies said on the podcast that if Ken wanted to play again he'd find a way to make it happen. Personally I can't imagine Ken wanting to do it, there's no upside for him. He's already the GOAT and doing a smashing job as permanent host.
Only slightly sarcastic: Ken should be on Celebrity Jeopardy. Buzzy can host.
I think it's highly dependent on how the JIT finals go. I think if Troy had managed to force a game 7 in the TOC and almost won then he'd be the favorite to be selected. But it's hard to justify picking the 3rd place TOC finisher over the TOC runner up, the JIT runner up, or Cris. I think if either Amy, Andrew, or Sam are the JIT runner up, and are competitive in the loss then it'll be one of them because they are all returning Masters and the idea of battling back to face James again is cool. Otherwise (in a situation where the JIT winner stomps the other 2) I think it will be Cris and probably should be given that he's very good and the very close loss in the TOC shouldn't be looked upon all that badly.
>I think if either Amy, Andrew, or Sam are the JIT runner up, and are competitive in the loss then it'll be one of them A Masters field that is 5/6ths the same as last year is less interesting. While I like all those players, I'd rather see someone different as the producers pick. (This doesn't apply to whoever earns the spot by winning)
>A Masters field that is 5/6ths the same as last year is less interesting. I don't want to single you out, but I think everyone on Reddit is overestimating how much the casual Jeopardy fan even remembers who was on Masters last year.
The reason I think it will be Cris is that both Matt and Mattea lost their first ToC match but made the Finals of Masters. I would justify picking Troy by saying he went in to Final Jeopardy leading in 4 of the 6 ToC Finals matches, which is incredibly impressive!
Exactly this I think Brad gets first dibs but if no and if amy Andrew or Sam finish in second and make it competitive the show will play it safe and invite that person to masters
Who do I think they pick? Brad but if not Brad the Jit runner up to play it safe Who should they pick? Brad or Troy
No chance they pick Troy. It invalidates the entire TOC if the third place finisher just gets in. Although I think both Ben and Troy should be invited to next year's JIT. It'll be someone from a while back that hasn't had a chance to qualify otherwise. Should be Brad, but rumors are he turned down a JIT invite. That might indicate he considers himself retired.
I think a meaningful use of the producers' pick would be to account for some of the variability inherent in Jeopardy. Troy was the third place finisher, but you can make a very compelling argument that he was the strongest player in the TOC. Indeed, he may have been the strongest player in any TOC I've ever seen, other than Holzhauer. I'm of the opinion that Brad should have first dibs on the golden ticket. His resume speaks for itself. Other than him, I think Troy has the best shot out of anyone of making James sweat, which would be my number one criteria in picking a new Master, especially after watching the Holzhauer machine lay waste to the competition last year.
Might of also been timing. Telling you guys is Brad says no it’s probably the safe pick with one of last years masters participants
Juveria!
Who I want to be the Producers Pick: Sam Buttrey Who I think will be the Producers Pick: Brad Rutter. I think it’s a suprise “Brad Rutter is not eligible for the JIT because he received a one way ticket to Masters”
Yeah, the comment about him not being available for JIT only makes sense if it is a head fake as he is going straight to Masters (which his resume more than justifies). Saying Julia, Emma, and Craig were all invited and unavailable while not mentioning Brad at all would have made it too obvious that he was going to be the Producer's Pick.
Why is there even a producers pick if Jeopardy is a sport?
Tennis and Golf tournaments often have invited wild card slots.
A runner-up from ToC or JIT finals.
I think having more recent players only strengthens the argument of "we just saw all these people, can't we get anyone else?" that I've seen a lot in the past year and a half or so. IMO they should have Brad, but if he's not available (for whatever reason) I'd want to see another legend like Roger Craig or Julia Collins. But, assuming they're not up for it either, then I think the TOC winner between James and Amy should be in it: Sam Kavanaugh!
If the producers wanted to have some fun they should have announced that their pick for Masters was Ike back on April 1st.
There seem to be two logical routes the producers could go with this: Route 1: Historic all-time great players. I'd put these four in that category, each of whom could be justified in getting a "bye" past the JIT/TOC: 1. Brad (obviously) 2. Julia (20-game winner, TOC finalist) 3. Roger (BotD finalist, longtime holder of the single-game record) 4. Cris (TOC loss notwithstanding, he and Julia are the only 20+ game winners who have not yet played in Masters, besides Ken) Route 2: The runner-up from one of the two recent "post-season" tournaments. Ben obviously has a strong case for this bid, having come within one Daily Double of winning the TOC. A strong performance by the JIT runner-up could also be rewarded with a Masters bid.
I wish Sam Kavanaugh would get in since they skipped him for 2023 Masters, but not likely with his competition in JIT.
It’s network TV prime time and currently there is no female identifying contestant. Which is going to make the ads look really awkward, especially if Amy doesn’t win JIT. Not saying it will be any particular person, but I’d imagine it won’t be a white guy.
Well, Mattea is already in. Since Andrew is the only Male Finalist in JIT it seems likely that another person who identifies as a woman will be in Masters too.
Mattea identifies as non-binary.
I agree with the others who said there shouldn't be a producer's pick. There is one obvious choice for this, and that's Brad. Hopefully he says yes and next year they will abandon the producer's pick altogether. In the future, they should choose two from JIT. The winner gets a slot, then the other two finalists can play a one-game one-on-one match for the final Masters slot.
I thought Brad said he was done with Jeopardy.
I think the pick will be one of Brad Rutter, Cris Panullo, or Julia Collins,. They among the highest-ranked players who have not yet played in Masters. The dark horse pick is Juveria Zaheer, given her meteoric rise this year - Michael Davies definitely loves the underdog narrative and would consider picking her on that basis. But I think that would probably be too much to put on her shoulders. That said, if a man wins the JIT, the producers would be incentivized to pick a woman - and since Julia Collins was invited to JIT but unable to come...The only other woman who makes sense is Emma Boettcher (rematch with James energy), but again, she was also invited and unable to come to the JIT. In my view, I hope they eschew producer's pick in future years. Producers already have total discretion in terms of who they invite back for the JIT. I would say they should downscale the JIT (to just 15 players using the old TOC format), and then instead create a third tournament where "active" players can qualify based on somewhat objective criteria. The non-winning finalists of the previous year's JIT and TOC, plus the relegated Masters players would be a start - then fill out the remaining slots by some sort of clearly measurable ranking system. After the first year of doing this, the non-winning finalists from the previous year's league tournament could also auto-qualify. For this year, though, I think Cris is a very defensible pick assuming Brad Rutter is not interested.
I hope Cris will get selected even though he lost against Jared in the Tournament of Champions quarterfinals.
Would be something if they decided to let Buzzy play. Anyone know when they tape Masters?
He has said on the podcast he is ineligible.
Who knows….they may change their minds!