‘Danger!’ The Winners boycott the Tournament of Champions due to a writers’ strike

“The opportunity to participate in the Tournament of Champions is beyond a dream come true for me,” Lalonde told The Washington Post.

But it won’t go – at least the way it is.

On Friday, Lalonde, 61, sent an email to the show’s producers. Tell them he won’t participate for fear of recycling the questions after the “Danger!” The writers joined other members of the Writers Guild of America to strike for better pay and to ensure their work is not replaced by AI technology. Lalonde, a longtime syndicate member who designs and paints the sets for TV shows and movies, explained his decision in identical flyers posted in groups linked to the “Jeopardy!” on Facebook and Reddit. Several other top runners soon committed to Boycott Lalonde for the Championship, putting her future in doubt.

“Ray really stuck to being first,” said Hannah Wilson, who won $229,801 over eight consecutive matches in May. “But then there was kind of an avalanche…and I’m like, ‘Okay, now maybe they can’t make it to the championship. ‘” “

Like Lalonde, she decided to avoid the annual event.

Sony Pictures Entertainment, which owns Jeopardy, did not respond Monday to a request for comment from The Washington Post.

Lalonde, who lives in Toronto, said that based on previous schedules, the contestants had expected to score the championship in late August or early September. Lalonde said he wanted to inform the producers that he would not be involved before booking the champions’ flights and hotel rooms. So I send the email.

“It has come to my attention that the producers of Jeopardy are making contingency plans to continue doing the show without the book if the WGA strike remains unresolved,” he wrote. “I think it is fair to inform you in advance that I cannot be part of such an action. In the event that the show continues to be recorded… I will not cross the WGA picket line to participate.”

Thinking some of his classmates are “Danger!” Champions may be grappling with a similar decision. Lalonde made identical posts to Facebook and Reddit groups explaining that “as a supporter of the union movement, son of a union member and a proud union member myself,” he informed the producers of the show that he would not cross the picket line to play.

“My hope in saying this publicly now is to influence perhaps some future decisions to move forward without the book and encourage anyone else in the community who feels the same way to speak out as well,” he wrote at the end of his letter. “A few small voices may not change any minds but we can try.”

Wilson, a 35-year-old data scientist from Chicago, saw the post within hours. In the weeks prior, she’d been preparing for the tournament, which she described as “a dream beyond a dream,” by keeping up with “Jeopardy!” classic. Categories: Shakespeare and US Presidents. Lalonde’s job helped her crystallize her thinking about the WGA strike, which she didn’t actually “feel good” about.

“I’ll stand with you, Ray!” I wrote a response to his Reddit post.

In an interview with The Post, Wilson called the decision a “no-brainer”. As the writers’ strike continues, she said she’s also concerned that clues could be recycled or generated by artificial intelligence. But even if that were not the case, she said she would not cross the picket line.

“I don’t want to be starring in scabs,” she said.

Other heroes followed. Cris Pannullo, who won $748,286 over 21 consecutive matches, wrote on Reddit that he “completely” agrees with Lalonde’s position.

So did Troy Meyer, who won six matches in January, and Ben Chan, who won nine matches.

“Ray, thank you for taking this stand,” Chan wrote in his Reddit reply. “If you’re out, I’m out.”

Lalonde said he was disappointed about the prospect of missing out on the Tournament of Champions, something he never thought he would qualify for. He still hopes that the writers and studios will reach an agreement that will bring the writers back to Jeopardy! set, which will allow him to play conscientiously. But if that doesn’t happen, Lalonde isn’t sure how the Producers could host a Tournament of Champions without a good chunk of Champions.

“I don’t see how that will progress,” he said.