‘Jeopardy!’ takes a break from James Holzhauer for Teachers Tournament

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Beginning Monday, May 6, 2019, syndicated game show “Jeopardy!” won’t have James Holzhauer — the record-setting winner who has captured the nation’s attention — while it takes a break from regular gameplay for the annual Teachers Tournament.

• The two week affair, which uses the standard “Jeopardy!” tournament format, was likely planned well before Holzhauer’s run began.
• Holzhauer’s winning streak managed to fall right during May sweeps — which started April 25 this year.
• There have been some reports, however, that Holzhauer’s repeated wins and runaway games have made the showing boring to regular viewers, so taking a break from him could be a good, if unplanned, move.
• Holzhauer, who won his 22nd game Friday, will return May 20.
• Sweeps end May 22, so he will still appear in two more games during ratings.
• “Jeopardy!” wrapped up production for the season several weeks ago, so the Teachers Tournament and Holzhauer’s return have been “in the can” for some time now.
• It is normal “Jeopardy!” practice for the returning champion to “take a break” during tournaments and pick up after that.
• In some cases, this is a welcome break for the contestants, who typically have to travel to Los Angeles for tapings.
• “Jeopardy!” typically tapes two days a week — taping five shows a day — so it ends up producing two weeks’ worth of programs in one week.
• This means, assuming “Jeopardy!” was following this production schedule, Holzhauer would have at least week off — with the 10 game Teacher’s Tournament being taped over two days.
• Most likely these two days were consecutive in order to minimize travel for contestants who advance to the second week.