Danger! He is highly respected by his fans and former players, and it has been proven that there is little tolerance for those who are not considered to show proper respect for the game. So it’s no surprise that former three-day champion Yogesh Routh was criticized for completely destroying the show in an epic tirade on social media after fans accused him of bad sports behavior after the defeat. James Holzhauer, like executive producer Michael Davis, had strong feelings about the situation when the super champion called for a “lifetime ban” of the Rout. Let’s break down this latest Jeopardy! drama:
Yogesh Raut calls for danger! In several rants on Facebook
Yogesh Raut, whose name is apparently well-known among quiz fans, appeared on Jeopardy! starting on January 11, winning $96,403 in three wins before being defeated. Routh hurt some viewers with his confidence and was accused of being a cruel loser after some thought he refused to congratulate Katie Palumbo after she beat him in his fourth game.
The podcaster from Springfield, Illinois, posted several already deleted rants on Facebook within a few days, in which he called Jeopardy! “a glorified reality show” and said (according to the New York Post):
[Danger! will never top the list of my achievements in quizzes — not even my achievements in quizzes in 2022.
He supported these sentiments in other posts, claiming that Jeopardy! this is just entertainment and has nothing to do with the wider quiz community. He texted:
But today I get the most attention, praise, congratulations and malicious trolling from strangers (!) in my life… and for what? What have I done to get the biggest paycheck in my quiz career? I beat two guys. This is also not an insult to Jeopardy! it’s a TV show designed for entertainment, and it’s good enough. It’s fun to watch, but it has as much to do with a real quiz as Hawley Moth has to do with golf.
His problem seemed to have more to do with the seriousness that Jeopardy fans! relate to the game than to the show itself, as he said several times that his experience in the show was good. He just said Danger! does not deserve to be on a pedestal, which was put by the audience, writing:
Jeopardy has never been and will never be a quiz Olympiad. Danger! this is not a problem; its central place in American society. There will never be a healthy quiz culture in this country until we learn to stop pretending it’s dangerous! it is important.
That was just part of what Yogesh Raut said, and it’s not hard to see how staunch defenders of the game show would take such harsh criticism.
James Holzhauer calls for lifetime disqualification
One person who quickly defended Jeopardy! There was James Holzhauer, one of the biggest winners in Jeopardy! a story with almost $3 million acquired since it first appeared in 2019. A professional sports player has never held back when he has an opinion about something, and he made a rather serious offer in response to Yogesh Raut’s rants. Holzhauer tweeted:
Anyone who’s ever used social media to criticize Jeopardy or its producers should get a lifetime ban from the show
— James Holzhauer (@James_Holzhauer) January 24, 2023
Considering how much money James Holzhauer earned as a criminal! The champion, and the opportunities that this has given him — now he is a participant in another quiz game show, The Chase — one can understand how he can disagree with a fellow champion, so to speak, biting the hand that feeds. In the end, Routh won almost $100,000.
However, James Holzhauer himself did not always speak praiseworthy words about the series. While it’s clear he has a lot of respect for the game, he has openly criticized disgraced former executive producer Mike Richards and the show’s sloppy search for a permanent host to replace the late Alex Trebek.
Michael Davis responds to the controversy surrounding Yogesh Routh
Michael Davis, the executive director who came in after Mike Richards was removed, even addressed the situation with Yogesh Routh, saying he liked that Routh defended himself against attacks on social media. Regarding the participant’s conflicting views on the relevance of Jeopardy!, Davis said in the podcast Inside Jeopardy! (opens in new tab):
That’s the thing. Danger! does not stand up to criticism. … We don’t do as part of our qualification requirements that you have to come to the show and you have to say nice things about Jeopardy!
Although he said he was thinking about Jeopardy! serving a “very important public need,” Michael Davis continued that he would never want to silence a player who felt the need to defend himself, even saying he felt bad that the show wasn’t doing more to prepare its participants for the challenges they might face on social media. He continued:
Just as I would not deprive people in our TV viewing community of the right to express what they like and what they don’t like, I would never want to censor a participant who defends himself, even if what he or she does, I must say, is not always the most flattering for Jeopardy! … I think all our contestants deserve respect. If you’ve never played this game, if you’ve never been on this stage, I think it’s very hard to imagine what kind of pressure you’re under, and I think Yogesh made some good points in his long answers.
As for the lifetime ban, Michael Davis added that he likes a character like Routh, and said: “Players of this quality will always be welcome on the Alex Trebek stage.”
An old danger! producer Sarah Foss doubled down on Michael Davis’ words, pointing out that Yogesh Raut is considered “the best of the best” in the quiz community, as well as a multiple champion with a high total earnings, and this is not excluded. that Routh might be invited back. She did not address James Holzhauer’s request directly, but noted that if Routh returns to Jeopardy!:
You first heard it here: Michael Davis will welcome it.
Although it doesn’t look like James Holzhauer will see justice done the way he wants, it would be quite interesting to watch on television if he and Yogesh Raut met face to face sometime in the future! In the meantime, check your local listings to find out when you can catch Jeopardy! in your region, and also take a look at our TV program for 2023 to find out what premieres are waiting for us in the near future.
