James Holzhauer Criticizes Celebrity Jeopardy! Over ‘Lack of Star Power’ as Emma Stone Expresses Desire to Join

Jeopardy! champion James Holzhauer has recently criticized the popular game show for its lack of big-name celebrities in its current prime-time edition of Celebrity Jeopardy!. The professional gambler didn’t hold back his opinions, stating that the tournament has received backlash from fans due to featuring lesser-known names like Veep actor Timothy Simons, comedian Amanda Seales, and Ghosts star Utkarsh Ambudkar. Holzhauer acknowledged that it can be challenging for the show to find well-known celebrities, as many are concerned about appearing foolish on television. As a result, the Celebrity Jeopardy! shows are often considered to have easier clues.

One celebrity who has expressed interest in participating in Jeopardy! is Oscar-winning actress Emma Stone. However, she has made it clear that she is not interested in competing in the celebrity edition. Stone is looking for a bigger challenge and hopes to be a contestant on the main, syndicated version of the show. Holzhauer took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to voice his agreement with Stone’s sentiment. He tweeted, “(I know) she doesn’t want to go on Celebrity Jeopardy because the competition there is beneath her. The fatal flaw in her plan is that it would require regular Jeopardy to cast a first-time contestant.”

Stone’s love for Jeopardy! is well-known, and she has revealed that she applies to be a regular contestant on the show every year. In a recent interview with Variety, the 35-year-old actress shared her dedication to the game show, stating that she watches it every night and keeps track of how many answers she gets right. Stone genuinely believes that she could succeed as a contestant on Jeopardy! and considers it her dream to participate. However, she has yet to receive an invitation to compete on the show despite applying annually.

Late on Friday, Jeopardy! responded to Stone’s interest in a post on their Instagram page. They shared a screen-grab of Variety’s story and captioned it, “#EmmaStone has us in la la land with this mention.” The show’s producers wished her good luck in June, the month in which she applies for the show annually.

Jeopardy! is currently in its 40th season and is one of the longest-running game shows in history. After the passing of longtime host Alex Trebek in 2020, the show was hosted by both Ken Jennings and Mayim Bialik. However, last month Bialik, who had stepped back from her hosting duties in solidarity with striking members of the Writers Guild of America, announced that she had been fired as co-host. She expressed gratitude for the opportunity in an Instagram statement on December 15.

In conclusion, Jeopardy! champion James Holzhauer has criticized the celebrity edition of the game show for featuring lesser-known names. Oscar-winning actress Emma Stone has expressed her desire to be a contestant on the main, syndicated version of Jeopardy! and has applied annually. The show’s producers have responded to Stone’s interest and wished her luck in the application process. Jeopardy! is currently in its 40th season and has recently undergone a change in hosting with the departure of Mayim Bialik..