“The Chase,” a rebooted game show featuring “Jeopardy!” greats Ken Jennings, James Holzhauer and Brad Rutter, is officially returning for a second season.
When will ‘The Chase’ second season air?
After a writers’ strike that extended from late March to early April, “The Chase” announced that it would be returning to ABC for a second season on June 7.
- “‘The Chase’ is one of those ones we wanted to get back on as soon as possible because we really want the momentum of that format to keep going,” a representative for Walt Disney Television recently told Deadline. “We’re excited with how it did this winter and we’re glad we can bring it back so quickly.”
“The Chase” premiered in January and pits contestants against trivia pros who do their best to keep the contestants from walking away with any money, the Deseret News previously reported.
- “I think all of us bring our own spins to the thing,” Holzhauer previously told the Seattle Times. “Ken is a nicer guy than either Brad or I seem to be, and you get the sense that he feels really bad when he has to eliminate the contestants. I did not have this problem, shall we say.”
What does this mean for Ken Jennings and ‘Jeopardy!’?
Jennings was the first guest host to fill in on “Jeopardy!” following Alex Trebek’s death.
He filmed the first season of “The Chase” before stepping into the “Jeopardy!” studio in late November 2020. After a six-week run as host, Jennings — who is currently a consulting producer for “Jeopardy!” — was unavailable to continue on in the position due to his obligations with “The Chase.”
But even as “The Chase” moves forward with a second season, Jennings — who so far has had the highest ratings of any guest host — has said he’d like “another chance” to host “Jeopardy!”
- “I did feel like at the end, I was almost starting to get comfortable, I was starting to enjoy it a little bit,” Jennings recently said during a virtual fundraiser for the Edmonds Center for the Arts in Washington state. “I think with time I am starting to figure this out. So I do hope I get another chance.”
Mike Richards, the executive producer of “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune,” has said that Jennings is “absolutely” being considered as an official replacement for Trebek, although the show is exploring several options.
By the time filming for the new season begins in late July or early August, “Jeopardy!” will have named an official replacement for Trebek, the Deseret News reported. The audition process continues for the rest of the current season, as Mayim Bialik, Savanna Guthrie, Sanjay Gupta, LeVar Burton, George Stephanopoulos, Robin Roberts, David Faber and Joe Buck all take their turns as host.