'Jeopardy!' to Celebrate 30 Years with 'Battle of the Decades' Tourney

By Paige Albiniak
( Broadcasting & Cable )
published

Headed into its 30th season, CBS Television Distribution's Jeopardy! is bringing back 45 of its champions for a competition that's been 30 years in the making: the Battle of the Decades Tournament.

Top contestants from the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s will vie for a million-dollar grand prize in several rounds of play, which will air in stages over the course of the season. Jeopardy!'s 30th season premieres Sept. 16.

Fans will have the opportunity to get involved with one tournament contestant per decade to be determined by viewers' votes. People can vote for their picks on Jeopardy.com, Facebook and Twitter.

Other season highlights will include a travel sweepstakes, the return of the popular Teachers Tournament, College Championship, and Teen Tournament, and the debut of a colorful new set.

Jeopardy! is hosted by Alex Trebek and produced by Sony Pictures Television. Harry Friedman is executive producer. CTD distributes the show.

Paige Albiniak
Paige Albiniak

Contributing editor Paige Albiniak has been covering the business of television for more than 25 years. She is a longtime contributor to Next TV, Broadcasting + Cable and Multichannel News. She concurrently serves as editorial director for The Global Entertainment Marketing Academy of Arts & Sciences (G.E.M.A.). She has written for such publications as TVNewsCheck, The New York Post, Variety, CBS Watch and more. Albiniak was B+C’s Los Angeles bureau chief from September 2002 to 2004, and an associate editor covering Congress and lobbying for the magazine in Washington, D.C., from January 1997 - September 2002.