JEOPARDY! announced a big shakeup for those who closely follow the show, with Sam Buttrey named the new co-host of the Inside Jeopardy! podcast.

While fans were thrilled for the fan-favorite contestant, others wondered where this left former co-host Buzzy Cohen.

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Jeopardy!’s social media accounts announced the news on Monday, September 9, the same night as the premiere of Season 41.

They revealed Sam will co-host episodes of the behind-the-scenes podcast with long-time Jeopardy! producer Sarah Whitcomb Foss.

“Hold onto your butts! #InsideJeopardy! is back with a new co-host, SAM BUTTREY!” the Jeopardy! Instagram page posted alongside a photo and link to his first episode.

The weekly podcast gets into show announcements, recaps every episode, and has interviews with big winners.

“Sam, it’s so good to have you here in the pod,” Sarah said to start the new episode. “And can we just say that you’re gonna be in the pod a lot more now?”

“I was hoping you would say that, Sarah. My plan is to join you whenever you’ll have me,” the 2022 Tournament of Champions finalist replied.

“We’ve been sitting on this [news] for a long time,” Sarah added, stating that Sam will be an “official” co-host of the podcast.

“I’m delighted to be he

re as part of the podcast and as part of the Jeopardy! team,” Sam shared.

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Sarah shared that he would also be “hitting the road” with the show as they tour their live show and do college events.

‘IS BUZZY OUT?’

Fans took to social media to share excitement, with many “Bring It’s” given.

“Oh, I’m so delighted that Sam is going to be there,” one Facebook user wrote.

“I love Buzzy but Sam will be great! He’s the best,” wrote another.

“Is Buzzy out?” asked a third. “I used to listen regularly when I traveled more for work. Great podcast!”

Other fans also had to ask where what this meant for Buzzy.

“I hope this is in addition to buzzy, not instead of Buzzy,” one Redditor wrote.

“Does this mean Buzzy is out as pod co-host?” asked another.

“I wonder what happened with Buzzy. I enjoy both of them though (and Sarah, of course),” wrote one more. “I was surprised to see it in my feed – glad it’s back!”

Jeopardy! Contestant Rules

Passing Jeopardy!’s online Anytime Test is hard enough, but there are also many rules players must follow once they make it to the stage:

• The returning champion is always at the leftmost podium and keeps playing until they lose.
• Contestants don’t have to say “who is” or “what is” in the first round but must do so in Double Jeopardy! and Final Jeopardy.
• Contestants can change their responses as long as Ken Jennings or the judges haven’t made a ruling.
• The minimum wager for a Daily Double is $5. The minimum wager for Final Jeopardy! is $0.
• Written responses in Final Jeopardy! do not have to be spelled correctly, but they must be phonetically correct (the judges decide this).
• If there’s a tie after Final Jeopardy, the tied players enter a bonus clue shootout, and whoever buzzes in first correctly wins.
• If all three contestants wager everything in Final Jeopardy! and are incorrect, leaving them with $0, there will be no returning champion (it’s happened before—six times).

BUZZY’S STATUS REVEALED

During the new episode, it was heavily implied that Sam, Sarah, and Executive Producer Michael Davies would now host the podcast.

There was no mention of Buzzy during the 30-minute episode.

But Foss implied Buzzy would not return and that Sam had taken his place.

“Sam, you’re going to fly back down next week,” she said at the tail end of the episode, as the professor-turned-Bon Vivant lives in Monterey, California.

“[Executuve Producer] Michael Davies will be back, so we’re going to have all three of us here in the pod,” she closed.

The wording of “all three of us” seemingly confirms Buzzy is no longer involved.

Buzzy, a fan-favorite contestant in his own right, co-hosted the pod for its first two years.

That said, Buzzy’s profile remains on the Jeopardy! website, where he’s listed as “A contributor on the weekly Inside Jeopardy! podcast.”

Buzzy’s departure may be the same reason fans thought he was passed over as host of Pop Culture Jeopardy!.

As Redditors realized last month: “Buzzy is under contract with the History Channel. He’s hosting a game show on there called The Einstein Challenge.”

Buzzy likely has a contract with The History Channel that could prevent him from working on Jeopardy!.

DOWNSIDE FOR SAM

Meanwhile, fans also pointed out that the big news for Sam had its own downside.

Sam is likely now retired as a contestant, as show hosts aren’t allowed to compete.

“Does this mean Sam can’t participate in tournaments anymore?” another Reddit fan wondered upon the announcement.

“Also wondering about this. It would feel strange to not see him in next year’s JIT,” wrote another.

“I would die for Sam, our favorite bon vivant!!” wrote a third. “But yeah, he was clearly a bit out of his element in Masters – considering he has no path back to tournament play by being relegated (some future invitational notwithstanding), it is pretty obvious he is hanging up the proverbial buzzer. This is a great role for him.”

Sam made his first Jeopardy! appearance in 2021 winning the Professors Tournament. He then returned for the 2022 ToC, where he made it to the finals.

His hilarious on-stage presence, side hustle as a Soundcloud songwriter, and resemblance to Steve Martin made him an instant fan favorite.

He also competed in the inagural Jeopardy! Masters special and the 2024 Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament.

Jeopardy! airs weeknights at 7 p.m. Eastern – check your local listings.

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