Jeopardy!bosses recently defended Amy Schneider and picked her for the upcoming Masters tournament despite fan backlash.
The latest episode of the Inside Jeopardy! Podcast, featuring the show’s executive producer, Michael Davies, and fellow producer, Sarah Whitcomb Foss, opened up about selecting Schneider for the final spot.
Commenting on the subject, Davies explained: "Understand that we get a lot of data, and we’ve talked before about how we share the buzzer data, how we see the players. We’re also evaluating constantly how people are playing against a certain level of material, which is another very important thing."
He further continued, adding: "Plus, this being — and I make no apologies for it — Jeopardy! is an entertainment television program."
"We do have to look at and work with the network on social media reach and popularity, and the number of people across the media who will follow the story, plus the balance of contestants who we’ve already got there. And our unanimous pick is Amy Schneider."
Being the executive producer, Davies announced Schneider as the Producer’s Pick at the Inside Jeopardy Live! Event at Hudson yards in New York City last Friday.
Quipping to the live audience, as perThe Sun, he said: "I have to prepare myself for the Redditors, so firstly, it’s a Producer Pick, but it’s not just me. It’s all the producers."
"We have to acknowledge there were several worthy people. But one person stood above everybody else," he explained.
Davies also shared that he "loves a redemption story," referring to Schneider’s loss early in the tournament.
For the unversed, fans took to social media to express their disappointment by the pick shortly after Davies broke the big news.