This may be the first time fans are learning that the Jeopardy! show doesn't pay the travel and boarding expenses of their contestants. Ben Goldstein, a contestant on the previous season, took to Twitter to rant about how he had to pay out of pocket for his flight and hotel room. And now, many people are livid.
"Interesting discussion of the 'Why doesn’t #Jeopardy pay airfare and accommodations' question here," he started off in his Tweet. "Personally, I think covering travel/lodging would make the show more accessible to a wider range of contestants. Not everyone can afford a trip to LA with no guarantee of payback."
Instantly, people in the comments expressed their disappointment.
"Wow.. no clue they didnt pay your travel expenses…. that's weak," one person stated. Ben replied saying that while the show did pay for his flight when he had to return for a second taping week, he had to cover his first flight, four nights in a hotel room, and Uber expenses.
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"Disappointing to hear: Such a high value marque engaging in such low-rent/no-rent behavior," another person shared in the comments. "Literally, every profession will bill a pass-through expense for travel and lodging. You are 'cast' on a TV show, not contestants, per se. Even actors get paid."
But others didn't seem to think that Ben had a reason to rant.
Someone commented: "But it’s always been that way. ♀️ Make sure you do some research before going on a game show.."
"If you can't afford airfare and hotel, don't apply to be a contestant," someone else suggested. "Pretty simple."
Ben made his tweet after a Jeopardy! fan site posted the reason why the show doesn't pay for travel. “This has been a longstanding ‘Jeopardy!’ policy and has generally been presented as an issue of fairness by the show,” the site creator said.
In a 1994 Oakland Tribune article, it was said that if the show was to fly out contestants from the other side of the country, it wouldn't be fair to those who live closer to the gameshow studio. Meaning that some travel and room and board expenses would be more expensive than others.
But the same article noted that the contestants that make it past regular season play and into tournament play get their flights and hotels paid for. And even if a contestant doesn't win, apparently they still receive a stipend of up to $2,000, all depending on where they land on the leaderboard.
Jeopardy! didn't reply to the request for comment, but hopefully things can be arranged to make the show more accessible for all.
"I agree," one person commented. "Michael Davies has talked on Inside Jeopardy about changing eligibility rules so that the best players can keep coming back. But they can't really say that they have the best players if they only have people who can afford the trip to LA."
