JEOPARDY! is launching one last tournament this season before regular games resume, and some rarely-seen megastars may actually resurface for it.

A new photo revealed the Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament (JIT) may include Colby Burnett, Jason Zuffranieri, and the infamous Arthur Chu.

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Ken Jennings hosts the Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament directly after the Tournament of ChampionsCredit: 2023 American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.

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A new photo with Colby Burnett, Arthur Chu, and Jason Zuffranieri hinted they’re in the lineupCredit: Twitter
The JIT is a brand-new tournament that will run from around March 29 until April 12 following the ongoing Tournament of Champions.

Despite Jeopardy! being in perpetual tournament mode since September, this mini-event has fans buzzing.

Boasting 27 contestants handpicked by producers, JIT is promising not just recent players but the “best from all time,” as recently hinted by higher-ups.

While the official lineup is still being kept quiet, eagle-eyed fans have already spotted three potential contenders.

A Reddit user shared a snapshot from the legendary O’Brien’s pub trivia night on Wednesday, a hotspot for Jeopardy! royalty.

The pub is just steps from its Culver City, Los Angeles studio, and the photo showed the most recent winning team.

The group photo not only featured the usual suspects but also some contestants who’ve been MIA for ages; it also aligned with when JIT was taped.

The photo included Arthur Chu, infamous for his 11-win streak in 2014 in which he sparred with the late Alex Trebek.

It also showed Colby Burnett, the 2013 Tournament of Champions winner and runner-up of the 2019 All-Star Games.

And Jason Zuffieneri, who won 19 games in 2019, all standing outside the bar after winning trivia night.

Speculation is rife that this trio might be in town specifically for the JIT.

As the U.S. Sun spotted, one “clue” was their cheeky team name, “*IT HAPPENS,” slyly referencing the tournament’s acronym.

HOLY JIT!

A fan took to the Jeopardy! Reddit fan forum sharing the photo, where others lost their cool over such huge names possibly returning.

The fan began, sharing the snap above: “When was JIT filmed? Saw some familiar faces on the Twitter account of O’Briens (LA Bar with famous pub quiz) this morning.

They added: “For what it’s worth, Alan [Lin] appears to be a regular here so I wouldn’t look too deeply into his appearance in this photo.

“But it wouldn’t be surprising to see some of these folks in LA if the JIT recently filmed.”

Another fan replied: “I believe they just wrapped up filming!

A third wrote: “The one who looks like Arthur Chu is probably Arthur Chu.

A fourth wrote: “it’s been so long and he’s hard to track down these days, so i wanted to be sure. now my hopes are definitely up. jeopardy pls.”

A fifth wrote: “Arthur Chu! Colby!” and a sixth: “Did Arthur Chu wager $5?”

A sixth wrote: “Yeah. He seems happy now that he’s not being dramatic on social media,” also referencing Chu.

WHAT IS: THE JIT?

Jeopardy! fans may be triggered by the word “tournament,” but this event will surely be major.

The JIT is a brand-new annual event and will open the floodgates to iconic older champions away from the buzzer for “decades.”

The JIT holds guaranteed slots for fan favorites and 2022 TOC finalists Amy Schneider, Andrew He, and Sam Buttrey, but the rest is a secret.

On the latest episode of the Inside Jeopardy! podcast, producer Sarah Whitcomb Foss shared some more details on the JIT.

“This is a field of 27; these are some of the best players from all time,” Foss said, noting that taping on the JIT has now begun.

“I’m really excited to see some of these folks back on the Alex Trebek stage competing.” Foss continued,

“Some of them haven’t competed in over a decade… some in recent years.”

The long-time Jeopardy! producer did note they “made a specific cutoff for this JIT.”

“We decided anyone who competed in the 2022 Tournament of Champions, like that season, that we were gonna take qualifiers from before then,” Foss explained.

“Because all of them were, in fact, able to qualify for Masters, those who played before 2022, Masters didn’t exist.”

The winner of the tournament will earn a spot in the next Jeopardy! Masters, which is scheduled to air on ABC primetime this May.

Legendary Jeopardy! super-champ James Holzhauer won last year’s Masters and will return this season to defend his crown.

WHO IS: ALSO COMPETING?

Earlier, other fans took to Reddit, expressing other contestants they hope to see in the lineup, including 2021 TOC winner Sam Kavanaugh, who was snubbed from the first Masters competition.

Others were hoping to see highest-earner ever Brad Rutter return.

“Brad because he’s one of the GOATS (despite his performance at the actual GOAT tournament) and Sam because he probably should have been at the last masters,” wrote one fan on the Jeopardy! Reddit forum.

“I really am hoping to see Sam Kavanaugh. It still doesn’t sit well with me that the show bypassed him for Masters while holding its eligibility period open during the ToC he won,” said another.

JIT FORMAT & MORE

The 11-13 day faceoff consists of six quarterfinal matches, three semifinals, and a first-to-two win finals.

It’s also one last opportunity for big stars – say, Cris Pannullo, Hannah Wilson, or Juveria Zaheer – to return in future years after they didn’t fare well in the 2024 ToC.

Along with the JIT winner, the last two slots in May’s Masters will go to the winner of the 2024 ToC and one more producer’s pick.

After JIT concludes, regular episodes with new contestants will finally return at long last.

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Arthur Chu is seemingly returning for the JIT based on the photo hintCredit: JEOPARDY!

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As is Colby Burnett, seen here during 2019’s team-based All Star GamesCredit: Jeopardy!

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The only contestants who have been announced so far are Andrew He, Sam Buttrey and Amy Schneider- the JIT winner goes to MastersCredit: Twitter/jeopardy