This Huge Jeopardy! Update Causes Fans To Question Buzzer Amid Brad Rutter’s Franchise Comeback

Jeopardy! Masters is fully underway, but there’s renewed attention on the buzzer after fans noticed something amid Brad Rutter’s return to the franchise. Jeopardy! Masters season 3 is currently airing, and has seen the return of such contestants as Brad, Victoria Groce, Yogesh Raut, Neilesh Vinjamuri, Matt Amodio, Juveria Zaheer, Roger Craig, Isaac Hirsch and Adriana Harmeyer. While Brad is a fan-favorite, the only reason he’s a part of the 2025 tournament is because James Holzhauer turned down the producers’ invitation; no reason was given for the shocking development, though James did recommend Brad to producers.

According to an observation by Syllish on Reddit, Brad might not be used to the current signal light that gives the contestants the go-ahead to hit their buzzers. The fan wondered when Jeopardy! switched from incandescent lights to LED lights. “Brad’s era of tournament buzzer dominance was during the era of tungsten filaments,” they explained. However, LED lights “turn on faster than incandescents,” which could affect the timing of when contestants hit their buzzers.

TriciaAnn16 replied to the OP in the Reddit thread and claimed that Jeopardy! began the process of replacing the incandescent lights “somewhere between 2010-2013.” This claim hasn’t been confirmed, though. That timeframe is more than 10 years ago, which means some fans are just now noticing the change.

Source: Syllish/Reddit