What is… a new edition to Jeopardy!? The host of the game show pitched that the families of Jeopardy! contestants should wear heart monitors. This idea came from the families of the Olympians doing the same.
“Putting heart monitors on Olympian family members for TV is f**king weird,” a Blue Sky user wrote on February 9.
Ken Jennings quoted the post and said, “brb pitching this at Jeopardy!”
Sports Illustrated shared that coaches, parents, and partners of the American athletes would all wear the devices, and their heart rates would be shown on TV for fans to see. This feature was first worn during the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, by just the parents, and has been carried over to include more people at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
“We need an onscreen heart rate chyron when the contestant has to talk briefly about themselves,” a Jeopardy! fan suggested.
“Just put it on the contestants themselves and take away money if their heart rate spikes,” another suggested.
“Pick 3 random audience members to wear heart monitors and assign them to a podium each. Tell them they’ll get a prize if the contestant on that podium wins. Put their heart monitor readings on screen and show them to the contestants before Final Jeopardy,” a third said.
brb pitching this at Jeopardy
— Ken Jennings (@kenjennings.bsky.social) February 9, 2026 at 6:29 PM
Some former contestants spoke out about the idea. Kit Sekelsky, who won three games in 2021, said, “Pretty sure on stage at Jeopardy! was the calmest I’ve ever felt, and I will never be able to explain that.”
Julie Plaid, a librarian, who won one game in 2023, commented, “I didn’t hear the Think music. I asked if they added it later. Nope, I just didn’t even notice it.”
But the host’s pitch was for the family members, not the contestants. However, seeing contestants’ heart rates during Daily Doubles, Final Jeopardy, and tournaments would be interesting.
Jennings knows firsthand how high-stakes Jeopardy! is, since he went on a 74-game winning streak in 2004. While contestants on the game show are winning money, the Olympians are risking their lives by doing high-risk sports. Everyone on Jeopardy! walks away with money of some amount, but only the top three Olympians in each sport get a medal.
What do you think of the host’s pitch? Let us know in the comments.
Jeopardy!, weekdays, check local listings, stream next day on Hulu and Peacock
