Joe Buck-hosted ‘ESPN Jeopardy!’ will answer the question of who is really a huge sports nerd

The first-ever ESPN Jeopardy!, hosted by Joe Buck, is almost here, and ESPN has revealed the celebrity contestants.

The show will feature Jeopardy! questions focused on the realm of sports. So you won’t have to sit there feeling like an idiot when a category is “French Artists.” Each contestant will represent a charity, and the winner will receive a $500,000 grand prize.

There will be eighteen contestants, split into six quarterfinals. The celebrities are ESPN personalities, NFL Network personalities, NFL players-turned-commentators, or other celebrities.

ESPN personalities participating include Madelyn Burke, Kevin Negandhi, Hannah Storm, Jay Harris, Amina Smith, MJ Acosta, Peter Schrager, Omar Raja, Christine Williamson, Jeremy Schaap, and Kimberley Martin. NFL Network fans will be able to watch Kyle Brandt and Jamie Erdahl. Former NFL players-turned-commentators Domonique Foxworth and Manti Te’o will also participate, alongside celebrities Jon Hamm, Keegan-Michael Key and Adam Pally.

Jeopardy! and Family Feud have historically done well by involving celebrities and raising money for a good cause, which is a nice reason to do so. These types of episodes often lead to viral clips, and fans of these sports media personalities will get to see just how they stack up in terms of their sports knowledge.

Earlier this year, Mina Kimes had an impressive Celebrity Jeopardy! run, in which she outlined her wagering strategy for those who were struggling to understand it. That’s part of the value of doing the shows with celebrities, is that their social following can latch onto a new program they might not always be inclined or aware to watch.

Some folks have asked me to explain my wagering strategy in Celebrity Jeopardy so here it is…how I won despite being wrong 😭 pic.twitter.com/gQ0j3CW8sJ

— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) May 13, 2026

Jeopardy! will stream on July 31st. Below are the groupings.

Quarterfinal 1: Christine Williamson, Jeremy Schaap and Kimberley Martin

Quarterfinal 2: MJ Acosta-Ruiz, Peter Schrager and Omar Raja

Quarterfinal 3: Jon Hamm, Keegan-Michael Key and Adam Pally

Quarterfinal 4: Hannah Storm, Jay Harris and Amina Smith

Quarterfinal 5: Kyle Brandt, Jamie Erdahl and Manti Te’o

Quarterfinal 6: Kevin Negandhi, Domonique Foxworth and Madelyn Burke

If we were participating, Jeremy Schaap feels like a contestant you wouldn’t want to draw, but we’ll ultimately see who the biggest sports nerd is soon enough.