Not a huge fan of the idea, and not because it's a "not broke, don't fix it" deal. I kinda feel that Jeopardy! is unique in that, after questioning 61 answers, if you tie with someone, you earned that payday. To lose it all on a 62nd question seems more manufactured IMO, and kinda anticlimactic. Besides, the show already seems kinda rushed at times, so I wonder how this would look. And unlike other shows, the highest score here doesn't send you to the bonus round.
That said, if two contestants tie at $15,000, I totally get the producers' wanting to give away $17K instead of 30K, even if it doesn't happen that often.