The search for the perfect host to take over "Jeopardy!" following Alex Trebek's death
in November 2020 has been anything but easy. Of course, the job to replace the man who
shaped the game show into what it is for 36 years was bound to be difficult. But the journey
has been especially complicated.
"Jeopardy!" initially announced that, after Trebek's last episode aired, fans would see
a series of interim hosts. The first to step into the role was "Jeopardy!" champion Ken
Jennings, who became a legend after winning 74 games in a row.
In August 2021, Sony Pictures announced that then-executive producer Mike Richards
would host the daily syndicated show permanently. The decision to hire Richards over fan favorites
was received with skepticism by fans and outright criticism after The Ringer brought to light
a series of misogynistic and antisemitic comments he made on a podcast.
There were also lawsuits accusing him of sexist behavior at "The Price is Right," according
to Deadline. The controversy resulted in Richards stepping down just days later and after filming
only one episode. He was also ousted as executive producer.
Following those turbulent weeks, "Jeopardy!" shared that Jennings and "The Big Bang Theory"
alum Mayim Bialik would continue to co-host the show through the end of the season. Now,
"Jeopardy!" is updating fans on who they will see on their screens in 2022.
"Jeopardy!" fans who have gotten used to having Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings in their TV
rooms have reason to celebrate. "Jeopardy!" announced via Twitter on December 8 that the
"Call Me Kat" star and the show's most successful contestant will continue to co-host through
its 38th season. The tweet read,
"We are delighted to let you know our excellent and experienced team in front of and behind
the camera will continue into 2022."
Fans were quick to react to the tweet, with the majority seemingly favoring Jennings.
One fan tweeted,
"I'm not delighted to hear it. We want Ken. No one asked for Mayim. Why is this hard?"
But others argued Bialik has a place on the show, even if it means not as the main host.
One viewer weighed in, posting,
"Ken as regular host and Mayim as specials host is perfect. Ken has the Jeopardy gravitas
to anchor the institution while Mayim's exuberance is so fitting for the special tournaments."
For her part, Bialik has expressed her desire to host "Jeopardy!" indefinitely. She gushed
to Glamour magazine in September,
"There's no other job I would rather have."
"To be considered, to be part of it, really in any way, is just, it's an immense honor,
especially for someone who's dedicated so much of my life to academia."
Hosting "Jeopardy!" is undoubtedly a very strenuous task. The charisma, the mental wherewithal,
and the understanding of the game's mechanisms are crucial to hosting the show successfully.
The late Alex Trebek, who hosted the game show for over 30 years, surely made it look
easy, which inevitably left eventual successor Ken Jennings quaking in his boots.
As the first host of "Jeopardy!" following Trebek's tragic death, Jennings opened up
about the nerve-wracking initial experience of hosting, telling USA Today,
"I was just terrified, and I think rightfully so. I mean, Alex had just barely passed, and
really no one else had hosted the show since 1974; like, literally, in my lifetime."
He also called the hosting gig "tricky," explaining,
"The mechanics of hosting 'Jeopardy!' are daunting. There's a lot going on at once,
and Alex made it all look so easy. But I can tell you firsthand, it's not easy."
Ken Jennings wasn't alone in his initial fears of hosting "Jeopardy!" Mayim Bialik also expressed
her nervousness in navigating the iconic game show. Speaking to People magazine in March,
Bialik revealed that there is "a lot of responsibility that falls on the host" and "a lot of iconic
pressure."
The actor, who revealed that she gets, quote, "nervous about everything," pondered how the
late Alex Trebek approached hosting and tried to get into his mindset. She told People,
"When I was looking over some of the scripts, I was thinking, how would Alex say this? That's
probably not who I'm expected to be, Alex Trebek, but in my head, I am Alex Trebek — that's
who I want to be."
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