Jeopardy! names Mike Richards host; Mayim Bialik to emcee specials
Today, Sony announced that show executive producer Mike Richards, as previously reported, will be taking over as the full-time replacement for the late Alex Trebek. It’s a surprising choice for a pair of reasons, including the audience backlash when it was first announced last week and also the lack of name recognition. We know Richards better than most as the host of Beauty and the Geek (which we have a personal connection to), but the majority of viewers were not aware of him prior to one week ago.
Meanwhile, the studio also confirmed that Mayim Bialik of Blossom / The Big Bang Theory will host primetime specials and events associated with the Jeopardy! brand. If we had it our way, we would have seen either her or LeVar Burton promoted to the role full-time. She was fantastic in her hosting stint and really embodies a lot of what Jeopardy! is about — pursuing knowledge and celebrating those who choose to do so. She’s also got tremendous name-recognition and would be a welcome change from typical game-shot host prototypes. (We do know that Bialik is busy, as she has another full-time job starring in Call Me Kat over on Fox.)
In a statement, here is some of what Bialik had to say about her gig moving forward:
“I couldn’t be more thrilled to join the Jeopardy! family. What started out with my 15-year-old repeating a rumor from Instagram that I should guest host the show has turned into one of the most exciting and surreal opportunities of my life! I’m so grateful and excited to continue to work with Mike Richards, and I’m just over the moon to join forces with him and Sony. After all the conversations we’ve had about this partnership, I am just so ready to get started!”
What do you think about Mike Richards and Mayim Bialik moving forward as a part of the Jeopardy! brand?
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