Well, at least they had an understudy waiting in the wings…
It seems completely ridiculous that Jeopardy! had so long to look for a replacement host — with the late, great Alex Trebek discussing his impending retirement (and suggesting possible successors!) years ago, even before he was diagnosed with stage IV cancer.
And yet we ended up in the position where one of the executive producers not only chose himself to be one of the guest hosts in the weeks of televised auditions but also somehow won out over several more popular options. Not only that, it seems Sony didn’t have even put forth the time and effort to vet Mike Richards — whose past lawsuits and gross podcast musings painted a pretty indelible image of a sexist jerk.
Well, now that he’s stepped down — on his first day of filming no less — the show has had to move quickly to keep production from shutting down. Their temporary solution? Mayim Bialik.
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The Big Bang Theory alum had already been chosen as a sort of secondary host for Jeopardy!‘s odd primetime specials — which frankly always felt like a smokescreen to appease fans, who were already voicing their vexation at the leaked news Richards had been given the big job. After all, they announced the news like they were going to be co-hosts — but how often do those specials even happen, a few times a year? While the show airs five times a week.
Well, whatever the initial thinking behind giving Blossom the runner-up gig, it’s paid off now.
Per a report in Variety, the show is tapping Bialik to return to guest host for the next three weeks as they figure out their next move. Sony Pictures Television said soon once again more guest hosts would be announced for the weeks afterward.
We guess the whole thing is just starting up again? We just hope they’ll actually have some kind of vetting process for the next permanent host. Of course, that would have been a benefit of choosing one of the celeb hosts in the first place, as they’ve already been in the public eye and addressed their past issues.
For instance, Mayim herself has had a bit of a controversy as she was widely considered to be an anti-vaxxer, at the forefront of the movement even, due to writing about not getting her children vaccinated a decade ago. And that is a particularly disturbing position these days, what with the pandemic.
However, she actually clarified her stance some time ago, so when that particular controversy did come up among Jeopardy! fans — largely pro-science folk — she and her publicist had something to point to.
Who do YOU think should be chosen as the permanent next host??
The post Mayim Bialik Steps Past Her Own Controversy To Take Over As <i>Jeopardy!</i> Host -- For Now Anyway! appeared first on Perez Hilton.