Jeopardy! Gets Two New Hosts for Next Season

[TXtoNJ]

I keep wanting to say they should ask Will Ferrell, but he's probably too busy making movies.

Darrell Hammond (who played Sean Connery), on the other hand, might be able to fit it into his schedule.

Hard-to-swallow pill: Will Ferrell's Trebek wasn't a good impersonation at all. He was just a hilarious straight man to Norm Macdonald's Turd Ferguson Burt Reynolds, Hammond's Connery, et al.

Hammond would be a good host, actually.

So would Richard Hammond, actually, but he's got other stuff going on.

Trebek himself preferred Eugene Levy's sendup of him on SCTV

[SectorZ]

As for The Price is Right–the show used to have a grandeur to it that it no longer has. That sounds like hyperbole, but I can't really concisely put it into any words but that. The show is an institution that is about to start taping Season 50–but changes over the last ten years make it feel like a cheap copy of that institution, like when an old baseball stadium is torn down and replaced with a modern stadium that is just like every other stadium in every other city.

Probably the best example of this is the music played throughout the show. Price debuted in the 1970s, and it very much showed by the instrumentation of the music it used for its first 36 seasons–lots of brass, funk guitar, heavy basslines. The primary composer during this period was Edd Kalehoff, but other composers like Robert Israel did similar music cues in the same style. These cues were commissioned for Price specifically, and were a major part of the show–"It's a new car!" and then you're hit with a wall of brass that plays as the contestant reacts and the announcer describes all the features of the car. These cues were periodically remixed, recut, and rearranged to update them. However, when Mike Richards took over, he ordered all of the music replaced with stock music in an attempt to "modernize" the show. As a result, the familiar tunes are replaced with unfamiliar–well, I'm not sure you can call them tunes at all; they're generic forgettable music that you might expect to be played in the background of a commercial.

Another issue is with the set design, which Richards also ordered "modernized". As an example, here's a picture of the Card Game set from Season 37:

Not the most impressive thing ever, but the green-and-brown color scheme evokes a card table at a casino and allows the focus to be on the contestant, the host, and the information relevant to the game being played.

This is what happened after Mike Richards got involved:

I mean, it's definitely a lot more card game themed. But the design is a lot more visually cluttered, making it a lot harder to easily pick out the information needed to keep track of the state of the game. That card underneath the display showing the $3,000 window that the contestant must be in to win the game is a lot harder to read than the $1,000 card on the previous example. Also, the display is now a LCD screen that displays a distracting card-dealing animation each time the price updates (the old dot-matrix eggcrate display simply changed with a "ding" from the sound effects crew). The set as a whole is distracting now–lots of lights changing colors and flashing and even video screens in the background that display animations. All of that motion makes it a lot harder to keep focus on Drew Carey and the contestants playing the actual game. 

tldr: Mike Richards got rid of button copy

In other words, Richards changed everything but the mistreatment of the female staff.

[Scott5114]

In other words, Richards changed everything but the mistreatment of the female staff.

Right, and arguably what Richards did is no worse than what previous TPIR executive producers have done in the role; he isn't accused of outright having affairs with the models like Bob Barker was with Dian Parkinson.

Also, I want to make clear that I don't necessarily advocate for TPIR to be exactly like 90s TPIR was, just with Drew Carey as host (though that would be awesome). Many of the show's set pieces were clearly showing their age after 37 years of use, and clearly needed replacement (especially since HD television was invented). I just feel like the updates that happened during Richards' tenure were poorly executed.

[LM117]

Mike Richards is no longer executive producer.

https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/tv/mike-richards-out-executive-producer-jeopardy-wheel-fortune-n1278152

[SectorZ]

Mike Richards is no longer executive producer.

https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/tv/mike-richards-out-executive-producer-jeopardy-wheel-fortune-n1278152

It's so funny when you think about it. He could have happily continued being the ex. producer but he pretended his importance was much more valuable than it actually was.

At this point I'd be happy with them killing off Jeopardy. This shitshow has probably ruined it for me. They're going to find something to be offended about with EVERY potential host they find. They'll probably pick then cancel LeVar Burton because he used the n-word in a movie once 45 years ago.

[hotdogPi]

ex. producer

now ex-producer

[US71]

ex. producer

now ex-producer

Cue  "Weird Al" Yankovic

[Henry]

Clue: He is the ultimate gameshow cancer.

Who is Mike Richards?

[wanderer2575]

Mike Richards is no longer executive producer.

https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/tv/mike-richards-out-executive-producer-jeopardy-wheel-fortune-n1278152

It's so funny when you think about it. He could have happily continued being the ex. producer but he pretended his importance was much more valuable than it actually was.

At this point I'd be happy with them killing off Jeopardy. This shitshow has probably ruined it for me. They're going to find something to be offended about with EVERY potential host they find. They'll probably pick then cancel LeVar Burton because he used the n-word in a movie once 45 years ago.

The show now is all about a gimmick of a guest host revolving door.  Alex Trebek is rolling in his grave.

[LM117]

Mike Richards is no longer executive producer.

https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/tv/mike-richards-out-executive-producer-jeopardy-wheel-fortune-n1278152

It's so funny when you think about it. He could have happily continued being the ex. producer but he pretended his importance was much more valuable than it actually was.

At this point I'd be happy with them killing off Jeopardy. This shitshow has probably ruined it for me. They're going to find something to be offended about with EVERY potential host they find. They'll probably pick then cancel LeVar Burton because he used the n-word in a movie once 45 years ago.

The show now is all about a gimmick of a guest host revolving door.  Alex Trebek is rolling in his grave.

Yep, it's become a parody of itself. This is the kind of thing Alex wanted the show to avoid once he knew his days were numbered. We see how that's going.

[bwana39]

I would add one point of caution from the Mike Richards story. Have you or I ever posted anything here that could be construed in a way that would make our lives living hell years later? We actually tried to judge a Supreme Court Nominee on what may or may not have happened at a fraternity party thirty years ago. While there was video evidence of part of Richards' misdeeds and a settlement of a lawsuit which may or may not have had merit. Would you want your past lives under a microscope like this.

Context means a lot. I remember in the early days of email. I sent a friend an email their purity filter rejected it because the word HELL was in it. The sentence noted a sHELL station.  In a discussion a week or so later, he noted you also couldn't reply to Richard as Dick.

Something as simple as talking about a young woman being pretty can be attacked for being misogynistic, sexist, discriminatory.  Maybe what Mike Richards did was egregious enough to warrant his firing, but what was the cultural expectation just a few years previous to the actions? 

Just saying.....

[hotdogPi]

sHELL station

Burned out letter


From https://boston.cbslocal.com/2019/06/27/shell-sign-cambridge-massachusetts-neon-hell-sign-photo/, although it appears elsewhere, too

[empirestate]

Something as simple as talking about a young woman being pretty can be attacked for being misogynistic, sexist, discriminatory.  Maybe what Mike Richards did was egregious enough to warrant his firing, but what was the cultural expectation just a few years previous to the actions?

And what is the cultural expectation now? I would say that how one accounts for the change in context when examining past actions is more important than the actions themselves. Richards' statement in stepping down was noteworthy for its lack of addressing this–he cited only the difficulty it would cause the production if he were to remain.

[Stephane Dumas]

Should we alert Al Yankovic ?

Indeed, Weird Al did so well in Jeopardy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvUZijEuNDQ

[JayhawkCO]

Something as simple as talking about a young woman being pretty can be attacked for being misogynistic, sexist, discriminatory.  Maybe what Mike Richards did was egregious enough to warrant his firing, but what was the cultural expectation just a few years previous to the actions? 

With all things that could possibly offend people, the answer is always "know your audience".  You're not going to get fired from your job for asking out a co-worker who is clearly interested in you.  You get labeled with "creepy" when you do it to a woman who is clearly not interested in you and do it persistently.

Chris

[Takumi]

Something as simple as talking about a young woman being pretty can be attacked for being misogynistic, sexist, discriminatory.  Maybe what Mike Richards did was egregious enough to warrant his firing, but what was the cultural expectation just a few years previous to the actions? 

With all things that could possibly offend people, the answer is always "know your audience". You're not going to get fired from your job for asking out a co-worker who is clearly interested in you.

You might, if it violates company policy to date co-workers at all. (The company I currently work for forbids supervisors dating those they overlook.)

[NWI_Irish96]

Should we alert Al Yankovic ?

Indeed, Weird Al did so well in Jeopardy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvUZijEuNDQ

Reminds me of when the line about getting the Daily Double was the Daily Double:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxpH6BX4YpU

[JayhawkCO]

Something as simple as talking about a young woman being pretty can be attacked for being misogynistic, sexist, discriminatory.  Maybe what Mike Richards did was egregious enough to warrant his firing, but what was the cultural expectation just a few years previous to the actions? 

With all things that could possibly offend people, the answer is always "know your audience". You're not going to get fired from your job for asking out a co-worker who is clearly interested in you.

You might, if it violates company policy to date co-workers at all. (The company I currently work for forbids supervisors dating those they overlook.)

Sure.  But on a peer to peer level is what I was intending.

Chris

[bwana39]

Something as simple as talking about a young woman being pretty can be attacked for being misogynistic, sexist, discriminatory.  Maybe what Mike Richards did was egregious enough to warrant his firing, but what was the cultural expectation just a few years previous to the actions?

And what is the cultural expectation now? I would say that how one accounts for the change in context when examining past actions is more important than the actions themselves. Richards' statement in stepping down was noteworthy for its lack of addressing this–he cited only the difficulty it would cause the production if he were to remain.

In his shoes if you admit it was wrong, it is wrong FOREVER. He basically quit because of the negative perceptions, not perhaps he thought it was wrong.

[empirestate]

In his shoes if you admit it was wrong, it is wrong FOREVER. He basically quit because of the negative perceptions, not perhaps he thought it was wrong.

Right, and those negative perceptions could have been mitigated somewhat by acknowledging some fault. The aspect that seals the deal, quite often, is that people forget that you have to account for how your actions are received, not only for how they're intended–if I didn't mean it to be wrong, it wasn't wrong, despite the affect it may have had on anyone else.

[bwana39]

In his shoes if you admit it was wrong, it is wrong FOREVER. He basically quit because of the negative perceptions, not perhaps he thought it was wrong.

Right, and those negative perceptions could have been mitigated somewhat by acknowledging some fault. The aspect that seals the deal, quite often, is that people forget that you have to account for how your actions are received, not only for how they're intended–if I didn't mean it to be wrong, it wasn't wrong, despite the affect it may have had on anyone else.

I disagree. Being convicted by the jury of the internet is permanent. It lasts for decades. I reiterate, being guilty on the internet is only bested by confessing on the internet.

Whatever Justice Kavanaugh did or did not do back in 1985, is beside the point. Search "Supreme Court Rapist". Unless someone can give absolute proof otherwise, it will still come up from that search in 50 years or more.

I can assure you, violations of the PC code is not assuaged by time. Violations of the PC code whether real or made up only get worse because of any sort of admission or apology.  All an admission or apology would do is be picked apart syllable by syllable and dissected and each possible inconsistency or opinion would be assigned value as untrue, beside the point, or just to save face.

[bwana39]

Something as simple as talking about a young woman being pretty can be attacked for being misogynistic, sexist, discriminatory.  Maybe what Mike Richards did was egregious enough to warrant his firing, but what was the cultural expectation just a few years previous to the actions? 

With all things that could possibly offend people, the answer is always "know your audience".  You're not going to get fired from your job for asking out a co-worker who is clearly interested in you.  You get labeled with "creepy" when you do it to a woman who is clearly not interested in you and do it persistently.

Chris

I can't find where this applies to Mike Richards. He may have have said some sophomoric things about women. He may have said some ageist things.

[Scott5114]

Someone leaked a tape of Mike Richards auditioning to host The Price is Right during Season 35. Of course, Drew Carey got the gig instead, but only a few years later he was hired as TPIR executive producer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoQpiQYESgE

It's sort of amazing the audience was able to summon the energy they did, given that this audition happened immediately after they had just gotten done seeing Bob Barker hosting for an hour.

[empirestate]

Right, and those negative perceptions could have been mitigated somewhat by acknowledging some fault.

I disagree. Being convicted by the jury of the internet is permanent. It lasts for decades. I reiterate, being guilty on the internet is only bested by confessing on the internet.

Do you mean agree? Your last sentence here seems to say the same as mine above.

[bwana39]

Right, and those negative perceptions could have been mitigated somewhat by acknowledging some fault.

I disagree. Being convicted by the jury of the internet is permanent. It lasts for decades. I reiterate, being guilty on the internet is only bested by confessing on the internet.

Do you mean agree? Your last sentence here seems to say the same as mine above.

Absolutely not: The only thing MORE egregious is to admit it. It doesn't mitigate anything.   Being contrite just works as an admission. It ADDS a second strike.