Jeopardy! Gets Two New Hosts for Next Season

Started by Henry, August 12, 2021, 10:55:44 AM

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Henry

When Jeopardy! kicks off its 38th season, there'll be not one, but two, new hosts to replace the late Alex Trebek. As it stands, the syndicated version will be hosted by Mike Richards (who was the executive producer of The Price is Right, and is now producer of this and sister show Wheel of Fortune), while the primetime spinoffs will be emceed by Mayim Bialik (the star of Blossom, The Big Bang Theory and Call Me Kat). I honestly didn't think the show would pull this off, but I'm relieved to know that at least I won't have to see Aaron Rodgers again (because, speaking as a Bears fan, anything associated with the green and gold makes my stomach turn). Plus, many other shows have had two different hosts at the same time (Price, Wheel, Card Sharks, Pyramid, etc.), so this will be nothing new. What do we think of it?
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JayhawkCO

Yay.  The two they picked are a guy with sexual harassment allegations and an anti-vaxxer.  The definition of geniuses to host a show for geniuses.

Chris

kevinb1994

Quote from: jayhawkco on August 12, 2021, 10:58:29 AM
Yay.  The two they picked are a guy with sexual harassment allegations and an anti-vaxxer.  The definition of geniuses to host a show for geniuses.

Chris
I've heard about the allegations but not the anti-vax one, guess I won't be really watching

WillWeaverRVA

Quote from: kevinb1994 on August 12, 2021, 10:59:56 AM
Quote from: jayhawkco on August 12, 2021, 10:58:29 AM
Yay.  The two they picked are a guy with sexual harassment allegations and an anti-vaxxer.  The definition of geniuses to host a show for geniuses.

Chris
I've heard about the allegations but not the anti-vax one, guess I won't be really watching

Mayim Bialik has made a lot of rather stupid and controversial statements over the years, although she actually is not an anti-vaxxer (indeed, she is vaccinated). However, she is a lot like Dr. Oz in that she shills various "supplements" for brain health despite being a neuroscientist, and she's ruffled a lot of feathers with statements about dressing modestly and blaming rape victims for getting raped because of what they might have been wearing.

It's not a good combination in any respect. Mike Richards always planned to hire himself (he just needed Sony's blessing), and the only reasons he hired Mayim Bialik to host specials were to pay lip service to Alex Trebek's final wishes (he had hoped to be replaced by a woman or a person of color) and to fight off the allegation that the guest host carousel was entirely pointless. There were far better candidates, including Buzzy Cohen, David Faber, and Robin Roberts.
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kevinb1994

Quote from: WillWeaverRVA on August 12, 2021, 11:06:01 AM
Quote from: kevinb1994 on August 12, 2021, 10:59:56 AM
Quote from: jayhawkco on August 12, 2021, 10:58:29 AM
Yay.  The two they picked are a guy with sexual harassment allegations and an anti-vaxxer.  The definition of geniuses to host a show for geniuses.

Chris
I've heard about the allegations but not the anti-vax one, guess I won't be really watching

Mayim Bialik has made a lot of rather stupid and controversial statements over the years, although she actually is not an anti-vaxxer (indeed, she is vaccinated). However, she is a lot like Dr. Oz in that she shills various "supplements" for brain health despite being a neuroscientist, and she's ruffled a lot of feathers with statements about dressing modestly and blaming rape victims for getting raped because of what they might have been wearing.

It's not a good combination in any respect. Mike Richards always planned to hire himself (he just needed Sony's blessing), and the only reasons he hired Mayim Bialik to host specials were to pay lip service to Alex Trebek's final wishes (he had hoped to be replaced by a woman or a person of color) and to fight off the allegation that the guest host carousel was entirely pointless. There were far better candidates, including Buzzy Cohen, David Faber, and Robin Roberts.
Ooh okay. Well, I didn't know much about her, if anything. Thanks. Mike Richards sure "˜played the game' here.

No, not a good one at all.

SectorZ

Just thank God it wasn't LeVar Burton. After he begged people to lobby for him before seeing him on there, and then watch him be the worst of the parade of guest hosts, really put me off.

If people don't like Bialik because of the pseudo-science stuff (and I agree with the very legitimate concerns about that), count your lucky stars it wasn't "Doctor" Oz.

Takumi

Could have been worse, could have been better.

I've been pleasantly surprised with Joe Buck so far.
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kevinb1994

Quote from: SectorZ on August 12, 2021, 11:10:15 AM
Just thank God it wasn't LeVar Burton. After he begged people to lobby for him before seeing him on there, and then watch him be the worst of the parade of guest hosts, really put me off.

If people don't like Bialik because of the pseudo-science stuff (and I agree with the very legitimate concerns about that), count your lucky stars it wasn't "Doctor" Oz.
I didn't know about his lobbying, so no comment. Yes, we should be thankful for that.

Rothman

Quote from: Takumi on August 12, 2021, 11:11:33 AM
Could have been worse, could have been better.

I've been pleasantly surprised with Joe Buck so far.
Heh.  If he moves from the sports realm to Jeopardy, all the better.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

SP Cook

Not getting into the various political social moral opinions of either individual. 

The thing about Jeopardy is it skews REALLY OLD.  The drive by media take on TV ratings and such is always that it is all about the 18-35 demo.  Not so.  Yes, MOST advertisers like that demo, but remember that 9th grade drop out Del Webb died a billionaire selling a product that you had to be at least 55 to buy.  Other demos have advertisers that want access to them, and the Jeopardy - WOF suite delivers that demo and even has a "halo effect"  on programs on that channel near in time (often the local news).

So they go with a reasonably good looking and not too young personable guy for the main gig, and a solid B list female for the specials.  Solid.

NWI_Irish96

I haven't read up on the external reasons why these two might not make good hosts, but I watched at least 3 of every guest hosts episodes and those two were far and above the best.

There's a fine line between being way too chill (Aaron Rodgers) and way too excitable (Joe Buck) and Richards and Bialik hit the sweet spot very well.
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NWI_Irish96

Quote from: SP Cook on August 12, 2021, 11:18:09 AM
Not getting into the various political social moral opinions of either individual. 

The thing about Jeopardy is it skews REALLY OLD.  The drive by media take on TV ratings and such is always that it is all about the 18-35 demo.  Not so.  Yes, MOST advertisers like that demo, but remember that 9th grade drop out Del Webb died a billionaire selling a product that you had to be at least 55 to buy.  Other demos have advertisers that want access to them, and the Jeopardy - WOF suite delivers that demo and even has a "halo effect"  on programs on that channel near in time (often the local news).

So they go with a reasonably good looking and not too young personable guy for the main gig, and a solid B list female for the specials.  Solid.


Jeopardy doesn't really skew that old, not nearly as old as Wheel of Fortune. I know lots of people who have been watching Jeopardy since childhood.

As for targeted demographics, syndicated shows, which run anywhere between 9am and 8pm in the various local markets, have always trended older than primetime and late night shows, airing between 7pm to 12:30 am.

As more and more of the workforce works from home, this may change the demographics of the syndicated shows so we'll see how that plays out.
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Takumi

Quote from: cabiness42 on August 12, 2021, 11:22:01 AM
I haven't read up on the external reasons why these two might not make good hosts, but I watched at least 3 of every guest hosts episodes and those two were far and above the best.

There's a fine line between being way too chill (Aaron Rodgers) and way too excitable (Joe Buck) and Richards and Bialik hit the sweet spot very well.
You used Joe Buck as the poster child for way too excitable when LeVar Burton went full Chris Evans Top Gear mode.
Quote from: Rothman on July 15, 2021, 07:52:59 AM
Olive Garden must be stopped.  I must stop them.

Don't @ me. Seriously.

NWI_Irish96

Quote from: Takumi on August 12, 2021, 11:30:31 AM
Quote from: cabiness42 on August 12, 2021, 11:22:01 AM
I haven't read up on the external reasons why these two might not make good hosts, but I watched at least 3 of every guest hosts episodes and those two were far and above the best.

There's a fine line between being way too chill (Aaron Rodgers) and way too excitable (Joe Buck) and Richards and Bialik hit the sweet spot very well.
You used Joe Buck as the poster child for way too excitable when LeVar Burton went full Chris Evans Top Gear mode.

I guess because Buck is on this week I may have had some recency bias but yes, Burton would be another example.
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WillWeaverRVA

#14
Quote from: Takumi on August 12, 2021, 11:11:33 AM
Could have been worse, could have been better.

I've been pleasantly surprised with Joe Buck so far.

Joe Buck has been very surprisingly good. He is not the best, but he's definitely better than most of the other guest hosts.

I was on the LeVar Burton bandwagon myself, and I honestly think he could still host given more time to adapt to the role (he only had one week - which translates into one day of filming shows), but I admit he wasn't the best.

David Faber was impressively good for someone who wasn't well known before the guest host carousel started, and he was probably my favorite of the guest hosts - he conducted himself very well and established a great rapport with the contestants, and he looked very comfortable in the role.

Buzzy Cohen injected a lot of personality into the role and would have been a great choice to capture a younger demographic. He had a ton of support on Twitter while he was hosting the Tournament of Champions.
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MaddogMicharski

If the Green Bay Packers decide to invest their cap space in defense for the 2022 off-season, you might see Aaron Rodgers making a debut as a guest Jeopardy host.
MaddogMicharski

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Scott5114

I hate this. The person in charge of choosing who the next host is shouldn't even be allowed to entertain the idea of hiring themselves as the host, as it's a blatant conflict of interest. (Sort of like how at my last job the person who was judging the Halloween costume contest always ended up winning somehow.) Mike Richards did a shit job as producer of The Price is Right, turning it into a series of endless gimmicks and eye-burning flashiness, such that I haven't been able to get through a whole episode of it in years. I'm not going to reward him by watching his new gig.

Of the guest hosts I saw, I enjoyed Ken Jennings and Anderson Cooper the most. I didn't take the time to watch most of them, though (don't have a TV that picks up over-the-air broadcasts, so I'd have to hunt them down on YouTube). Obviously, Anderson Cooper is busy doing something else at the moment, so that probably wasn't ever going to happen full time.

I don't know anything about Mayim Bialik, but I hated Big Bang Theory, so she's already starting in the red with me.
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kenarmy

Great! Another boring yt man that no one asked for :). Also, I thought Mayim was clean until I clicked this thread.
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Ned Weasel

Quote from: Scott5114 on August 15, 2021, 06:38:42 PM
I hate this. The person in charge of choosing who the next host is shouldn't even be allowed to entertain the idea of hiring themselves as the host, as it's a blatant conflict of interest. (Sort of like how at my last job the person who was judging the Halloween costume contest always ended up winning somehow.) Mike Richards did a shit job as producer of The Price is Right, turning it into a series of endless gimmicks and eye-burning flashiness, such that I haven't been able to get through a whole episode of it in years. I'm not going to reward him by watching his new gig.

Of the guest hosts I saw, I enjoyed Ken Jennings and Anderson Cooper the most. I didn't take the time to watch most of them, though (don't have a TV that picks up over-the-air broadcasts, so I'd have to hunt them down on YouTube). Obviously, Anderson Cooper is busy doing something else at the moment, so that probably wasn't ever going to happen full time.

My only problem with Mike Richards is--I just didn't find him interesting to watch.

Quote
I don't know anything about Mayim Bialik, but I hated Big Bang Theory, so she's already starting in the red with me.

One of the most overrated sitcoms ever.  People used to say I looked and sounded like Jim Parsons, and especially his character on the show, so thank God I went bald on top.
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WillWeaverRVA

Quote from: stridentweasel on August 16, 2021, 09:06:07 AM
Quote from: Scott5114 on August 15, 2021, 06:38:42 PM
I hate this. The person in charge of choosing who the next host is shouldn't even be allowed to entertain the idea of hiring themselves as the host, as it's a blatant conflict of interest. (Sort of like how at my last job the person who was judging the Halloween costume contest always ended up winning somehow.) Mike Richards did a shit job as producer of The Price is Right, turning it into a series of endless gimmicks and eye-burning flashiness, such that I haven't been able to get through a whole episode of it in years. I'm not going to reward him by watching his new gig.

Of the guest hosts I saw, I enjoyed Ken Jennings and Anderson Cooper the most. I didn't take the time to watch most of them, though (don't have a TV that picks up over-the-air broadcasts, so I'd have to hunt them down on YouTube). Obviously, Anderson Cooper is busy doing something else at the moment, so that probably wasn't ever going to happen full time.

My only problem with Mike Richards is--I just didn't find him interesting to watch.

Quote
I don't know anything about Mayim Bialik, but I hated Big Bang Theory, so she's already starting in the red with me.

One of the most overrated sitcoms ever.  People used to say I looked and sounded like Jim Parsons, and especially his character on the show, so thank God I went bald on top.

I can't stand that show because of Jim Parsons and the Sheldon character in general. It makes a mockery of people on the autism spectrum and his existence greatly offends me.
Will Weaver
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SP Cook

Big Bang Theory is just like all Chuck Lorre copies of Friends.  You take a circle of diverse people who would not interact in real life, have them interact, and eventually start unrealistic sexual relationships, which when all possible heterosexual combinations are exhausted, is cancelled and the cycle starts again with a new show. 


wanderer2575

Quote from: Scott5114 on August 15, 2021, 06:38:42 PM
I hate this. The person in charge of choosing who the next host is shouldn't even be allowed to entertain the idea of hiring themselves as the host, as it's a blatant conflict of interest. (Sort of like how at my last job the person who was judging the Halloween costume contest always ended up winning somehow.)

I agree, and Mike Richards says he was not involved in the actual selection process.  Unless you were in the room and can confirm otherwise, I have to take his word.

Quote from: Scott5114 on August 15, 2021, 06:38:42 PM
I don't know anything about Mayim Bialik, but I hated Big Bang Theory, so she's already starting in the red with me.

Comments like that make no sense to me.  If you don't like the show overall or don't like the performance of the hosts, that's relevant.  Everything else isn't.  Someone else says he wouldn't want Aaron Rodgers, not because of his performance as host, but because he has an affiliation with a sports team that has some competitive rivalry with the team of which the commenter is a fan?  Mayim Bialik should be out because some disagree with her un-show-related personal opinions?  Plus she's "in the red" with you because you don't like another show she was on?  With that kind of judgment, I wonder which of us would pass muster for anything.

Scott5114

Thing is, with television, it doesn't literally matter for anything. I have only so much free time, so anything I can use to help me whittle down options for what I want to spend it on or not is helpful. I don't like either of these people so I'm going to choose not to watch them. Why do I need to be fair to them? It is not like I am personally hiring them to do a job for me, or I am moderating them on this forum, or that they'll even know whether I chose to watch their Jeopardy! episodes. They're going to get paid millions no matter what I do, so why must I waste my time doing due diligence to determine whether I'm justified or not choosing to cut them out of my free time allocation?

I don't have to take Mike Richards's word for shit. I don't know him for anything other than putting out an inferior product on The Price is Right, and I do have experience with people lying to me when they say they weren't involved in the selection process for something like that. For Mayim Bialik, I don't know her for anything other than putting out an inferior product in The Big Bang Theory. She apparently was unable to use any influence she had on the show to make it any better, and didn't walk away from it or take an Alan Smithee credit, so she apparently endorses the product they put out. Why would I expect her Jeopardy! product to be any better, then?
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In_Correct

I am glad that the guest hosting is finally over. It is not unusual for producers of Game Shows to be the hosts also. There was Jack Barry and Chuck Barris ... both of them just as controversial as Mike Richards.

It is also not uncommon for Game Shows to have multiple versions made simultaneously, and a different host for each of them.

Despite Jeopardy's efforts to bring back successful traditions, I am indifferent to any thing that happens on Jeopardy! be cause I have been for very long time.

To attract younger audience, they must do what they did with The All New Jeopardy! and bring back the Gold Screens With Harp Music instead of the Blue Screens Of Death.
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triplemultiplex

*Mike Richards

I thought they were talking about Kramer at first.  :-P
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