Buzzy Cohen will be guest-hosting the 29th Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions, airing May 17-28, 2021, the show announced today.
Cohen won the 27th Tournament, held in 2017.
“Buzzy has been where each of these champions is, so we think it’ll be comforting for the contestants to see a familiar face behind the lectern,” Jeopardy! Executive Producer Mike Richards said. “We will miss seeing him compete, but we look forward to seeing how he uses his quick wit and personality as guest host.”
Cohen has officially retired as a player and will no longer be eligible to return as a contestant due to serving as a guest host, a scenario that this site did envision in the past.
The 15 players competing in the tournament are:
Nibir Sarma
Ben Henri
Jason Zuffranieri
Jennifer Quail
MacKenzie Jones
Karen Farrell
Sam Kavanaugh
Kevin Walsh
Paul Trifiletti
Ryan Bilger
Ryan Hemmel
Andy Wood
Sarah Jett Rayburn
Veronica Vichit-Vadakan
Steve Moulds
If you remember when the last field was announced, it was Ryan Bilger who was considered displaced by the producers to make room for Emma Boettcher. He will be making his Tournament appearance this time around.
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This should be good fodder for the overall discussion about “Who is the star of J!? Is it the host or the contestants?”
Alex always said that the contestants are the stars. When you bring in a guest host with such a strong presence, you run the risk of making the show about the host and not the game itself.
Great point! James! While people are naturally drawn to celebrities such as Aaron Rodgers, Ken Jennings, and media darlings whether on the political left or right, let’s ask who’s best in making the contestant the star, in making them shine? It may be one of them but very possibly not!
Great news! Can Buzzy take it over permanently? I think he once told Trebek he wanted his job, before Alex’s health became an issue…. Alex told him he wasn’t going anywhere…..
Looking forward to watching this. Still hoping Rutter gets a shot.
Can’t wait for Buzzy next week. I hope he gets a shot at permanent replacement host. Bye-Bye, Whittaker – zzzzzzzzzz.