I would like to open this article by unequivocally stating: Congratulations to Mayim Bialik. I very much look forward to watching her host the show’s prime-time spin-off specials, and very much look forward to covering those episodes.
Many of you have very much noticed that during Season 37, I have become more and more vocal in my opposition to Mike Richards. It’s a shame, because I very much wanted him to carry on the excellent job that Harry Friedman did in his many years as Executive Producer of the show.
Unfortunately, Mike Richards has yet to seemed to grasp the ethos of the show. The tone-deaf judges’ ruling in Final Jeopardy! in only Richards’ second episode as Executive Producer was a harbinger of things to come.
The ethos of Jeopardy! is truth. People trust Jeopardy! because they believe that the show is telling the truth. People trusted Alex Trebek because they believed he told the truth. When it came out last week that Mike Richards misrepresented the reasons behind his guest host stint, and was ultimately rewarded for it, it soured me and others on Richards even further. If we can’t trust what Richards is saying, how can we trust the material he presents as host?
Moreover, the viewers needed to perceive that the selection process was fair. When overwhelming fan favorite LeVar Burton was relegated to a single week of hosting—during the Olympics at that—it was perceived by many as Richards using his influence as Executive Producer to hamstring a major competitor for the host role. And if people don’t perceive the process to be fair, they’re going to be angry. That anger is what you’re seeing spill over on social media platforms, and that anger is what we’ll be seeing in the upcoming days and months. Going back to trust: If you don’t trust Mike Richards because you think he’s already trying to hurt Burton’s chances, how are you going to trust that LeVar Burton’s guest episodes were edited fairly? (After all, if LeVar received a poor edit, it might cause his supporters to be mocked online.)
All that I and many other fans wanted was for the host replacement process to be seen as fair. And with the announcement of Mike Richards as a host today, I don’t feel that I got that.
If you’re wondering what my future plans are: I won’t stop covering the show. I will still operate this website. You’ll very much likely find more statistical analysis. I’m going to be selfish here: this is as much a vehicle for professional skill-building for me as it is a repository of show recaps and statistics. It’s clear that this show isn’t going to last forever, and I’m clearly going to need to have some marketable skills for when Sony realizes that they’ve made a mistake that’s impossible to come back from with this hire, and the show enters the annals of history. Until then, I hope you enjoy my analysis.
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According to next.tv, Mike Richards put his position in the pole position to be selected to be the new permanent host. Not surprised considering his behavior in the past. Congratulations to Mayim, though.
Thanks, Andy. I couldn’t agree more. I’m very disappointed in both Sony and Richards.
Yes, I completely agree. I look forward to the shows Mayim hosts but won’t watch any with Richards. The small issues during her guest host stint are easily fixed so I think she’ll do well.
Even though this process was doomed from the start, this still feels like a let-down. I don’t get the Bialik thing at all. If she’s good enough for the prime time specials, let her have the syndicated show. (I was on holiday during her two weeks and missed her stint–sounds like she was decent. Weird for a show like Jeopardy to pull from the ex-cast of The Big Bang Theory, though.) This just feels like tokenism.
As for Richards… come on. If the producers wanted an experienced game show host, why didn’t they audition other experienced game show hosts? Richards brings nothing further to the table. Lots of superior generic white guy options (Faber in particular comes to mind).
Ah well. At least we all get to vent on the Internet.
She was fantastic. My third favorite right behind Ken and then Buzzy. I also thought David Faber was excellent.
I’m so disappointed. Richards pulled a Cheney and in the same vein is a horrible choice for the position. Before his death it seemed Alex wanted a Black female lawyer he knew to replace him. We couldn’t be farther from that. I will continue to watch for the parts I like but I think I will seethe every time Richards says more than the question.
It was a scam by Richards to get the job you don’t get to run the search committee for ceo and pick yourself I’m sorry but I encourage fans to not watch jeopardy while Richards is hosting levar or ken would of been far better choices
I’m willing to believe LeVar got a fair edit because he himself said his wife told him he didn’t do well on his first show, and his comments after they aired amounted to “I think I could learn to do better if I get a chance”. At least as far as I saw, he didn’t bring up editing at all, even obliquely, and at least somewhat accepted that he hadn’t done a great job as host.
Picking a host isn’t easy. LeVar should’ve been given two weeks (instead of one) to get accustomed to the role.
I think all these auditions were just a publicity stunt. I think Richard’s was going to pick himself BEFORE Alex passed away.
I had hoped there might be some type of fan generated voting for a new host. Who else would have a better idea which host was rated the best? That Mike Roberts was chosen as the “best” smacks of some sort of sleazy insider dealing … and who better to instigate this but Roberts. This decision is tainted and will surely make me (a life long fan) much less likely to continue watching.
Exactly! Plus I swear Mike Richards said early on the fans would get to weigh in and yet that never happened. The second I saw that he was hosting I said to my roommate just watch he’s going to become the permanent host. What a snake.
The guy has ZERO charisma, none.
Alex Trebek had humor, grace, charisma, an unbelievable way with words and pronunciations.
What an absolute joke to have this cardboard cut out host such an iconic show.
I couldn’t agree more and I am tired of people saying he tested great. First that is beside the point because he never should have been in contention to begin with and second he was as you described a cardboard cutout, bland – bland – bland. I feel like he smelled blood in the water when Alex announced he had cancer and I guess Mike got what he wanted to the detriment of the show, the fans and most importantly Alex Trebek.
Has there been anything concrete said as to why it’s not Ken Jennings? Dick Cheneyism aside, what are we looking here? The supposedly controversial tweets, his commitment to The Chase, just not wanting it? Or is it just the “research and analysis” that somehow said otherwise?
Mike Richards was hellbent on getting the job for himself because nobody loves Mike Richards more than Mike Richards. That’s it.
Ken made some inane comment on Twitter, but no everyone is pretending there is nothing to see here which sucks because it would be great if someone opened their mouth like the G.O.A.T and actually blew this wide open.
I hated both of them and will not be watching Jeopardy any more. Too bad!
I wanted Ken Jennings and I’m not thrilled about Mike Richards being the host. It’s like someone inviting friends to a birthday party but taking all the cake for himself.
It shouldn’t surprise me that Mike would take advantage of Alex Trebek’s legacy like this, but it does. Looking back on LeVar Burton’s week and his ratings, it only makes sense that the show would set him up for those numbers. As long as Jeopardy! keeps hemorrhaging viewers to Family Feud, Mike will deserve the bed he sleeps on.
This just smells like the fix was in from the start.
Agreed. Mike smelled blood in the water when Alex announced he had cancer. And now I find out Mike Richards wanted to replace Bob Barker so there you go. I guess he finally got his wish. What a piece of garbage.
Smarmy, disingenuous, and dishonest — that’s the new Jeopardy host in a nutshell. The one thing I can’t figure out is how Sony fell for it. They surely did not believe this would be a popular decision, and it’s hard to believe they truly thought he was the best person for the job.
IMHO, LeVar would really grow into the role given a little time. He was so great on Reading Rainbow, but was perhaps a little out of practice being in front of the camera since his retirement from that show. Scheduling Mr. Burton during the Olympics was setting him up for failure. I would have been a very happy camper if they picked LeVar for the main role, and Mayim for the specials.
As it turns out, I’m not crazy about the guy they picked, but I’ll probably still watch the show — just not quite so consistently as in the past.
Perhaps there might be an additional reason for bringing Mayim Bialik on board. Perhaps she’s a potential go-to for host of Jeopardy if Richards can’t shake the past, or becomes engulfed in another scandal(s), or if the ratings tank with him as host. It’s just a thought. I’ll still watch, if only to see how much I’ve forgotten (too much lately, I’m sorry to say).
I said this yesterday on Facebook and I’ll say it again here as well. The only way this arrangement works is with the understanding (though it wasn’t said publicly) that Bialik is going to be the one that carries the whole Jeopardy franchise in the long term. I have to believe Mike Richards is more of a transitional host from Trebek (which is a herculean task to be sure). Eventually, it’s going to be Mayim that takes over the whole franchise long term. As the saying goes, You don’t want to be the one to replace the legend, you want to be the one that replaces the guy who replaced the legend.
I thought that Ken Jennings did an excellent job as guest host. In my mind there was no one better to host this iconic show. His on air presence and his history with jeopardy made him the leading candidate. I believe that the powers that be have made a huge mistake, but only time will tell. Executive producer and host of the show do not sit well with me. Everything eventually comes to an end and unfortunately we might be seeing the beginning of the end with this senseless choice.
Better for the show to just die instead of living on as a zombified shell of its former self.
I liked almost all of the guest hosts, but this is just a crappy way of resolving a problem in public. If you are going to make it seem like an audition, make it a fair audition. He wasn’t my favorite guest host (although he was fine) but this sham of a process makes me dislike him a lot.
I am really enjoying Joe Buck as the host (weird but true!)
Well, I won’t watch anymore. It’s sad but Mike Richards was so annoying that I stopped watching when he was on. He reminded me of Kenny Bania (Seinfeld) it just was weird. It seemed fixed from the start. I am a very long time Jeopardy fan but I just cannot applaud a guy for stealing a job, and he’s a creep! They added Mayim just to relax people on his past. I don’t care for her but they should have given her the show.