The Future of Jeopardy: Alex Trebek and his successor

[Rumpy]

So let's see a show of hands for people who fell for the Jussie Smollett article.

Guilty! I admittedly flat out fell for it.

[jztemple2]

So let's see a show of hands for people who fell for the Jussie Smollett article.

Guilty! I admittedly flat out fell for it.

Me too. Now I can never trust anything posted on OO again

[Max Peck]

OK, I see your point and it's valid. The seriousness of the situation should be appropriate for the analogy.

That, and apparently I'm just done with rich "conservatives" telling us that they're just like the Nazi's victims.

[El Guapo]

So, by going on a talk show to talk about how he can't talk about his political beliefs, Tim Allen is like a Nazi collaborator that is betraying Tim Allen to the Hollywood Nazi regime, which then went on to punish him by doing nothing to him? Is that your basic position here?

No, I'm not talking about Tim Allen here at all. My point was that using the 1930s Germany analogy is useful for expressing oneself. I was responding to the point that El Guapo was making, "I just can't understand why people have trouble understanding why you shouldn't compare things to Nazi Germany". Sheesh, it's getting to be like Today with Hoda & Jenna here

Maybe I should've said "lightly compare things to Nazi Germany". Or at least, if you do, you shouldn't act surprised if it generates a media storm.

[jztemple2]

Watched Buzzy Cohen on a Jeopardy rerun tonight. Except for talking too fast at times, he looks like good host material.

[Rumpy]

So let's see a show of hands for people who fell for the Jussie Smollett article.

Guilty! I admittedly flat out fell for it.

Me too. Now I can never trust anything posted on OO again

See, the difference with sites like The Onion is that they always have this absurdist notion about them that tips the reader off. This on the other hand straddles the line a little too tightly and feels more real than not given the sequence of events that have happened already in regards to this.

[El Guapo]

So let's see a show of hands for people who fell for the Jussie Smollett article.

Guilty! I admittedly flat out fell for it.

Me too. Now I can never trust anything posted on OO again

See, the difference with sites like The Onion is that they always have this absurdist notion about them that tips the reader off. This on the other hand straddles the line a little too tightly and feels more real than not given the sequence of events that have happened already in regards to this.

Do you really think it's plausible that Jeopardy! would have named Jussie Smollett as its permanent host with no one here hearing about it until now?

As an aside, Clickhole is owned by The Onion.

[Sudy]

Smollet was perfect for that joke because a lot of people would have to look him up. Spacey or Cosby would have been too obvious, and too crude. (I mean Dr. Oz is pretty dumbfounding, but he's not a sex criminal.)

[Jaymon]

I hear that 'The Conners' has ended its run. So whats Sarah Gilbert up to these days?

[Isgrimnur]

Working on vaccines at Oxford.

[Rumpy]

So let's see a show of hands for people who fell for the Jussie Smollett article.

Guilty! I admittedly flat out fell for it.

Me too. Now I can never trust anything posted on OO again

See, the difference with sites like The Onion is that they always have this absurdist notion about them that tips the reader off. This on the other hand straddles the line a little too tightly and feels more real than not given the sequence of events that have happened already in regards to this.

Do you really think it's plausible that Jeopardy! would have named Jussie Smollett as its permanent host with no one here hearing about it until now?

As an aside, Clickhole is owned by The Onion.

I did think it was a little odd that I hadn't heard about it, but it still fell perfectly in line with what had been happening up until that day, so I didn't think much of that fact. Add in the fact that I don't visit either of those sites enough to know what's what, which makes it easier to fall for.

[hepcat]

Personally, I was completely taken by surprise at the news that Squeaky Fromme was being considered.

[jztemple2]

Personally, I was completely taken by surprise at the news that Squeaky Fromme was being considered.

She'd probably be happy to take a shot at it.

[ImLawBoy]

Sirhan Sirhan's schedule should be opening up soon.

[Isgrimnur]

As an aside, Clickhole is owned by The Onion.

*was

On February 3, 2020, the website was acquired by the team behind Cards Against Humanity. After the purchase, the website's employees became its majority owners, and will retain complete creative control.

[El Guapo]

As an aside, Clickhole is owned by The Onion.

*was

On February 3, 2020, the website was acquired by the team behind Cards Against Humanity. After the purchase, the website's employees became its majority owners, and will retain complete creative control.

[pr0ner]

Ken Jennings and Mayim Bialik will host Jeopardy! for the rest of the year.

[jztemple2]

Ken Jennings and Mayim Bialik will host Jeopardy! for the rest of the year.

Well, you win a few, you lose a few...

[jztemple2]

Ken Jennings and Mayim Bialik will host Jeopardy! for the rest of the year.

Well, you win a few, you lose a few...

OK, I'll take back my throwing shade . On Sunday they showed a rerun of one of Mayim Bialik's guest hosting appearances and I was again reminded of her (to me) over the top giddiness. However, now that I've seen two of her regular hosting gigs, she has toned it down and did a fine job letting the contestants be the center of attention, although the way Matt Amodio has been crushing his opponents they might have to cruise West Washington Boulevard in Culver City to find someone willing to stand at a podium while Matt answers almost all the questions

[Jaymon]

I didn't see any of the "try out" episodes from anybody. But I have watched now 2 episodes with Miyam Balik, and I think she is doing a fine job. A little stiff, but I can tell that with some practice, she will be super smooth.

[Jeff V]

From what little I've seen, Jennings seems pretty smooth as well. I saw his entire 74 win run while unemployed over a decade ago and I like him well enough. I still like Burton for reasons beyond what he's shown in his tryout, but his failure to nail the job interview is something I can identify with.

[Daehawk]

Especially since he was the favorite and the guy running the auditions wanted the job for himself.

[Pyperkub]

Not sure if this is in the thread (esp one of the twitter links), but it cracks me up!

[Jeff V]

Especially since he was the favorite and the guy running the auditions wanted the job for himself.

Burton is a fan favorite, but that doesn't necessarily translate into long term (say, the next 20 years) ratings gold. I think he needed to be more congenial...I've met him before and I know he can do that, I can only think nerves got to him (even Hollywood vets can suffer from this when the gig is something they desperately want). Today I had a little time to kill before fetching my daughter from school and put on The Price is Right. Drew Carey, who I really liked when he had his show, really seemed to be going through the motions and is no where near the comfort zone Bob Barker was at for so many years.

I remember Alex Trebek doing other gameshows before Jeopardy! He was always competent, but with Jeopardy! he really clicked...he pulled off being a smart guy extremely well (and I'm sure he was, although I'll never forget a standup comedian once who suggested that without the answer cards, Alex was as dumb as a fart...and we really don't know if that was the case or if Alex was such a good performer). Ratings what they are, the show might have a low tolerance for someone to grow into the role...an audition process is a spectacle unto itself. I'd like to see Levar Burton in the role, but I thought Ken Jennings did a fine job and nobody would ever accuse him as being dumb as a fart.

[Rumpy]

I remember Alex Trebek doing other gameshows before Jeopardy! He was always competent, but with Jeopardy! he really clicked.

Yeah, he'd done a lot of short-lived game shows, both in the U.S and Canada before getting the Jeopardy job, and even before that as a broadcaster with his own entertainment show. By the time he'd got the Jeopardy job, he'd gained a fair bit of experience hosting.

[Daehawk]

I have Jeopardy playing in the background. Sounds like Mayim is just too calm. She is just reading and her interacting skills are bland. She is ok but she needs a bit of emotion and inflection to her talking.

[jztemple2]

The long national nightmare is over, we finally have a single host for Jeopardy:

Mayim Bialik says she's out as a host of TV quiz show 'Jeopardy!'

Mayim Bialik won’t be giving answers as a host of “Jeopardy!” anymore.

“The Big Bang Theory” actor posted news of her departure on Instagram on Friday.

“Sony has informed me that I will no longer be hosting the syndicated version of Jeopardy!” Bialik wrote. “I am incredibly honored to have been nominated for a primetime Emmy for hosting this year and I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of the Jeopardy! family.”

Former show champion Ken Jennings has been hosting season 40 of the syndicated show by himself.

Sony Pictures Television in a statement noted Bialik was the one who announced her departure.

“We made the decision to have one host for the syndicated show next season to maintain continuity for our viewers, and Ken Jennings will be the sole host for syndicated Jeopardy!” Sony said. “We are truly grateful for all of Mayim’s contributions to Jeopardy!, and we hope to continue to work with her on primetime specials.”

Bialik and Jennings had split hosting duties on “Jeopardy!,” but Bialik was the solo host for season 1 of “Celebrity Jeopardy!” In May, Bialik declared her support for the Hollywood writers’ strike and declined to appear on the game show.

[Rumpy]

I mean, did anyone really think having two hosts was really sustainable?

[Max Peck]

It seemed like it was pretty sustainable until one of the two declined to work during the writers' strike.

[Rumpy]

Which does seem like a fairly legitimate reason.

[Isgrimnur]

Which does seem like a fairly legitimate reason.

Engaging in a sympathy strike of a protected labor action?

[Rumpy]

Well, I mean, if you're employed in an industry that is striking, crossing picket lines and working during a strike would label you as a scab. That would generally not favour you in the unions. Being that she's an actress herself and with many friends in the industry, she obviously doesn't want herself to get blacklisted, so declining to work during a strike seems perfectly reasonable. Ken on the other hand doesn't have that acting background, so he'd be safer. Besides which, is anyone really going to miss her as host? I doubt it.

[El Guapo]

Well, I mean, if you're employed in an industry that is striking, crossing picket lines and working during a strike would label you as a scab. That would generally not favour you in the unions. Being that she's an actress herself and with many friends in the industry, she obviously doesn't want herself to get blacklisted, so declining to work during a strike seems perfectly reasonable. Ken on the other hand doesn't have that acting background, so he'd be safer. Besides which, is anyone really going to miss her as host? I doubt it.

Weren't the Jeopardy! writers striking as part of the writers strike? I'd have thought that Ken Jennings working during that would've generated a ton of blowback, but seems like it hasn't.

[jztemple2]

Weren't the Jeopardy! writers striking as part of the writers strike? I'd have thought that Ken Jennings working during that would've generated a ton of blowback, but seems like it hasn't.

Since Jeopardy started its season on time last September, I'm assuming that their writers weren't part of the strike. Game show writers probably aren't part of the same union since it isn't considered a scripted series. Or at least that's my impression. Daytime soaps also weren't affected since they have their own contract with their production companies.

I don't see how Ken Jennings working would have caused any issues since I don't believe he is part of either union that went on strike.

[Isgrimnur]

Well, I mean, if you're employed in an industry that is striking, crossing picket lines and working during a strike would label you as a scab. That would generally not favour you in the unions. Being that she's an actress herself and with many friends in the industry, she obviously doesn't want herself to get blacklisted, so declining to work during a strike seems perfectly reasonable. Ken on the other hand doesn't have that acting background, so he'd be safer. Besides which, is anyone really going to miss her as host? I doubt it.

Weren't the Jeopardy! writers striking as part of the writers strike? I'd have thought that Ken Jennings working during that would've generated a ton of blowback, but seems like it hasn't.

‘Jeopardy!’ Will Reuse Questions And Contestants For New Season Amid Writers Strike

The questions for the upcoming season of Jeopardy! will be a combination of unused, already-written material from before the strike and “material that is being redeployed from multiple, multiple” seasons, Davies said.

There won’t be new contestants for season 40 because Davies said he doesn’t think it’d be “fair” for people to compete on the show with non-original material; instead, the season will feature second-chance contestants from seasons 37 and 38.

[Rumpy]

Well, I mean, if you're employed in an industry that is striking, crossing picket lines and working during a strike would label you as a scab. That would generally not favour you in the unions. Being that she's an actress herself and with many friends in the industry, she obviously doesn't want herself to get blacklisted, so declining to work during a strike seems perfectly reasonable. Ken on the other hand doesn't have that acting background, so he'd be safer. Besides which, is anyone really going to miss her as host? I doubt it.

Weren't the Jeopardy! writers striking as part of the writers strike? I'd have thought that Ken Jennings working during that would've generated a ton of blowback, but seems like it hasn't.

Yeah, I was wondering about that as well. And I know the questions have to be written by union writers, hence the reuse of questions. I'm not sure what kind of union Ken would be belonging to. But I know Sony has gotten lots of blowback for even going ahead with new episodes during the Strike.

[jztemple2]

Well, I mean, if you're employed in an industry that is striking, crossing picket lines and working during a strike would label you as a scab. That would generally not favour you in the unions. Being that she's an actress herself and with many friends in the industry, she obviously doesn't want herself to get blacklisted, so declining to work during a strike seems perfectly reasonable. Ken on the other hand doesn't have that acting background, so he'd be safer. Besides which, is anyone really going to miss her as host? I doubt it.

Weren't the Jeopardy! writers striking as part of the writers strike? I'd have thought that Ken Jennings working during that would've generated a ton of blowback, but seems like it hasn't.

‘Jeopardy!’ Will Reuse Questions And Contestants For New Season Amid Writers Strike

The questions for the upcoming season of Jeopardy! will be a combination of unused, already-written material from before the strike and “material that is being redeployed from multiple, multiple” seasons, Davies said.

There won’t be new contestants for season 40 because Davies said he doesn’t think it’d be “fair” for people to compete on the show with non-original material; instead, the season will feature second-chance contestants from seasons 37 and 38.

Thanks for the link! I stand corrected , I thought that game shows weren't affected. I might have confused them with the daytime soaps.

I noticed towards the bottom the quote:

Jeopardy! hires its writers through the WGA union, though it finished filming its most recent season in late May—after the strike began—because the questions were written in advance.

I asked Bard "Which tv game show does not hire its writers from the Writers Guild of America?". And Bard answered:

It's difficult to definitively say which specific TV game show does not hire writers from the Writers Guild of America (WGA) because:

• Union membership isn't always publicly accessible. While some shows proudly acknowledge their WGA writers, others keep it less advertised. Discovering if individual writers belong to the guild requires research into their careers or membership lists, which may not be readily available.
• Shows might not directly employ writers. Some utilize production companies or freelance writers who may not be affiliated with the WGA. These writers might still contribute significantly to the script, making it unclear if the show technically operates with WGA writers or not.
• Exceptions exist. Certain types of programs, like news or sports-based game shows, fall outside the WGA's jurisdiction and thus wouldn't require their writers to be members.

Therefore, instead of naming a specific show, here are some potential scenarios where a game show might not hire WGA writers:

• Smaller productions with limited budgets: They might use in-house staff or freelance writers who aren't WGA members to save on costs.
• Shows with non-scripted elements: If improvisation or audience interaction plays a major role, the need for traditional scripted material might be minimal, rendering WGA writers less necessary.
• Educational or informative programs: Their focus might be factual content or audience participation, requiring different writing skills than those typical of WGA writers.

If you're curious about a specific game show, exploring its production details or researching the credits of its writers might offer some clues about their involvement with the WGA. However, remember that a lack of information about WGA membership doesn't necessarily confirm otherwise.

I hope this explanation clarifies the complexity surrounding this topic!

[Rumpy]

Thanks for doing the legwork on the research!

[jztemple2]

Thanks for doing the legwork on the research!

Thank Bard, the Google chat AI. I'm finding it surprisingly useful. It's not always right, but since it lists its sources I can always double check on those. But most of the time it has been very helpful.