The Future of Jeopardy: Alex Trebek and his successor

[Hrothgar]

I think Mike Richards was probably the best of the guest hosts. His lead wasn't as far at it looked at the beginning. Mayim Bialik and Dr. Sanjay Gupta were surprisingly good. I would be happy with any of those three. Burton was a disappointment. The only time he was good was when he was talking about his charity, Reading is Fundamental. I'm kind of looking forward to Joe Buck. It will either be great or awful.

[Moat_Man]

I liked Buzzy quite a bit and I thought Ken Jennings was the best of the bunch. Mike Richards was good but I got the vibe he was forced to be there because Ken had a prior commitment and couldn't complete the last two weeks of his first stint. He also wears a lot of hats being Executive Producer of Jeopary and Wheel of Fortune.

[Moat_Man]

Here is a list of the all guest hosts through the end of the season. When it's over we can rank them for fun.

https://ftw.usatoday.com/gallery/jeopar ... s-who-list

[Biyobi]

My wife and I are really enjoying David Faber this week. He's got a sense of how the game is supposed to flow. He's my second favorite behind Mike Richards.

[jztemple2]

My wife and I are really enjoying David Faber this week. He's got a sense of how the game is supposed to flow. He's my second favorite behind Mike Richards.

We thought Faber was very good too. Even on the first day he was sharp and on point. But I agree, Mike Richards is still my favorite.

LeVar Burton was rather a disappointment. He seemed very nervous on the first show and was still off his game on the last show. I know that they probably filmed all five on the same day, but considering the time he must have had to practice, it was a poor showing.

[LordMortis]

My wife and I are really enjoying David Faber this week. He's got a sense of how the game is supposed to flow. He's my second favorite behind Mike Richards.

He's great on CNBC. Perhaps my favorite commentator of them all. It's a shame he only gets like an hour (which I can't pay enough attention to, having to work and all and can't ever even listen to when I am not WFH) and shares it with two others, though it's the banter and quick and insightful thinking that makes him my favorite.

[Rumpy]

LeVar Burton was rather a disappointment. He seemed very nervous on the first show and was still off his game on the last show. I know that they probably filmed all five on the same day, but considering the time he must have had to practice, it was a poor showing.

It of course doesn't help when Matt became fairly predictable, which I'm sure threw LeVar off, and it goes to show how easy Alex made it look. I really wish they'd given LeVar more than a week like some of the others.

[Jeff V]

and it goes to show how easy Alex made it look.

Trebek was a professional game show host before Jeopardy. The key, I think, is trying to pull of that you really do know the answers to the questions and therefore the host is essentially competing with the contestants. One comedian I saw years back mentioned that without the note cards, Alex was as dumb as a fart. But it was the illusion of brilliance that he pulled off oh so well.

[Rumpy]

and it goes to show how easy Alex made it look.

Trebek was a professional game show host before Jeopardy. The key, I think, is trying to pull of that you really do know the answers to the questions and therefore the host is essentially competing with the contestants. One comedian I saw years back mentioned that without the note cards, Alex was as dumb as a fart. But it was the illusion of brilliance that he pulled off oh so well.

I think part of it was in the timing and delivery as well. But yeah, he'd done a bunch of short-lived game shows before landing Jeopardy and had time to perfect the art of hosting.

[jztemple2]

I don't think there's anything wrong with getting a new host with some hosting experience. We were watching an old Jeopardy with Alex tonight and it reminded me of how much fun he could be on the show, cracking little jokes and mugging for the camera. All these guest hosts have been rather too respectful. We need a host who will be irreverent and silly at times.

[Daehawk]

LaVar was bad? Im surprised. I thought he would be the perfect fit.

[Blackhawk]

So did I. Maybe improv just isn't his strength

[jztemple2]

LaVar was bad? Im surprised. I thought he would be the perfect fit.

I thought so too, but he just seemed to stumble a lot in the five days. Also he just seemed uncomfortable. Odd really, but I imagine hosting a live show and having to ad lib would be a challenge to a lot of folks.

[Baroquen]

I was hoping LeVar would have done better too. I've found I enjoy the show most when I don't notice the host. And I really didn't like Mike Richards. He struck me as more of the stereotypical loud game show host. He was one of my least favorites. I didn't get to see Faber yet as I was on vacation. Anyway, I'm hoping those old lawsuits/controversies de-rail Richards deal. (Which means it will probably be made official today. )

[Drazzil]

Id like to see the weakest link redhead lady do it. Or at least give it a shot. I don't remember her name.

[Jaymann]

I don't think there's anything wrong with getting a new host with some hosting experience. We were watching an old Jeopardy with Alex tonight and it reminded me of how much fun he could be on the show, cracking little jokes and mugging for the camera. All these guest hosts have been rather too respectful. We need a host who will be irreverent and silly at times.

Where's Louie Anderson when you need him?

[Daehawk]

Meh probably dead to me. I used to think Drew Carey was funny. Then I saw him host The Price Is Right. Bob ruled of course but Drew ...my God Drew is SO bland and monotone and unfunny. I think he is the worst host Ive ever seen and yet he is the host. I tried 5 or 6 or maybe more eps. God awful. He is just flat.

So Jeopardy is probably the same to me. I dont have tv anyways now so wont be able to know really.

[Baroquen]

Well... looks like Richards on the syndicated version and Bialik on specials/primetime. Don't really like either one much. /shrug

Jeopardy Host News

[pr0ner]

Meh probably dead to me. I used to think Drew Carey was funny. Then I saw him host The Price Is Right. Bob ruled of course but Drew ...my God Drew is SO bland and monotone and unfunny. I think he is the worst host Ive ever seen and yet he is the host. I tried 5 or 6 or maybe more eps. God awful. He is just flat.

So Jeopardy is probably the same to me. I dont have tv anyways now so wont be able to know really.

When is the last time you watched The Price is Right? Drew was a little rough early on, but he's fixed all of his issues and runs the show super smoothly now.

[Hrothgar]

Well... looks like Richards on the syndicated version and Bialik on specials/primetime. Don't really like either one much. /shrug

Jeopardy Host News

Really? I liked both of them and ranked them at the top of the guest hosts. It's rare that I'm in the mainstream of anything, but Jeopardy fans is one I'll gladly accept.

Buzzy and Ken would be great as well if they need to increase the pool even more.

[jztemple2]

I liked Mike Richards because his personality blends into the background, with just the occasional quip or comment. Some of the guest hosts just went over the top, like Robin Roberts and Savannah Guthrie. The latter kept sounding like a kindergarten teacher praising her charges. And I wasn't that thrilled with Bialik either, but in this day and age not nominating at least one female host was probably going to draw a lot of flak.

[Jeff V]

I'm surprised that even after the (by all accounts, I haven't watched) tepid effort by Levar Burton, he still has a lot of people clamoring for him. It had to be nerves, which is surprising from a seasoned actor.

Still, he's the only person I ever met to have appeared on Jeopardy! My late friend Don made it to the live trials but was shot down by a brutal literature category. I tried but couldn't type the correct answer fast enough during the online portion...I really need to have a fast touch typist able to instantly type out correctly when I blurt out the answers.

[Rumpy]

I'm surprised that even after the (by all accounts, I haven't watched) tepid effort by Levar Burton, he still has a lot of people clamoring for him. It had to be nerves, which is surprising from a seasoned actor.

Keep in mind, that I don't think he's ever done anything live-to-tape. All of his experience has been with either drama (Roots, Star Trek TNG) or Children's Edutainment (Reading Rainbow). All of which were scripted shows requiring multiple takes. Jeopardy is a very different beast, taped live-to-tape and requiring split second takes. It couldn't have helped having to deal with a fairly uninspired Champion during his entire span of episodes. The episodes were also all filmed in a single day, which is different than some of the hosts who had two weeks worth of episodes to tape.

That said and taking everything into account, I don't think he was as terrible as he was made out to be. I thought he had done reasonably well given what he was dealt with.

[Blackhawk]

That was my thought (I think I mentioned it earlier.) Game show host is basically quick bursts of improv, which is a completely different type of acting from drama, as is scripted hosting. They're different skills. Just because and actor is great at one doesn't mean he'll be great at another.

Put Alex Trebek on Star Trek as a central character and see how he does.

[Anonymous Bosch]

Put Alex Trebek on Star Trek as a central character and see how he does.

Surprisingly well, I suspect…

[pr0ner]

Mike Richards went from being named (naming himself?) permanent Jeopardy! host to stepping down this week.

Naturally, online reaction is still calling for Burton, and I imagine it would regardless of who's chosen.

[El Guapo]

Doesn't it now default to Mayim Bialik as the VP host?

[pr0ner]

Doesn't it now default to Mayim Bialik as the VP host?

Nah, they're going back to guest hosts for filming of the next season of syndicated episodes while they go back to the drawing board for a full time replacement. I don't think Bialik has enough time to do a full hosting gig (she stars in a comedy on Fox amongst other things).

[El Guapo]

Well good job by everyone on the host search.

I'm surprised that they're not picking from the other guest hosts. Dragging this out more seems embarrassing at this point.

[Isgrimnur]

It keeps them in the news.

[Zaxxon]

[El Guapo]

What was the issue with Richards's comments / prior conduct? I know I've seen articles posted around the internet but I'm too lazy to read them, so looking for just a sentence or two.

[AWS260]

[Sudy]

What was the issue with Richards's comments / prior conduct? I know I've seen articles posted around the internet but I'm too lazy to read them, so looking for just a sentence or two.

Full Decider.com article:

On his podcast The Randumb Show, which he hosted from 2013 to 2014, Richards frequently made disparaging comments about women’s bodies. In an episode published in Sept. 2014 after the iCloud photo hack that exposed a handful of women celebrities, Richards asked his co-hosts (both younger women) if they had ever taken nude photos of themselves. One of the co-hosts said she took photos of herself when she looked cute, and Richards responded, “Like booby pictures? What are we looking at?”

On another episode in 2014, Richards made a statement about how one-piece swimsuits make women look “really frumpy and overweight.” The podcast episodes have since been removed from their original website, but audio clips are still available via the Internet Archive.

In another episode, Richards was discussing big noses when he said, speaking in pig latin, “Ixnay on the ose-nay. She’s not an ew-Jay.” He also referred to his female assistant as a “booth ho,” referencing her past work as a model, and used derogatory terms for little people and people with mental disabilities, including using the R-word.

...

Another revealing aspect of the podcast is Richards’s frequent obsession with fame, with at least two episodes referencing how he sees himself in the showbiz world. According to The Ringer‘s report, Richards “inserted himself into the hosting lineup,” using multiple forms of manipulation (like focus groups, and his control over the entire Season 37) to prop himself up in talks for the permanent gig.

“The podcast was intended to be a series of irreverent conversations between longtime friends who had a history of joking around. Even with the passage of time, it’s more than clear that my attempts to be funny and provocative were not acceptable, and I have removed the episodes. My responsibilities today as a father, husband, and a public personality who speaks to many people through my role on television means I have substantial and serious obligations as a role model, and I intend to live up to them.”

Criminal? Not sure. Asshole? Leaning yes. Slime? Definitely.

[El Guapo]

I suspect that a big part of the controversy is that a lot of people have personal experience with a jerky white man with connections getting promoted over other qualified candidates, especially women and minority candidates.

[Scraper]

I suspect that a big part of the controversy is that a lot of people have personal experience with a jerky white man with connections getting promoted over other qualified candidates, especially women and minority candidates.

For real, can't they just give his slot to Levar Burton and be done with it. Apparently he won the popular vote at 14% when the network put it out to the public to vote on. Myam came in second with 13%. So give each of them a show to host.

[Rumpy]

Well, that went downhill quickly. I was going to give him 3 months before being sunk, but out before even starting must be a record. It's kind of what you get for being a producer running a search and naming yourself the winner. It puts to light any slimy tactics he would have made in the past, and makes the whole search feel like a sham done as a PR stunt with a preset objective of placing him at the top, and some who have put their hearts out there really wanting the job were likely never really in the running. He'd made it all about himself, a complete opposite of Trebek whose mantra was to say that the contestants were the stars. Honestly, I would have preferred Ken at this point who seemed comfortable in the role.

The whole thing feels like they never had a contingency plan, even while Alex was alive. They should have started doing their research and auditions in the background even then, and Alex maybe would have been able to help. But the way all this was conducted sours things, is kind of an insult to the intelligence that Jeopardy put forward in the past.

[Jeff V]

I was going to give him 3 months before being sunk, but out before even starting must be a record.

He started. He filmed a week's worth of shows that will be aired.

On the news this morning, it sounded like there will be more auditions, apparently they aren't satisfied enough with those who auditioned already.

[jztemple2]

I was going to give him 3 months before being sunk, but out before even starting must be a record.

He started. He filmed a week's worth of shows that will be aired.

That will be interesting. All the slimy stuff aside, I thought he was the best host in the "auditions".

Actually I think those guest host sessions weren't the best opportunities for displaying their day to day skills. Between the hagiographic speeches about Alex and the pitching of their charities, the guest hosts didn't seem to have enough leeway to just relax and host. Right now our local channel is showing several weeks of old Alex shows from way back (including early Ken Jennings, non-wide screen stuff) and I'm reminded of how funny Alex could be, and how light he could keep the mood of the show. None of the new hosts, including Richards, seemed to be able to fit that mold. And while I know we don't necessarily want an Alex doppelganger*, I'd hope the new host would continue the essence of the style of Alex.

* I would definitely watch a new Jeopardy with a computer-generated hologram Alex. I'd at least give it a try

[Max Peck]