Since Mike Richards was fired at Alex Trebek’s replacement in August 2021, Jeopardy! has split the hosting duties between Ken Jennings and Mayim Bialik. Both have expressed interest in the full-time gig, but no decisions will be made until at least the end of season 38, which concludes on July 29. It’s clear who Jeopardy! fans want as the permanent host, however, based on a poll conducted by TV Insider.
“Of the [29,683] votes cast, Jennings took the lead with a majority of 70 percent with 20,885 votes — meanwhile, Bialik came in at 30 percent at 8,798 votes. While both had a strong showing of support, it’s clear who’s favored to be the permanent host among our readers, and that would be Ken Jennings,” TV Insider reported.
Jennings is also the favorite among children who write freaking adorable letters to game show hosts, as well as Jeopardy! champ Amy Schneider. “Ken Jennings should be the host,” she told CNN. “I didn’t necessarily think that before going into this because, yes, he was a great champion, but this is a different skill set. But you could see the work that he put into it, and I just thought he did a really great job. That’s my endorsement.”
Meanwhile, Bialik has said that she would “love” the full-time job, and she’s even received Trebek’s family’s blessing. “I got to meet them when we dedicated the stage and just feels so humbled around them,” she told Entertainment Tonight. “I want to only honor and you can’t match him and so there’s no need to try, but [we] really do continuously kind of want their blessing, that they feel what we’re doing is supporting that legacy.”
Counterpoint: let the Muppets host Jeopardy! No one will be mad at that.
(Via TV Insider)