Mike Richards.

https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/mike-richards-jeopardy-host-alex-trebek-1235034673/?fbclid=IwAR1Ed0YfQwMmWSRBfdWrfRmMve84cNdzAOVHnpfsHud35XNfUtVPy8m3zKg

Per the link above, Mike Richards, who succeeded Harry Friedman as showrunner of "Jeopardy!" in 2020, months before the passing of Alex Trebek, who died last November at age 80, 20 months after being hit with Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer, is set to pull double duty as BOTH Showrunner AND the new PERMANENT host of "Jeopardy!" this Fall.

Not to be confused with "Seinfeld" actor Michael Richards, Mike Richards' prior hosting gigs in Game Show were the short-lived Game Show Network originals "Divided" and a short-lived 2012 revival of "The Pyramid."

Personally, I was rooting for Ken Jennings to become Permanent host since Alex Trebek's passing, BUT it'll be interesting to see how Mike Richards does in that position, considering he was the first of the 2-week Guest Hosts in February that have included, among others, LeVar Burton and Mayim Bialik.

..so the guy in charge of picking the new host is the new host?

OK, then.

He isn't the new host yet, although it looks like he might be. This was further down in the article. "A source close to the situation cautioned that there’s no certainty that the sides will close a deal and that other candidates remain in the mix, although Richards is clearly the front-runner."

Not to be confused with "Seinfeld" actor Michael Richards.

Anyone that would confuse the 2 has no business watching TV.

Anyone that would confuse the 2 has no business watching TV.

:lol::D:lol::D:lol::D

The choice makes sense. Jeopardy is the star of Jeopardy. What the show needs is someone who understands what that means. I think Ken would have been a good choice but he lacked media experience and in the era of WOKE any utterance might be turned against you. Mike should do fine.

Mike Richards was Mr. Bland as host, but he's better than most of the guest hosts. My picks were Aaron Rodgers, Buzzy Cohen or Mayim Bialik (I did not like her on TBBT, but she did a good job as host).

Anyone that would confuse the 2 has no business watching TV.Ah man!!

Mike Richards as permanent host feels underwhelming, preordained and surprising (https://variety.com/2021/tv/columns/jeopardy-mike-richards-host-1235034867/): "The presence of Richards, a show insider, among vastly more well-known hosts was somewhat eyebrow-raising from the first," says Daniel D'Addario. "Richards’ performance was technically assured: He’s been a host on lesser shows like Beauty and the Geek before, and it’s no surprise that he knows the show he produces. But other hosts did a more effective job at bringing out contestants’ personalities than did Richards, who could be somewhat abrupt. Similarly halting were his show-ending tributes to Trebek. Though his intentions seemed good, Richards, in paying endless homage to his predecessor, ended up seeming the one thing the charmingly plainspoken Trebek rarely was: Stilted. There will be time for Richards to grow into the role, and, once the deal is done, the franchise’s fans must now root for him: He is to be the host we’ve got on a show whose legacy and format set it apart among its competitors. And it’s time for the show to settle into its new order — the search couldn’t go on forever. Whether or not Richards was always going to be the choice, though, the show did itself a service by letting the process of cycling through guests play out for a bit. Not merely did the electricity of proximity to Trebek’s sad loss fade a bit — hosts came to grow somewhat less florid in their memorializing him as time went by — but the show also worked through some possibilities of what could work and what might not. The modern viewer’s only meaningful encounter with the show had been with Trebek at its helm. What might it look like with, say, a more radically empathic emcee, like Katie Couric? Or a more laconic one, like Aaron Rodgers? Or a more enthusiastic one, like LeVar Burton?"
LeVar Burton's name trends as some Jeopardy! fans express outrage with the Mike Richards news (https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/jeopardy-close-to-landing-new-host-people-react-to-it-not-being-levar-burton/burton-jeopardy-1)

What might it look like with, say, a more radically empathic emcee, like Katie Couric? Or a more laconic one, like Aaron Rodgers? Katie Couric and Aaron Rodgers were bloody awful hosts who brought nothing to the show, good riddance to them. I would have preferred Ken Jennings or Mayim Bialik. But Mike is a much better selection than Aaron, Katie, and others who were horrible hosts like Savannah Guthrie, Dr. Oz, and George S.

I always thought Mike Richards was the best that I have seen. Good choice. Aaron Rodgers was horrible as well as Katie Couric. LaVar Burton was ok but not my first choice. A non famous person is probably the best choice.

My girlfriend and I both agree on Mayim Bialik as a top candidate to become the permanent host. Levar Burton is another top candidate. I'm strongly against Ken Jennings because of rules that state that if any potential contestant knows someone who works on the show, it's an automatic disqualification. That's been the status quo for any game show since the quiz show scandals of the 1950s.

Ken Jennings was my overwhelming choice, but Mike Richards was the only other host that I actually liked and would continue watching. He was surprisingly good. I've been watching Jeopardy since I was about 6 years old.

If Lavar Burton or Mayim Bialik were chosen, that would kill the show forever.

...I've been watching Jeopardy since I was about 6 years old.

I remember watching Jeopardy as a kid, on NBC when Art Fleming was the host.

I remember watching Jeopardy as a kid, on NBC when Art Fleming was the host.

When I was in 6th grade our class went to a taping in Rockefeller Center.

https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/mike-richards-jeopardy-host-alex-trebek-1235034673/?fbclid=IwAR1Ed0YfQwMmWSRBfdWrfRmMve84cNdzAOVHnpfsHud35XNfUtVPy8m3zKg



(remembers having had often considered whom I had believed to have had been the Mike Richards mentioned in the article at the part of the World Wide Web to which the hyperlink above was connected to had been a favorite a mine for the role of host mentioned in the article (along with whom I had believed to have had been a certain LeVar Burton))

Mike Richards, Jeopardy! host frontrunner, was sued twice for harassment when he was a producer on The Price is Right (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/price-is-right-model-wins-393521/)

Articles on lawsuits against Richards emerged last night after Variety announced that he's the frontrunner (https://www.primetimer.com/item/Jeopardy-executive-producer-Mike-Richards-is-in-quot-advanced-negotiations-quot-to-become-permanent-host-vaSXA5) to take over full-time hosting duties on Jeopardy! "Dear @sonypictures TV, now might not be the best time to name Mike Richards as the host of @Jeopardy," tweeted TV writer Nell Scovell (https://twitter.com/NellSco/status/1423091557910069249). "Looks like he enabled toxicity in his former workplace." In 2012, The Price is Right model Brandi Cochran was awarded more than $7.7 million after she sued accusing two producers of sidelining and harassing her after she became pregnant. One of those producers was Richards. According to The Hollywood Reporter (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/price-is-right-model-wins-393521/), Richards allegedly "didn’t talk to her as frequently and he implied to her that she would have been one of the models fired had the pregnancy not been secret. She also said she was pressured to announce her pregnancy on the air, and when she delivered the news that she was carrying twins, she was given less work." At trial, Richards denied unfavorable treatment to Cochran. In 2011, model Lanisa Cole sued The Price is Right alleging sexual harassment (https://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/09/price-is-right-model-sues-show-for-alleged-sexual-harassment.html). Again, Richards was one of two producers named in the lawsuit. The Los Angeles Times reported that the lawsuit alleged that "beginning in December 2009, the situation began to deteriorate when Richards suddenly and inexplicably stopped speaking to Cole and began showing favoritism to another model with whom he was having a relationship...According to the court papers, Richards used policies 'which never before existed' to limit her modeling work on the show and engaged in abusive behavior." A judge later dismissed Richards as a defendant (https://patch.com/california/pasadena-ca/former-the-price-is-right-model-settles-in-sexual-hara32b7c9886) and Cole's case was settled out of court. Meanwhile, former Jeopardy! contestant Roey Hadar points out (https://twitter.com/roeyhadar/status/1423071061617389573) that Glenn Kagan, the show's coordinator for more than 30 years, sued the show for age discrimination (https://news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-report/former-jeopardy-employee-sues-sony-alleging-age-discrimination) after he was fired after Richards took over last year amid the pandemic. ALSO: Jeopardy! fans accuse Mike Richards of "pulling a Dick Cheney" -- leading a hiring committee through an arduous recruitment process only to hire himself (https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a37230837/jeopardy-producer-becoming-permanent-host-fan-outrage/).

LeVar Burton says "no matter the outcome, I’ve won" amid reports Mike Richards is the Jeopardy! host frontrunner (https://twitter.com/levarburton/status/1423307953562480644)

"I have said many times over these past weeks that no matter the outcome, I’ve won," Burton tweeted this morning. "The outpouring of love and support from family, friends, and fans alike has been incredible! If love is the ultimate blessing and I believe that it is, I am truly blessed beyond measure."

Why Mike Richards was always going to be Jeopardy! host -- and why LeVar Burton didn't stand a chance (https://twitter.com/McTelevision/status/1423069984700264452)

"First of all, Sony & #Jeopardy telegraphed this move early on when it had Richards host right after Ken Jennings," Melanie McFarland explains in a Twitter thread. "Jennings got a 7-week run, but that struck me as something of a stop-gap while production got its list of prospective hosts together. Jennings did...fine. However, on a show that prides itself on making the contestants the stars, having the GOAT as its permanent host ensures that in some respects he would always overshadow them. Having Richards follow Jennings reminded viewers of what Alex Trebek did so well. Richards doesn't directly channel or imitate Trebek, but his manner and delivery is familiar enough to recall the late great host. Of course it is. He was Trebek's EP. And he nailed his two weeks. By then the initial list of guest hosts had been released but, to be honest, most of the selections struck me as lovely tributes and/or theater. Notably, Levar Burton wasn't on that 1st list. Now: you could surmise that the Jeopardy! producers wanted to create some drama with that decision, but let's be real. The show was aware of the fan campaign. It began back in December 2020. Once Burton was added to the list that generated more publicity for him & the show, although obviously his desire get the hosting gig was and is genuine. However, a few things were against Burton from the jump. First, his stardom. Never mind the fact that the reasons he's famous & beloved are aligned with the Jeopardy! ideal. He's still a big star. And remember the whole point of Jeopardy! is to make its contenders the stars of the show. Yes, Trebek was its star when he was host, but the reason for that is he innovated a way of hosting that largely stayed out of contestants' way. He was low-key and comforting. Burton is also low-key and comforting. He's also forever associated with other iconic TV roles, though. And I think that (and yes, his age) worked against him more than his performance during his tryout week. In selecting Richards Jeopardy! is opting for a 'smooth transition' strategy in which the show's calm and comforting familiarity isn't entirely upended. He'll require an acclimation period, as any new person would, but perhaps not as much to diehard viewers. And here's where this analysis gets cold & brutal. Richards was selected despite the many cases made for Jeopardy to display some commitment to diversity by selecting a woman or a person of color because...the job was always his. Richards knows how to guide the game, how to keep the time, the cadence, everything. There's no need for a 'breaking in' period. He's ready to jump in because...he's the younger guy who has always been there. Isn't that how the world works?...For some people?..." McFarland adds: "Mike Richards makes sense for Jeopardy! because this is a show that doesn't need a star, or to change the world. It makes stars & takes pride in being a beacon of stability."

ALSO:


Ultimately, Sony chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment Tony Vinciquerra is making the Jeopardy! host decision (https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/05/media/mike-richards-jeopardy-host/index.html): CNN's Brian Stelter reports that "Sony was under tremendous pressure to cast an appealing successor" and that ultimately it was Vinciquerra's decision to make despite "leaving viewers with the distinct impression of an audition process" with the many celebrity guest-hosts. "The calendar is a factor because Sony will start to tape the new season of Jeopardy! in the coming weeks ahead of a September premiere," says Stelter. "But Sony may be reluctant to formally name a new permanent host while the on-air tryouts are ongoing." He added: "The sources who spoke with CNN Business said Sony wanted Jeopardy! to be the primary job for the permanent host, instead of recruiting someone who already has one or two other roles."
Jeopardy! can do better than Mike Richards (https://theweek.com/culture/entertainment/1003413/jeopardy-new-host-mike-richards): "There's nothing objectively wrong with Richards. He's not Dr. Oz — which, let's face it, is a really big plus in his column," says Jeva Lange. "From the point of view of the Jeopardy! higher-ups (er, the even-higher-ups), he makes a lot of sense: He's a veteran of the game show world, having formerly produced The Price Is Right and hosted Beauty and the Geek. He was also repeatedly ranked by critics as being the best of the 15 guest hosts to try their hand at the Jeopardy! hosting gig so far. But replacing a longtime middle-aged white guy with another middle-aged white guy isn't exactly a bold choice. Fans deserve to be excited about the show's new host, and particularly so when the high-profile search for a replacement has left no doubt that Jeopardy! can do better." She adds: "Part of what makes Jeopardy! such a great game show has always been that it's more than just a game show. Richards, who took over as executive producer of Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! in 2020, clearly nails the competition part of the requirement. But with his sly humor, Trebek always encouraged his competitors and audiences to be better, to try harder, and to learn something new in the process. We should challenge Jeopardy! to do the same."
Jeopardy! diehard fans viewed Mike Richards with suspicion, though he was consistently among the Top 5 guest-hosts (https://www.theringer.com/tv/2021/8/5/22611962/jeopardy-new-host-mike-richards-sony): "Richards struggled, in particular, to win over many of the show’s most die-hard fans; on the bustling Jeopardy! subreddit, it became a common refrain that he would be better suited taking over Wheel of Fortune, where Pat Sajak has held court since 1981," says Claire McNear. "To many such fans, Richards’s game show experience is regarded with suspicion. Jeopardy! aficionados tend to view the show as belonging to its own class of game show—one where glitz, gimmicks, and excitable contestants are abandoned in favor of rigid trivia and no-nonsense nerds. In that light, Richards’s bona fides at The Price Is Right and Let’s Make a Deal aren’t selling points—they’re hints that the person now possibly taking center stage might have something truly dreadful in mind for their beloved, stodgy quiz show: something flashier, or perhaps even—heaven forbid—fashionable."
The Jeopardy! casting process is a reminder how little fan input matters (https://twitter.com/MarkHarrisNYC/status/1423367870487138309): "One fascinating lesson of the Jeopardy/Mike Richards reaction is that Twitter thinks it gets to decide anything it participates in, so companies that use Twitter to create the illusion of fan input but don't actually want it get the blowback they deserve," says Mark Harris.
Mike Richards is pulling a "reverse Jeff Probst" (https://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/2021/08/mike-richards-beauty-geek-jeopardy-host/): "Last year, Richards started as executive producer both Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune, which means he may be doing a reverse Jeff Probst in two ways: going from reality TV to Jeopardy! and becoming host of the show he currently produces, while Jeff Probst went from Rock & Roll Jeopardy! to reality TV and from host to executive producer/showrunner," says Andy Dehnart, noting Richards' past as Beauty and the Geek host.
Richards said in May the next Jeopardy! host would have to be someone who can stay in the job for 20 years (https://www.nexttv.com/features/jeopardy-ep-mike-richards-guest-hosts-were-part-of-fans-grieving-process): "Ultimately, the team at Sony will decide what they think is the right thing for the show," he told Broadcasting & Cable. "We aren’t looking for a three-year host, we’re looking for a 10-year or a 20-year host. Stability is one of the show’s strengths, so we need to consider who’s got a 20-year horizon and who can focus on the show and make it great over that time." Richards also discussed how he ended up filling in as guest-host: "As for me hosting, I was never meant to be a part of that process — I was just meant to manage — but COVID had other plans," he said. "Sony will ask me how people are in the studio and how their days on set went so I will be part of that conversation but there’s a bigger group of stakeholders who will weigh in. My job is really to make everyone really good at this. The shoot days are brutal, because teaching someone the show is intense. We give everything we can to them to let them shine and then we serve it up."
Jeopardy! incorrectly defined the term “sleet" on Wednesday's show, perpetuating a meteorological misinterpretation and leaving weather folks out in the cold (https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2021/08/05/jeopardy-sleet-weather-question/)

Ken Jennings was my overwhelming choice, but Mike Richards was the only other host that I actually liked and would continue watching. He was surprisingly good. I've been watching Jeopardy since I was about 6 years old.

If Lavar Burton or Mayim Bialik were chosen, that would kill the show forever.

:thumbsdow

Ed.

I'm disappointed it won't be LeVar Burton I thought he did a good job hosting but Mike Richards is all right, I can live with that and I do like him.

Ed.

No matter who is chosen, Jeopardy will likely lose viewers.

Just goes to show how big Alex's shoes really are.

I will stick to watching old Trebek reruns. Not a fan of this guy. I tried to watch some of his Pyramid episodes and it was hard. He was terrible. He wasn’t any better as guest host of Jeopardy. I hope it fails miserably. There were many better candidates.

Hope the show will still be on the go and would not drop their viewers. The content though, is good. The cast? Uhmm will gonna think about it xp

I will stick to watching old Trebek reruns. Not a fan of this guy. I tried to watch some of his Pyramid episodes and it was hard. He was terrible. He wasn’t any better as guest host of Jeopardy. I hope it fails miserably. There were many better candidates.

:mad::thumbsdow:barf:

Ed.

Mike Richards is confirmed now to be the permanent host... of the syndicated version. Mayim Bialik will host next season's college tournament, which will air nationally in primetime on ABC. It is also said that she will host other Jeopardy! primetime specials, which are not announced yet. While Mike was better than a lot of the guest hosts, I am still disappointed we won't get to see more of Ken Jennings as the permanent host. I hope Mike doesn't still get announced as the executive producer before each show, just say host there.

I'll keep watching, but Richards is about as bland as they come. I hope he doesn't continue the preachy sermon at the end of the show, it was wildly out of place on Jeopardy. I'm glad Mayim will get to host occasionally, too.

"Sony Pictures Television Names Mayim Bialik And Mike Richards As Jeopardy! Hosts" (article) (https://www.sonypictures.com/corp/press_releases/2021/0811/sonypicturestelevisionnamesjeopardyhosts)

The choice makes sense. Jeopardy is the star of Jeopardy. What the show needs is someone who understands what that means. I think Ken would have been a good choice but he lacked media experience and in the era of WOKE any utterance might be turned against you. Mike should do fine.Your claim is full of holes considering the lawsuits Mike had against him at The Price is Right, and his needless firing of a long time Jeopardy! producer last year. Whatever statements Ken Jennings might have made on Twitter a very long time ago that the cyber police won't let go of are small potatoes compared to what Mike has done. And Ken did not try to make himself the star of Jeopardy either, he was a very personable and friendly host. Mike gave off a pompous air that he was better than everyone else, although not to the extent that LeVar Burton did. Media experience should not be a requirement either. Some of the worst hosts were experienced newscasters and talk show hosts like Katie Couric, Savannah Guthrie, George S., and Dr. Oz. Ken Jennings was a better host than all four of them combined. Also, woke is a badly enough named term without you putting it in all caps.

The optics of Jeopardy!'s hosting announcement look bad: Was the guest-host auditions all for show? (https://www.huffpost.com/entry/jeopardy-new-host-mike-richards-mayim-bialik_n_61141d6ee4b0d6935979cafc)

Jeopardy! champion James Holzhauer was quick to roast (https://twitter.com/James_Holzhauer/status/1425515618720047109) Sony Pictures Television's decision to name Mike Richards the regular host of the iconic syndicated game show, while Mayim Bialik becomes host of the primetime specials and spinoffs. "Also new for next season: contestants can submit two Final Jeopardy responses in case the first one causes public backlash," tweeted Holzhauer. The decision to go with Richards for the main job, while giving Bialik a secondary role, looks bad after last week's backlash to Variety's report that the Jeopardy! executive producer was the frontrunner. "Ultimately, regardless of what went on behind the scenes, the optics of the decision look like: 'So the man with the inside track gets the main gig, but because people were mad, we’ll have a woman host some of the time,'" says Marina Fang. She adds: "It’s hard not to feel like the whole guest host process was just for show. Sure, it was fun to see a variety of hosting styles — some pretty good, some kind of rocky, some extremely questionable (uh, Dr. Oz) — and the show raised a lot of money for the charities each guest host chose. But it’s all a huge disappointment and insult to fans, since the show made a big deal out of the guest host process, ginning up enthusiasm and assuring viewers that they were taking our responses and feedback into consideration. Richards wasn’t bad when he guest-hosted this winter (though, according to The Ringer’s Claire McNear, the circumstances behind his guest-host turn are a bit shady (https://www.theringer.com/tv/2021/8/5/22611962/jeopardy-new-host-mike-richards-sony)), but he didn’t appear to be a fan favorite." McNear, author of the book Answers in the Form of Questions: A Definitive History and Insider's Guide to Jeopardy!, reported that Richards' description that he was a last-minute substitute host (https://www.theringer.com/tv/2021/4/12/22376095/jeopardy-guest-host-rotation-ken-jennings-dr-oz-aaron-rodgers) because of the pandemic may have been exaggerated. "Instead, a planned host had a minor conflict during one of the show’s upcoming tape days," said McNear. "Jeopardy! staff and crew told the host that they could work around it—only for Richards to step in and insist on hosting himself, according to the sources, one of whom described feeling surprised that Richards characterized his presence onstage as an emergency substitution."

ALSO:


Mike Richards is "practically a factory-made copy" of the stereotypical white male TV host (https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2021-08-11/jeopardy-host-mike-richards-mayim-bialik-analysis): "The upset around Richards’ selection is as much about the process as it is about his ability to step into the role — and what that process says about how Hollywood has and has not changed after years of conversation about white male privilege in the industry on the one hand, and a serious lack of diversity on the other," says Matt Brennan. "Richards, handsome and trim, affable and plainspoken, is indistinguishable in his charcoal suit from most every other game or quiz show host in the history of the medium, not to mention most news anchors, weathermen and late-night hosts; he is practically a factory-made copy of the messenger Hollywood has imagined Americans want beamed into their homes since pretty much the advent of TV itself — making him at once a safe bet for Sony, which has a lot riding on Jeopardy!'s sustained success, and a frustrating choice for the many observers who saw the passing of the baton as a chance to cast a trailblazer like (LeVar) Burton in a programming powerhouse. I’m not sure it reaches the level of Dick Cheney choosing himself as George W. Bush’s running mate, but it does all have a slightly unpleasant taste to it. Plus, after that news cycle over the lawsuits, all filed by women, Bialik’s selection does have the feel of... a consolation prize? A backup plan? A cop-out? It seems unlikely to quell critics of Richards as host, and presents the potential for Jay Leno/Conan O’Brien-style shenanigans down the line — especially if Jeopardy! becomes more of a fixture in prime time, where the Greatest of All Time tournament, hosted by (Alex) Trebek, turned into a rare broadcast sensation in early 2020."
Mayim Bialik's rep had to clarify that she's not an anti-vaxxer following news of her Jeopardy! hosting gig (https://www.thewrap.com/no-new-jeopardy-host-mayim-bialik-isnt-an-anti-vaxxer/): “She has been fully vaccinated for the COVID-19 virus and is not at all an anti-vaxxer,” a spokesperson for Bialik told The Wrap. Bialik's past comments about vaccines (https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2021/07/19/fact-check-big-bang-theory-actor-mayim-bialik-doesnt-refuse-vaccine/7992852002/) surfaced on Twitter following the announcement. In 2012, Bialik wrote in her parenting book that she hadn't had a vaccine in 30 years. But in an October 2020 video titled “Anti-Vaxxers and Covid," she and her children have the proper shots.
Jeopardy!'s hosting decision was widely roasted on Twitter (https://hellogiggles.com/reviews-coverage/tv-shows/new-jeopardy-hosts-reactions/)

Mike Richards is "practically a factory-made copy" of the stereotypical white male TV host

That's what people are really mad about. How dare you pick a white guy. :mad:

Know what? All the best Jeopardy players are white men too. Too bad.

Sony is run by controlling idiots who insist on the Jeopardy host's job being their only one. Considering the whole season is done in a whirlwind taping period of 46 days, that is a very unreasonable demand to make. mriggles had a detailed Facebook post about why it went to Mike Richards which I will quote here.

"Ok my friends... AS PROMISED, some news about the Jeopardy Host search. The simplest way to put it is that it is not what it appears. Mike Richards did NOT hire himself. He had nothing to do with the hire, and he was NOT Sony's 1st choice to take the Gig full time. Sony had very strict requirements for the next host, and the biggest of all was they wanted the new host to ONLY do Jeopardy, and nothing else. All of the guest hosts knew that fact going in. The search was extensive, and thorough, and every single tape day was observed by The Sony Suits, both in LA, and Japan. Live feeds of the tapings were provided to all the executives so they could see EXACTLY what was happening in the studio as the guest hosts taped their shows. Ken Jennings was the obvious choice to kick it all off, and he was the most available at that time. Alex died on November 8th, and Ken began taping his 6 week run on November 30th. The original plan was to have Ken do 4 weeks, then they extended it to 6. Covid complicated things quite a bit and at one point the schedule of guest hosts had to be flipped around because of Guest host availability. Mike RIchards was forced to step in, and cover 2 taping days ( 2 weeks of shows) after Ken. That was NOT the original plan, but it was either he stepped in, or the show stopped production for a few weeks, and nobody wanted that. Jeopardy is a well oiled machine, and they wanted no stoppages in Production.
Each guest host was judged on a number of different factors by the Sony Brass. Stage presence, personality, and the ability to make the contestants the stars the way Alex did so perfectly for 37 years. They also did extensive testing of Jeopardy fans after each week of guest hosts and tested the likeability factor of each guest host. Remember when I asked you all a few times about your honest opinions about the hosts a few times? Your responses were a part of the jeopardy audience testing for Ken, Mike and Mayim. They also took into consideration ratings for each host as well, but that was not as big a factor as their overall handling of the rigorous Jeopardy taping day, and the Audience testing factor.
Some of the Guest hosts tested very well and brought in Great ratings. Ken and Mike both did very well on both accounts. Some brought in good ratings, but tested so so with the audience, and Katie Couric falls into that category. Anderson cooper's ratings were sub par, but tested VERY well with the audience.
In the end Sony wanted Mayim Bialik to host the show full time. She was their #1 Choice. Her style, her personality, her ability to let the contestants shine, and the overall likeability factor was huge for her. The jeopardy staff and Crew loved working with her.
The problem was, She would not be able to satisfy Sony's #1 requirement, and that is to be exclusive to Jeopardy and do nothing else. She stars in a show on Fox, and is also the executive producer of that show, and lots of conflicts were present in that regard. Jeopardy only tapes 46 days a year, and they tape (in a normal year) from late July through Mid April. Sony wanted her so badly, that after more than a month of negotiations they decided to bring her on in a lesser role, to at least have her on board as a host. So it was onto Choice #2 and that was Executive Producer Mike Richards. Mike tested very well with the audience, and his ratings were solid, and was generally liked as a potential host. Most, but not all were on board with him becoming host after they couldn't get Mayim Full time.
So about 3 weeks ago, it was decided to go with Mike as the host of the daily syndicated version of the show, and to use Mayim for the tournaments and other special Jeopardy events in Prime time.
So they finally had it all settled, and then the news of Mike Richards past legal issues surfaced while he was the Executive Producer of the Price is right. So, they waited out the storm to see what kind of reaction it got, but formulated a back up plan just in case.
The second to last Guest host David Faber initially indicated that he would not give up his " day job" at CNBC to take the job as Jeopardy host, but then changed his tune at the last second, and informed Sony he would, if offered the Job.
David did so well on his taping day, and was nearly flawless on the set, and did well in the ratings and with the audience, that he almost slid on in at the very last second to take the gig full time.
In the end, Sony felt comfortable with Mike, and were extremely happy to ink Mayim Balik to a multi year deal, and that is what they decided to roll with heading into season 38.
After being pushed back several times, production for season 38 commences This coming Tuesday and Wednesday, and it will be a busy August and September of taping days to catch up and get back on schedule. We will begin seeing the shows with Mike Richards as host on Monday Sept 13th."

He made an additional comment about Ken Jennings responding to a question. "For whatever reason, Ken was not liked in the role by some of the suits at Sony. He was always a strong candidate for the position, and was liked by many, but he didn't check off all the boxes Sony was looking for at this time."

Also Ken lost out on the permanent job because he wasn't willing to be exclusive to Jeopardy, which is a total BULL demand Sony never should have made. :mad:

That may be the official story that Sony is selling, but I seriously doubt that Ken demanded to promote anything but Jeopardy. Doesn't make sense because Jeopardy made Ken a household name and attraction.

Sony would have been better off stating that Mike had better toilet etiquette by not leaving the toilet seat up.

Ken Jennings is good as one of The Chase's chasers, and also as a panelist on Master Minds (although I am not sure if Master Minds quietly got cancelled after season 2). He should not have to give up those jobs considering Jeopardy! only tapes 46 days a year. That isn't even two full months, so less than 1/6 of the year! Sony is the one who made an unreasonable demand, not Ken.

Jeopardy! was the last pure thing on TV, but its new hosts are the nail in the coffin (https://www.sfgate.com/sf-culture/article/jeopardy-mike-richards-mayim-bialik-new-hosts-16381176.php)

"It’s hard to believe that the powers at Sony Pictures and Jeopardy!" looked at the panorama of guest hosts — weighed and considered folks like (Ken) Jennings, (Aaron) Rodgers and (LeVar) Burton — and decided that the best ones out of a highly competitive field were (Mike) Richards and (Mayim) Bialik," says Fiona Lee. "Now, it seems like it was all for show. In playing it safe by choosing the most boring options, one that smacks of voting for those with the most 'electability,' it has only pissed many fans off." Lee adds that splitting the hosting duties is a cynical corporate move: "The whole guest host process — which Richards claimed was a public audition for the permanent host role — and this cynical corporate decision have tarnished Jeopardy! and its reputation, cheapening it to a reality show that dragged on and on. In this unseemly audition process with a foregone conclusion, Jeopardy! has squandered that vast pool of goodwill that (Alex) Trebek built with viewers." ALSO: Mayim Bialik looks like a great host on paper, but she's actually a terrible choice (https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2021/08/who-is-mayim-bialik-a-terrible-choice-for-jeopardy-host/) given her history with pseudoscience and shaming Harvey Weinstein victims (https://www.thedailybeast.com/jeopardy-host-mayim-bialiks-ugly-history-of-shaming-weinsteins-victims-and-being-an-anti-vaxxer).

Jeopardy! was the last pure thing on TV, but its new hosts are the nail in the coffin (https://www.sfgate.com/sf-culture/article/jeopardy-mike-richards-mayim-bialik-new-hosts-16381176.php)

"It’s hard to believe that the powers at Sony Pictures and Jeopardy!" looked at the panorama of guest hosts — weighed and considered folks like (Ken) Jennings, (Aaron) Rodgers and (LeVar) Burton — and decided that the best ones out of a highly competitive field were (Mike) Richards and (Mayim) Bialik," says Fiona Lee. "Now, it seems like it was all for show. In playing it safe by choosing the most boring options, one that smacks of voting for those with the most 'electability,' it has only pissed many fans off." Lee adds that splitting the hosting duties is a cynical corporate move: "The whole guest host process — which Richards claimed was a public audition for the permanent host role — and this cynical corporate decision have tarnished Jeopardy! and its reputation, cheapening it to a reality show that dragged on and on. In this unseemly audition process with a foregone conclusion, Jeopardy! has squandered that vast pool of goodwill that (Alex) Trebek built with viewers." ALSO: Mayim Bialik looks like a great host on paper, but she's actually a terrible choice (https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2021/08/who-is-mayim-bialik-a-terrible-choice-for-jeopardy-host/) given her history with pseudoscience and shaming Harvey Weinstein victims (https://www.thedailybeast.com/jeopardy-host-mayim-bialiks-ugly-history-of-shaming-weinsteins-victims-and-being-an-anti-vaxxer).No one got more boring on Jeopardy! than Aaron Rodgers. :crazy:

At least we had some women guest hosting the show. I like Mayim and I thought she did great. Mike Richards I didn't see coming.

That may be the official story that Sony is selling, but I seriously doubt that Ken demanded to promote anything but Jeopardy. Doesn't make sense because Jeopardy made Ken a household name and attraction.

Sony would have been better off stating that Mike had better toilet etiquette by not leaving the toilet seat up.

I agree. Saying that Ken Jennings lost Jeopardy because he wouldn't commit to it is like saying Mark Spitz wasn't allowed to swim in the Olympics because he wanted to climb mountains instead. Yet somehow Mayim Balik was chosen even though she refused to give up her other shows. Can you imagine the discrimination cries if it was the other way around. If Mike Richards is the host of the regular shows I'll continue to watch it because I thought he was good. But I won't watch the special 'tournament' shows with her. I never liked them anyway.

I don't believe that they demanded the new host have no other job. If they did want that, why did they let all these talk show hosts and news types guest host? There's no way they thought that Anderson Cooper, Katie Couric, Aaron Rodgers, or Joe Buck were going to give up their regular job. Why don't they just admit that the guest host process was a stunt until they could figure out a permanent solution. There's really nothing wrong with that, but pushing the idea that all these guest hosts had an equal shot at the gig is dishonest.

I agree. Saying that Ken Jennings lost Jeopardy because he wouldn't commit to it is like saying Mark Spitz wasn't allowed to swim in the Olympics because he wanted to climb mountains instead. Yet somehow Mayim Balik was chosen even though she refused to give up her other shows. Can you imagine the discrimination cries if it was the other way around. If Mike Richards is the host of the regular shows I'll continue to watch it because I thought he was good. But I won't watch the special 'tournament' shows with her. I never liked them anyway.Mayim Bialik still wasn't allowed to host the syndicated version, which is the bulk of the episodes. The rumor there is when Pat Sajak's contract expires next year if he retires, Mike Richards will be moved over to Wheel of Fortune with Mayim taking over Jeopardy! full time after Call Me Kat is cancelled. But I could also see Call Me Kat going the other way and getting a third season, especially with FOX having more space after dropping Thursday Night Football.

Report: Mike Richards influenced which Jeopardy! guest-hosts were screened for focus groups -- plus, Ken Jennings speaks out for the first time (https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/14/business/media/jeopardy-mike-richards-ken-jennings.html)

In a New York Times article in which Jennings compares selecting the new Jeopardy! host to "choosing a pope," Michael M. Grynbaum and Nicole Sperling report that Richards "started as executive producer at both Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune in May 2020, replacing Harry Friedman, who oversaw both shows for 25 years. Mr. Richards overlapped with (Alex) Trebek on set for only 15 shoot days before the host stepped aside, 10 days before he died. Sony said that while Mr. Richards initially led the hunt for Mr. Trebek’s replacement, he moved aside after he emerged as a candidate. But as executive producer, Mr. Richards retained a key role in selecting which appearances by each prospective host would be screened for focus groups, whose reactions weighed heavily in Sony’s decision-making, according to three people familiar with the show’s internal deliberations. The other supervising Jeopardy! producers were excluded from that process, the people said. Asked about Mr. Richards’s role, Sony referred to a memo from its TV chairman, Ravi Ahuja, who told staff that after the company began considering Mr. Richards as a potential host, 'he was not part of' the selection process. The ultimate decision was made by Tony Vinciquerra, the chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment." Meanwhile, in speaking for the first time since he lost out on the Jeopardy! hosting job, Jennings -- who is still a consulting producers on the show -- says Richards "was the only person up there with any game show hosting chops, and it showed." Jennings also agreed that the host should be a secondary figure: “What was great about Alex was we didn’t know anything about him: He came into our homes every night and he hosted Jeopardy!," said Jennings. “Today, it’s very hard to find a broadcaster whose priors and opinions you know nothing about.” Jennings added that he had no hard feelings and that he never played to lobby for the job in the media, calling himself "a company man." ALSO: John Oliver on Jeopardy! hosting search: “It is genuinely hard to imagine a five word phrase less welcome than ‘we know who you are’ aside from obviously ‘new Jeopardy! host Mike Richards.'" (https://deadline.com/2021/08/john-oliver-jeopardy-host-mike-richards-1234815442/)

Mike Richards apologizes for past sexist jokes as more concerns over his Jeopardy! ascension emerge (https://www.theringer.com/tv/2021/8/18/22631299/mike-richards-jeopardy-host-search-process-past-comments)

With Richards scheduled to tape his first episodes as Jeopardy! host (https://www.avclub.com/mike-richards-should-step-down-as-upcoming-jeopardy-ho-1847513700) on Thursday, The Ringer's Claire McNear, author of a book detailing Jeopardy! history (https://www.amazon.com/Answers-Form-Questions-Definitive-Insiders/dp/1538702320/), has released a comprehensive report that raises alarming questions about his selection as Alex Trebek's successor. In particular, McNear found a podcast that Richards hosted from 2013 to 2014 called The Randumb Show, which was taped at The Price is Right set. "A review of all 41 episodes of the podcast that were available online until Tuesday reveals that Richards repeatedly used offensive language and disparaged women’s bodies," reports McNear. "In an episode published on September 4, 2014, after the iCloud photo hack, which exposed intimate images of numerous female celebrities, Richards asked his assistant and his cohost—both much younger women—whether they had ever taken nude photos. When his cohost said that she had sometimes taken photos of herself when she thought she looked cute, Richards responded, 'Like booby pictures? What are we looking at?' Later, he asked to go through her phone; when she declined to share an image with him, he asked whether it was “of (her) boobies. On another 2014 episode, Richards said that one-piece swimsuits made women look 'really frumpy and overweight,' echoing the portion of (former Price is Right model Brandi) Cochran’s lawsuit that mentions Richards’s preferences about swimwear. Hours after The Ringer asked Sony and Richards’s agent about The Randumb Show, the audio of every episode was pulled down and the podcast’s hosting site, mrichtv.podbean.com, was deleted." In response, Richards issued a statement of apology. “It is humbling to confront a terribly embarrassing moment of misjudgment, thoughtlessness, and insensitivity from nearly a decade ago," said Richards. "Looking back now, there is no excuse, of course, for the comments I made on this podcast and I am deeply sorry. 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.” Sony declined to comment, but McNear reports that, based on a source, the company was unaware that the podcast existed. In her reporting, McNear echoed a recent New York Times report (https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/14/business/media/jeopardy-mike-richards-ken-jennings.html) that Richards had excluded veteran producers from Jeopardy!'s focus groups on the guest-hosts. "As executive producer, Richards controlled nearly everything about Jeopardy!’s most recent season," says McNear. "Sources say this led to myriad conflicts of interest." As an anonymous Sony employee put it: "He was the one rehearsing and giving direction to all the guest hosts, who may not have realized they were competing with him for the job. He could influence the promotion of those shows and the respective guest hosts. He had personal relationships with the executives involved, who had entrusted the show to him a year before...t’s not hard to see the structural advantages that such a candidate would have. Would he vigorously advocate for the strongest guest hosts, as an EP normally would in that situation?” McNear also noted that it appeared Jeopardy! staffers and even Alex Trebek expected Ken Jennings to be Trebek's successor. In the Mike Richards era, McNear adds, there's "a widespread perception internally of a power vacuum" with Sony seemingly having more influence than ever. In contrast, longtime former Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune executive producer Harry Friedman had "a rare level of autonomy within Sony, where Wheel and Jeopardy! were seen as off-limits to meddling from studio executives." McNear also looked back at Richards' stint as an executive producer on The Price is Right and found "similar feelings of disorientation among the show staff." She also points out that in another podcast, Richards mocked people who are homeless and on government assistance -- in contrast to Trebek, who donated hundreds of thousands to help the homeless. Yet, McNear adds, "Richards himself has recently received government assistance. According to Small Business Administration data made available by government watchdog group Accountable.US, a consultancy that was incorporated in 2018 and lists Richards as the CEO and sole shareholder received a federal Paycheck Protection Program loan for $127,906 in May 2020, as well as a COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan for $150,000 later that year." Richards did not respond to requests for comment on the loans.

Sony is run by controlling idiots who insist on the Jeopardy host's job being their only one. Considering the whole season is done in a whirlwind taping period of 46 days, that is a very unreasonable demand to make. mriggles had a detailed Facebook post about why it went to Mike Richards which I will quote here.

I agree with this. Now that Mike Richards has announced that he was already stepping down as the permanent host of Jeopardy!, Mayim's looking like the better choice to host the syndicated version, if Sony can just drop their requirement that the Jeopardy! host not have any other jobs so she can continue to work on her Call Me Kat sitcom on FOX-TV. And if you want LeVar Burton so badly, just have him post the primetime specials while Mayim has the syndicated Jeopardy!? LeVar doesn't need the syndicated version.

Otherwise, you may as well get an unknown who has NOT been part of the guest-host rotation last season. All these allegations against Mike Richards are why there is no perfect candidate to succeed Alex Trebek as the host of Jeopardy!.:(

Jeopardy! is facing an "existential crisis," as the Mike Richards debacle reveals (https://slate.com/culture/2021/08/jeopardy-mike-richards-levar-burton-new-host.html)

Richards' hiring and his exit from the Jeopardy! hosting job amid a slew of scandals is "an indictment of Sony’s vetting process, yes, but it also reveals how confused the studio has been about its goals all throughout the process," says Myles McNutt. "Even before Richards’ hiring, the discourse around the search for a new host reinforced how Jeopardy!’s place within the television industry and popular culture is fraught with uncertainty. As the show’s producers—who, at least as of this writing, still inexplicably include the tarnished Richards—return to a carousel of guest hosts, they do not just need to decide who should be the host of Jeopardy! They need to decide who the show’s audience is, and who it will be." As McNutt points out, Jeopardy! is facing a "demographic reality" since its audience is mostly older viewers -- viewers who don't reflect the LeVar Burton-preferring younger viewership on Twitter. "In an especially risk-averse corner of an already risk-averse industry, pleasing the show’s exuberant but small online fan base is a lower priority than keeping regular TV viewers from changing the channel," says McNutt. "However, while Jeopardy!’s audience may not be extremely online, the campaign around Burton and the general Twitter dissection of the revolving podium reinforced that the show’s audience is not a couch-bound monolith, despite Sony’s attempt to treat it as one. The choice of Richards revealed that Sony looked at the challenge of replacing Alex Trebek and believed the best option was a cipher: a completely generic figure with zero public reputation who could slip into the role without upsetting an imagined, generic, average viewer of the show. And while Claire McNear’s reporting at the Ringer (https://www.theringer.com/tv/2021/8/18/22631299/mike-richards-jeopardy-host-search-process-past-comments) revealed that Richards had far too much baggage to be the cipher they wanted, it doesn’t mean their logic for bypassing the other candidates has changed. Based on the industry’s continued positioning of white men as neutral—as opposed to symbols of a regressive norm—choosing Richards was an attempt to answer questions about the future of Jeopardy! with a resounding 'No comment.'" McNutt wouldn't be surprised if Sony ended up finding a "less-problematic version of Mike Richards that keeps them from having to face the existential crisis the show is facing as linear viewing shrinks with each passing year. The fact is that there’s a logical argument against any consequential decision Sony might make in choosing a new host. If Jeopardy! fans are already invested in the show, why bring in a former contestant to host when you can at least try to expand the audience with a different selection?" He adds: "The death of the linear television industry is not imminent, but it is nonetheless in progress, and the selection of a new host for a game show has emerged as a definitive moment in its timeline. As a venerable institution, Jeopardy! is a bellwether for how legacy programs will be able to adapt into the future, and the Richards debacle showed that Sony has no immediate desire to face the music of the television industry’s Final Jeopardy."

ALSO:


The people in charge of Jeopardy! don't know what they have, squandering a highpoint of goodwill (https://variety.com/2021/tv/columns/mike-richards-jeopardy-quit-1235045559/): "The game show has, in recent years, been the beneficiary of a unique outpouring of goodwill — with successful primetime specials, resurfaced episodes on Netflix, and the sorrowful loss of late host Alex Trebek all keeping the show in the public consciousness," says Daniel D'Addario. "The show’s farewell to Trebek was movingly, thoughtfully conducted. And the publicly-conducted search for a new emcee made for engaging, even exciting television, as viewers got the chance to envision different ways a TV show might subtly remake itself. Some of those possibilities made more sense than others. One that did not, really, was handing the series to an unready producer with a history of speaking freely and loosely in a manner lacking a certain dignity. Trebek had a mind of his own and could speak off-the-cuff in ways that sparked occasional pushback, to be sure; he also generally evinced an attitude of basic respect. This attitude of Trebek’s, incidentally, was the subject of Richards’ episode-ending monologue each time he hosted the series; it suggested an unnecessary burnishing of Richards’ own image. Trebek didn’t need to preach about kindness on a daily basis to make viewers feel it. Richards’ tributes to Trebek feel especially hollow given just how quickly he’s thrown into disarray what Trebek spent his career helping to build. On a long enough timeline, there will eventually be a permanent host of Jeopardy!, and, after a disruption, the guest-host rotation will continue. But it’s hard not to feel a concerning sense that those in control of Jeopardy! don’t understand what they have. It can be a little too easy to describe the show in lofty terms as a place where knowledge is celebrated, but that has the benefit of being true; it’s also true that the show has one of the most rock-solid formats in entertainment. Jeopardy!, 60 Minutes, Saturday Night Live: These are shows that could potentially run forever, with periodic alterations. The importing of a Hollywood-slick smooth talker suggests that those in power at Jeopardy! value the potential it has to be pushed to some hypothetical next level of entertainment that they don’t realize how easy it would be to destroy something that’s worked for decades."
Mike Richards will one day become a business school case study (https://www.thedailybeast.com/final-jeopardy-what-is-a-self-inflicted-hosting-disaster): "Richards’ ascent probably evoked familiar feelings in a lot of people who have been passed over for jobs in the past, or seen qualified candidates rejected in favor of a spicy vanilla guy who goes golfing with the boss," says Erin Gloria Ryan. "There’s a Dick Cheney or a Mike Richards in every office, who may be outwardly committed to pushing things in an exciting new direction but is always inwardly committed to staffing the top jobs with people as similar to themselves as possible. It’s just easier to hire yourself over and over, rather than move over to make space for people who shouldn’t have been shut out in the first place. Mike Richards went for the Jeopardy hosting job with the hubris of a Jeopardy! contestant betting all their winnings on a Final Jeopardy topic they knew nothing about. He could have left well enough alone. He could have leaned out. Richards had a plum job as executive producer of one of the most enduring game show brands in the US. Had he simply stayed in his lane and picked a new host from the stable of qualified candidates, all that embarrassing stuff out there about him would have stayed obscure. How hard is it to not try to get a job? But he, as they say on TikTok, chose violence. He either remembered what he’d said on his old podcast and in the lawsuit and was confident that nobody would ever find out or care, or he’d forgotten about it. One day, Mike Richards will be a business school case study that helps MBA students learn how not to conduct an executive search."
For many people, Richards came to represent something more than just an unpopular host on a beloved TV program (https://www.fastcompany.com/90668115/mike-richards-not-hosting-jeopardy-is-the-tiny-empty-victory-we-all-needed-right-now): "He briefly became the white-hot apotheosis of everything unfair in this world," says Joe Berkowitz. "Another victory for men. Another victory for white men. Another victory for insider elites. Take your pick. The distaste for Richards was intersectional. Perhaps what made rooting against him feel personal and important, though—even for people like myself who haven’t watched Jeopardy! in 20 years—is that unlike the actual complicated catastrophes plaguing our world right now, this battle seemed eminently winnable. Each new awkward fact revealed about Richards inched us one step closer to the 'grand opening, grand closing' scenario many on the internet actively clamored for. It is impossible to convince staunch nativists that Afghan refugees should be welcomed in America. It is impossible to convince legions of avowed anti-vaxxers to collectively change their minds. But if enough people were Mad Online about Mike Richards at once, perhaps America could get the Jeopardy! host it preferred—or at least not get the one it didn’t."
Richards remaining as executive producer is baffling (https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/20/opinions/jeopardy-host-mike-richards-alex-trebek-perry/index.html): "For me, the kinds of remarks he repeatedly made only a few years ago on his podcast suggest a person ill-suited to run this show or pick its public face," says David M. Perry. "I hope he, his colleagues and Sony Pictures take some time to consider what exactly made Trebek so special as a host. I think it was his kindness and humility. He stepped aside to make winners seem brilliant, without ego, but could also encourage losers to be good sports and understand that whatever happened in the game, knowing things was pretty cool. In moving past this debacle, the show has a second chance to reinvent itself around its unique strengths. It doesn't have to find another Trebek -- that's not going to happen. But it does need to recognize that a show about knowing things, a show that is still watched by everyone from kids to elders, is special. This is not a place for a bland game show host in a nice suit, but a real person with whom viewers can connect. It's an opportunity to entertain, but also project the value of learning."
Here are the five best Jeopardy! candidates now that Richards is out (https://www.thebiglead.com/posts/five-candidates-host-jeopardy-mike-richards-levar-burton-mayim-bialik-ken-jennings-01fdjdgk25w1)


Ken Jennings reacts to Mike Richards' hosting exit: I hate that Jeopardy! "has to be sullied by backstage drama" (https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/20/business/mike-richards-quits-jeopardy.html)

Jennings, who remains a consulting producer on Jeopardy!, tells The New York Times that the show is "one of the last pure things in a troubled age. And I hate that something pure like that has to be sullied by backstage drama.” Jennings was part of a small gathering Thursday at a ceremony at Sony Pictures Studios renaming the Jeopardy! soundstage after Alex Trebek. According to The Times, Jennings and fellow former contestant and guest co-host Buzzy Cohen had planned to watch Richards' debut. But they were escorted from the soundstage to a nearby green room and reportedly told that Richards was too nervous to have them in studio.

Anyone that would confuse the 2 has no business watching TV. I have never watched Seinfeld and with the names similar one might think it was the actor from Seinfeld. I alway thought actors had to have middle initial so not to be confused. Do the 2 Michael's have different middle initials? Now as for saying dumb things that can get you booted off shows, I am sure there are people who think before they say goofy thing, and don't say goofy things. I realize 70% of the population has said foolish things but let's change life and make that number go the other way.

Jeopardy! was the last pure thing on TV, but its new hosts are the nail in the coffin (https://www.sfgate.com/sf-culture/article/jeopardy-mike-richards-mayim-bialik-new-hosts-16381176.php)

"It’s hard to believe that the powers at Sony Pictures and Jeopardy!" looked at the panorama of guest hosts — weighed and considered folks like (Ken) Jennings, (Aaron) Rodgers and (LeVar) Burton — and decided that the best ones out of a highly competitive field were (Mike) Richards and (Mayim) Bialik," says Fiona Lee. "Now, it seems like it was all for show. In playing it safe by choosing the most boring options, one that smacks of voting for those with the most 'electability,' it has only pissed many fans off." Lee adds that splitting the hosting duties is a cynical corporate move: "The whole guest host process — which Richards claimed was a public audition for the permanent host role — and this cynical corporate decision have tarnished Jeopardy! and its reputation, cheapening it to a reality show that dragged on and on. In this unseemly audition process with a foregone conclusion, Jeopardy! has squandered that vast pool of goodwill that (Alex) Trebek built with viewers." ALSO: Mayim Bialik looks like a great host on paper, but she's actually a terrible choice (https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2021/08/who-is-mayim-bialik-a-terrible-choice-for-jeopardy-host/) given her history with pseudoscience and shaming Harvey Weinstein victims (https://www.thedailybeast.com/jeopardy-host-mayim-bialiks-ugly-history-of-shaming-weinsteins-victims-and-being-an-anti-vaxxer).

Define "pure". :rolleyes:

Ed.