And now, here is the NEW Host of Jeopardy!...

[Mario500]

Originally Posted by stevearino

https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/mik...XNfUtVPy8m3zKg

(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))

[TMC]

Mike Richards, Jeopardy! host frontrunner, was sued twice for harassment when he was a producer on The Price is Right

Articles on lawsuits against Richards emerged last night after Variety announced that he's the frontrunner 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. "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, 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. 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 and Cole's case was settled out of court. Meanwhile, former Jeopardy! contestant Roey Hadar points out that Glenn Kagan, the show's coordinator for more than 30 years, sued the show for 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.

LeVar Burton says "no matter the outcome, I’ve won" amid reports Mike Richards is the Jeopardy! host frontrunner

"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

"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: 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: "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: "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: "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": "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: "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

[Edward216]

Originally Posted by Babalu

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.

Ed.

[Edward216]

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.

[rusty spike]

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

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

[MRPITT]

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.

[Sherrie Anson]

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

[Edward216]

Originally Posted by MRPITT

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.

Ed.

[icecream]

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.

[TSMIV]

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.

[Mario500]

"Sony Pictures Television Names Mayim Bialik And Mike Richards As Jeopardy! Hosts" (article)

[icecream]

Originally Posted by Duster76

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.

[TMC]

The optics of Jeopardy!'s hosting announcement look bad: Was the guest-host auditions all for show?

Jeopardy! champion James Holzhauer was quick to roast 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), 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 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: "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: “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 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

[Babalu]

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.

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

[icecream]

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.