Jeopardy! Fans Beg Producers To Fire Mayim Bialik And Let Ken Jennings Host
Fans are openly demanding Jeopardy! fire Mayim Bialik and make Ken Jennings the permanent host.
Jeopardy! has been making headlines since the passing of its longtime host, Alex Trebek. With game shows like Wheel of Fortune and The Price is Right, Jeopardy! has been a television staple for decades and amassed a passionate fan base. As reported by The Sun, those fans are tweeting their dislike for host Mayim Bialik as she prepares to take over hosting duties from Ken Jennings.
Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings alternate hosting duties on Jeopardy! Typically, Bialik hosts special events and tournaments, while Jennings hosts the flagship show. The show has been struggling to find its rhythm for months, and the pair are turning the tables as Kennings will host the 10-episode Master Tournament beginning in May.
Jennings’ spot hosting the daily Jeopardy! show will be taken over by Mayim Bialik, with no return date yet set for Jennings. Fans have decried the move, taking to Twitter to beg the show’s producers to bring Jennings back to the regularly scheduled edition of the show.
Jeopardy! fans have criticized Mayim Bialik since her start on the show as an interim host. Fans accustomed to the rhythm and gravitas Alex Trebek brought to the series have complained that Bialik lacks charisma and a sense of pacing. Pleas to keep Ken Jennings at the post have poured in as a result.
“Please keep Ken full time…please please,” begged one fan on Twitter. “Please just let Ken host for the future!! He’s doing a great job,” said another. In general, Ken Jennings is the preferred host of Jeopardy!, but fans have also not been shy to critique him.
Many Jeopardy! watchers have called Ken Jennings out for the previous champion’s jokes not landing and for his controversial rulings on answers. He has also been criticized on several occasions for giving absurdly difficult Final Jeopardy questions. His responses have shown no mercy.
Both Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings have had their gaffs on Jeopardy!, but standing in the shadow of the beloved Alex Trebek has not helped their cause.
Jeopardy! fans have proven to be a vocal and opinionated bunch. The fan base’s responses on social media have had Mayim Bialik, Ken Jennings, and the entire Jeopardy! team playing defense to put out fires and justify decisions. The podcast Inside Jeopardy!, hosted by producer Sarah Foss, spends much of its time explaining the realities behind the show’s most controversial moments.
Personnel shifts at Jeopardy! have impacted the flow and overall quality of the show so much that some watchers have abandoned ship. Many others have threatened to do so. As ratings waver, the futures of Mayim Bialik, Ken Jennings, and the show itself have been called into question.
Jeopardy! has been on the air for nearly 40 years. Through decades of fluctuating factors in the culture and economy, it would surely take more than a handful of hosting errors to sink the ship that is Jeopardy! Still, the series is founded on correctness and formality, and without those qualities, the show would become something it was never meant to be.
Jeopardy! fans have spoken when it comes to Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings. How the show’s producers will respond is a question in a category all its own.
