Jeopardy! Is Suffering An Audience Crisis Unlike Any In The Show’s History
Jeopardy is struggling to fill seats, even though it gives out 100 free tickets for each taping.
Jeopardy may have finally ended its long search for a permanent host, as Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings have stepped into dual hosting for the long-standing quiz show. However, the dual host issue might be the biggest reason why the game show is now suffering to fill seats. RadarOnline has exclusively learned that Jeopardy is giving away a massive amount of free tickets, though the show is still finding it hard to fill seats.
The rumors are that some 100 tickets are given away to every taping, though people are still unwilling to go. An insider for Jeopardy stated, “Seeing Ken Jennings and Mayim live just isn’t as thrilling!” Former host Alex Trebek was the biggest reason people were flocking to get Jeopardy tickets, but the new hosts have not echoed that same excitement.
The insider also revealed that despite Jeopardy giving out free tickets, they make the situation more complicated to even attend. Apparently, those who receive free tickets to the taping must also call five days before the taping occurs to “confirm” their tickets. The tapings can also take up to four hours, which is a huge drawback for some.
The rumors from this Jeopardy insider have been refuted by other insiders, so it could be that there is a ton of hearsay going on, but the fact remains that people are not filling seats for the game show as they once were. Though we think Mayim Bialik has been doing a fine job hosting, she has come under plenty of scrutiny online, which revolves around on-air mistakes. Plenty of people are quick to point out her errors, which some have deemed to be highly unprofessional.
In her defense, Mayim Bialik has only been hosting Jeopardy for about a year, and Trebek had done so for 36 years. We would imagine that he messed up plenty in his first few years, as is the case for most people starting new jobs. The issue is that Alex Trebek became an icon, and replacing him was always going to be massively difficult.
Trebek’s death left a giant hole for Jeopardy to fill, and with the issues that occurred in the permanent host search, it likely put a stain on the legacy of the game show that cannot be undone. When Mike Richards was serving as executive producer, and then took over as host, people were quite upset. In fact, he would resign a week later from the show, after sexual harassment allegations were levied against him.
The issues that have popped up since Alex Trebek’s death have been many, and have caused the show to look like a bit of a madhouse, so it stands to reason why people are not flocking to see Jeopardy live anymore. We are not sure what is going to happen in the future, but we would imagine that some celebrity hosts might have to be brought in once again to bring back some excitement. If seats for the show remain unfilled, the show might have no choice but to shut down, though we don’t foresee that happening.
