Jeopardy To Resume Taping On 11/30 With Interim Guest Hosts

[bigblue999]

Ken Jennings will be the first guest host.

https://www.facebook.com/Jeopardy/photos/a.187939387923652/3804736226243932/?type=3

[therealcu2010]

Also of note is that Alex's final episodes have been delayed two weeks, to account for likely preemptions on Christmas Day. They will now air two weeks of "best of" episodes during the holidays instead.

[Spmahn]

Also of note is that Alex's final episodes have been delayed two weeks, to account for likely preemptions on Christmas Day. They will now air two weeks of "best of" episodes during the holidays instead.

Which is probably for the best since Jeopardy airs on ABC affiliates in something like 65% of the country, which means it would be pre-empted for NBA on Christmas which would have been the last show

[gamesurf]

I like Ken Jennings as a player, as a Clue Crew replacement, and as a Jeopardy! brand ambassador, and it was smart to bring him on as a production assistant

I'm very uneasy with Ken as a potential host--he's going to be very polarizing

Alex is going to be near-impossible to replace, and I hope that this is a way to ease into the host search by starting with a familiar face that most people closely associate with Alex, but I'd be much more comfortable with a Mina Kimes or Pat Kiernan-ish character

[thepriceis_J]

I mean, if Ken is already reading clues, it makes logical sense to expand that from 5 clues in a show to 61. The hiring at the beginning of the season smacked of contingency and here it is. Something that folks might not know is that Ken is involved with quiz bowl and has read games at some previous national finals. I trust his abilities here and hope his demeanor comes across well on camera.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Jimmy get a shot at having his hosting televised. He traditionally hosts the rehearsal games.

Given Mike's aspirations and experience, I also wouldn't be surprised to see him take a turn behind the lectern.

[JayC]

Nice to see the show getting back to studio and getting started on its next era. As much as we'll miss Alex, it's exciting to see how Ken will do hosting and who the other interim hosts will be and who ultimately gets the job.

It would've been fitting for Alex's final episode to air on Christmas day but with the possible preemptions the week of Christmas and New Years it makes sense to hold off on his last week until after the holidays.

[SeaBreeze341]

I agree that it would've been fitting to have had Alex's final episode air on Christmas.  However, I do like how it'll be delayed until 2021 (not pushed back into February sweeps but right after the holidays).  As mentioned, the annual NBA quintuple header for Christmas Day would impact several people.  Plus, Christmas Eve occupied with their (and other families') last minute stuff, Church, dinner, etc.


I wasn't sure if they would've held off starting production until Season 38, but that's way too much of Season 37 to void.  Chances are that a permanent replacement will not be made official until next fall.  I don't have a problem with Ken as host.  I think it makes the most sense to have Jeopardy start with Jennings.  Given the struggles with getting a permanent host for TPIR and Family Feud that worked, I think Jeopardy will be okay going forward with their final decision.  If not, they could get someone else, but at the end of the day, they'll get someone that, while not as great as Trebek, will be the man or woman slated to become the face of Jeopardy for years to come

[jhc2010]

Given Mike's aspirations and experience, I also wouldn't be surprised to see him take a turn behind the lectern.

I agree about Mike Richards. If Vegas was taking odds on the next permanent host, he would have to be near the top of the odds list. On Twitter, Neil deGrasse Tyson's name keeps getting thrown around but he said in September that he is not considering it. Levar Burton is another name that keeps getting mentions on Twitter as a possible replacement.

[Casey]

I'm very uneasy with Ken as a potential host--he's going to be very polarizing

I would sure love to know what is so “very polarizing” about Ken Jennings?

[PatrickRox80]

I would sure love to know what is so “very polarizing” about Ken Jennings?

Ken was the first champ to take full advantage of the sky's the limit rule. You have to admit, though, he knows his stuff. I for one am intrigued to see how well he'd do hosting.

[imhomerjay]

Because social media makes things bigger than they appear to be. There is no one who would be universally the first choice. Some Twitter complainers will make their voices seem bigger than they are.

Guaranteed the same thing would have happened in 1984 had social media been around. The guy from High Rollers filling the shows of the great Art Fleming? Blasphemy! And yet it worked out fine.

[blozier2006]

... the same thing would have happened in 1984...

The same thing did happen in 1984, from critics in newspapers.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CHWqOb2FiZV/?igshid=1cb9afcu751ww

https://twitter.com/darrenrovell/status/1325664257556492288?s=19

[TinoStar11]

Speak of Ken Jennings , he got nominated today for a Grammy for best spoken word album for his work doing the Alex Trebek – The Answer Is… audiobook

[SeaBreeze341]

While I don't know nor do I care what makes Jennings very polarizing, it comes as no surprise that people would have this thought about him.  I have seen people express their dislike based on his political views.  Some have outright admitted it; others, as is their custom, have not (stating it isn't about that or has nothing to do with it).

My apologies for bringing it up if it was a problem, but that is the definitive reason why people are turned off (outside of the fact that Ken isn't Alex).  I'll be too occupied watching him in action as the host or a host of Jeopardy!

That's Social Media for you.  Or the media in general.  IMO, all Twitter complainers will make their voices bigger.  Charles Barkley said it best: "Twitter is for losers & stupid people that need a platform to express their vision.  If you wake up in the morning and the first thing you do is to worry about what I'm doing then you're an idiot." 

Sir Charles was probably a little more harsh than the quote.  The fact is Trebek's episodes are still airing, Ken Jennings hasn't even taped his first episode, and people are already bitter.  It's complaining for the sake of complaining, period

[gamesurf]

On camera, he's fine. He reads clues well.

But he can come across as an a bit of a douchecanoe. (And I'm not only talking about his tweets--I've had the opportunity to meet the guy in person and own two of his books, which I really enjoyed. He's a great conversationalist, and frequently hilarious, but he also comes across as guy who thinks his intelligence justifies him being a dick.)

This is coming from somebody who generally likes Ken and hopes there's a long-term place for him in the show--just not replacing one of the most empathetic and gracious figures on television.