Jeopardy! Post-Alex Discussion Post

[Guint]

Mayim also isn't without baggage either...probably also not an ideal choice to replace Alex.

I wish people would actually go look up what she said and base their judgements on that rather than rely on rumors and hearsay.

[therealcu2010]

Oh, I fully know what she said and I'm not making a personal judgement. I'm just saying she has baggage among the general public, which is what matters.

[SamJ93]

Yeah, the whole "Mikey sucks!" thing is really getting old. I don't agree with every decision he's ever made either, but the fact is he's now successfully produced all three of America's longest-running game shows at some point, and all under some rather difficult circumstances too. He clearly loves the genre and does his best to respect tradition while acknowledging the demands of the modern TV landscape.

Welp--guess we'll just file this under "opinions that aged like milk."

At this point I don't really care who they pick as host, I just hope J! can restore its reputation and move on from this absolute low point in its history.

[DylanBe]

I don't know about you, but I don't think Mike needed to get in trouble for what he said in that podcast considering that was 7 years ago. He certainly shouldn't have been forced to resign over something that happened 7 years ago either.

[gamesurf]

The podcast comments are small potatoes to me. It’s driving the outrage machine on social media from people who have already anointed LeVar Burton. (If one of Bill Simmons’ employees is going through podcasts looking for offensive comments, the story is not the offensive comments.)

What I think is damning is that Mike was the sole person in charge of picking which episodes to show to focus groups all while playing that he “was just filling in” and “wasn’t a serious pick”. All the hot water surrounding that aspect is 100% justified and getting in trouble for that is completely warranted.

[SamJ93]

I don't understand why people are still stumping for Levar after his underwhelming performance. He fell into a very common trap with actors who try their hand at hosting game shows--he approached it as an actor playing a host, instead of simply being a host. That, plus the fact that he only did one week's worth of shows vs. everyone else's two, should make it clear that he was a fanservice hire and nothing else.

I would love to see David Faber offered the gig, but it looks like they'd be in the same position as Goodson-Todman was with Bill Cullen and TPiR in 1972--they would have to write him a paycheck big enough to get him to leave his current gig and home life in NYC.

[Torgo]

I don't understand why people are still stumping for Levar after his underwhelming performance. He fell into a very common trap with actors who try their hand at hosting game shows--he approached it as an actor playing a host, instead of simply being a host. That, plus the fact that he only did one week's worth of shows vs. everyone else's two, should make it clear that he was a fanservice hire and nothing else.

Because Twitter screamed for him to host due to nostalgia.

You've been here long enough to know that logical conclusions and game shows don't go hand in hand.

[ooboh]

Because Twitter screamed for him to host due to nostalgia.

You've been here long enough to know that logical conclusions and game shows don't go hand in hand.

Jeopardy’s Twitter fanbase is incredibly obnoxious.

[imhomerjay]

This may be true, but worth noting this forum also has people near salivating over details of why someone lost their job years ago.

[ooboh]

This may be true, but worth noting this forum also has people near salivating over details of why someone lost their job years ago.

Also true.

[jude_este]

For the second run of the guest hosts following Mike Richards's departure as host, CNN reports that the host of the primetime specials Mayim Bialik will be taping three weeks of shows though Sony Pictures has declined to comment on the matter.

[Ccook]

Another source says from insiders at Sony that it's now Ken Jennings' gig to lose.

[imhomerjay]

“Insiders.”

Bahahahaha.

It may be that he’s the long term solution. But these anonymous “insider” reports should be taken with a Costco-sized shaker of salt.

[kishy214]

I know a former J! contestant who still talks with the folks who produced them in Culver City. (They are often contacted to appear on pilots, or test for other shows as well.) They say Ken is expected to guest host, though they're uncertain when those episodes will be taped. I believe Bialik is taping her three episodes this week, which would include the contestants scheduled to tape this past Friday, when Mike cancelled taping after quitting.

Jennings will appear as speaker at an event in North Carolina this weekend. The bio blurb about him lists him as "interim host" though that seems to have been written during his initial run, just after Alex's death. I'll do my best to go and see if he talks about guest hosting again, or takes questions.

https://www.chamber.asheboro.com/events/details/jeopardy-champion-ken-jennings-to-visit-asheboro-14209

[Axl]

It may be that he’s the long term solution. But these anonymous “insider” reports should be taken with a Costco-sized shaker of salt.

I've been very intrigued by the fact that Ken has given a couple of brief interviews to high-profile publications since this has all come out, including the one where he said he was "disappointed with how this process played out." That's interesting because, as an employee, Jennings would typically be prohibited from giving an interview about the show (certainly one with a slightly negative tone) unless the production gave him permission. Even contestants are technically not allowed to give interviews about their Jeopardy! experience -- ever -- unless it's approved by the show.

So what I wonder is this: Is Sony allowing/encouraging Ken to be the representative of the show who gingerly does some damage control in the media since he didn't have anything to do with the selection, or is Ken carefully freelancing his opinions in a way that distances himself from the debacle while keeping himself top-of-mind whenever the discussion of a new host is underway?