When longtime Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek, 80, passed away after a long battle with cancer on November 8, 2020, fans of the game show were devastated. The biggest question for viewers and contestants, of course, was who would fill Trebek’s shoes as the new host.
Following months of guest hosts including Reading Rainbow host Lavar Burton, Big Bang Theory star Mayim Bialik, and former champions like Ken Jennings and Buzzy Cohen, Bialik landed the job following controversy involving former Jeopardy! producer Mike Richardson.
Bialik’s tenure on the long-running game show has already given rise to some popular champions, including Amy Schneider, who won 40 games, and recent champion, Mattea Roach, who broke the win streak record for a Canadian contestant.
On last night’s episode of the hit game show, contestants enjoyed two categories that paid homage to the popular Walt Disney Animation Studios’ film, Encanto (2021). The movie’s chart-topping song, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” — which famously features the line, “We don’t talk about Bruno. No. No. No.” — was the inspiration for “We Do Talk About Bruno” and “Yes, Yes, Yes.”
After a relatively unimpressive 30-day theatrical run that began in November 2021, Encanto absolutely exploded on Disney’s streaming platform, Disney+. It’s Lin-Manuel Miranda soundtrack is now even officially more popular than the hit Frozen (2013) score, which featured hits like Idina Menzel’s “Let It Go” and “For the First Time In Forever.”
“We’ve had a very strong start to the fiscal year, with a significant rise in earnings per share, record revenue and operating income at our domestic parks and resorts, the launch of a new franchise with Encanto, and a significant increase in total subscriptions across our streaming portfolio to 196.4 million, including 11.8 million Disney+ subscribers added in the first quarter…”
While Encanto’s future looks bright, the current host’s future on Jeopardy is unknown at this time. Ken Jennings’s recent exit from The Chase has many viewers convinced that he will be taking over full-time hosting duties from Bialik next season.
However, the first-ever Jeopardy spinoff, which is likely to feature Bialik as the host, was recently confirmed. Joining the ranks of shows like Celebrity Wheel of Fortune and Celebrity Family Feud, Celebrity Jeopardy will air independently of the normal program. An official Tweet reads:
It’s official: Celebrity Jeopardy! is coming to @ABC! Join us Sunday evenings this fall
It's official: Celebrity Jeopardy! is coming to @ABC! Join us Sunday evenings this fall 💫 https://t.co/KXIGIsh11A
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Credit: ABC
