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.
The current host’s future on Jeopardy is unknown at this time, however, as Ken Jennings’s recent exit from The Chase has many viewers convinced that he will be taking over full-time hosting duties next season.
Now, Bialik’s popularity is further diminishing as the game show host has come under fire for accepting answers that are either completely incorrect or only partially correct.
Per one recent article, former Jeopardy contestant Josh Hill has slammed Bialik for her “Jeopardy etiquette”:
On both Monday and Tuesday’s episodes, the host accepted answers from contestants that were only partially correct.
Josh insisted that Ken Jennings, who is battling against Mayim for the permanent hosting role, wouldn’t have made the mistake she did.
He wrote on Twitter: “Ken would have prompted. #HireBuzzy [Cohen] would have prompted. A middle-school quizbowler hosting a kids version of the show would have prompted. The things the current host has been allowed to get away with are astonishing. Alex would have prompted – in fact, Alex DID prompt on this.”
Hill, a 2018 Jeopardy champion, amassed over $150,000 during his eight-game winning streak. The Tournament of Champions contestant has since set the record straight on social media, sharing that he was not attempting to “blast” Bialik, but merely show that mistakes have been made during recent episodes:
I’ve made no secret that I am on Team #HireBuzzy. I’ve also made no secret that I would absolutely support the show with Mayim Bialik as host, 100%. People who want to push a negative spin about Mayim distort my tweets to serve their nefarious end. “Them’s the breaks,” I guess…
And yes, the great Alex made mistakes too. In fact, in the match I lost, when the excellent @belsome kicked my teeth in, a hosting mistake by Alex directly led to Ross not winning that match.
I think Mayim is doing just fine as host, and more importantly, the show thinks so too.
And yes, the great Alex made mistakes too. In fact, in the match I lost, when the excellent @belsome kicked my teeth in, a hosting mistake by Alex directly led to Ross not winning that match.
I think Mayim is doing just fine as host, and more importantly, the show thinks so too.
It is, though, worth noting that Hill’s followers expressed disappointment in Bialik’s recent blunders in the comments, as well, even if he did not intentionally throw the former sitcom actress under the bus.
Later this year, Jeopardy fans can look forward to the show’s first-ever spinoff series. Celebrity Jeopardy will join the ranks of shows like Celebrity Wheel of Fortune and Celebrity Family Feud. The new game show, which will air independently of the normal program, was confirmed during the 2022 Upfronts in New York City.
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