Fans of “Jeopardy!” already got some good news this week.
Executive producer Michael Davies, who was originally brought after Mike Richards was fired last year, just had his role made permanent. In a recent “Jeopardy!” blog post shared on Thursday afternoon, Davies announced his new role.
“Today, I am delighted to announce that I have accepted Sony’s offer to become the show’s full-time Executive Producer,” he wrote. “I am both honored and humbled by the faith the studio and the staff have put in me. Over the next few months, the scope of our plans will become clear. But, for now, I just want to thank everyone in the Jeopardy! community for your phenomenal support.”
Now that Davies has been announced as the permanent showrunner of the series, fans have been wondering who will replace the late Alex Trebek as the new host of “Jeopardy!”
Will Mayim Bialik Or Ken Jennings Become The New Host Of ‘Jeopardy!’?
Season 38 currently runs until July. Both “Jeopardy!” Greatest of all Time tournament winner Ken Jennings and “The Big Bang Theory” alum Mayim Bialik will be trading hosting duties until then. It is likely that a new “Jeopardy!” host will be named around that time as filming for season 39 gets underway.
During the 2022 Critic’s Choice Awards, Bialik told ET reporter Lauren Zima that she will be hosting “Jeopardy!” up until Friday, May 6, and “hopefully” beyond that.
She added that she also wants to become the first female host of the show, saying, “I think being a female is its own mark. My grandparents were immigrants to this country, so I think for me, being in two generations being a woman and a host in that iconic role blows my mind.”
However, fans haven’t been ready to accept Mayim as the new host of “Jeopardy!” and she has received a great deal of criticism for her hosting duties.
One user wrote, “My biggest beef with Mayim is that she still doesn’t ‘get’ what the game is about. She’s an actor playing the role of host when she’s on stage. It’s not authentic and you can really feel it as a viewer.”
Fans Prefer Ken Jennings As The New Host Of ‘Jeopardy!’
Many social media comments have seen overwhelming support for Ken over the past few weeks. In 2004, Ken won 74 games in a row, which is still the longest win streak to date. As a result, he developed a close friendship with the late Alex Trebek and seemed to receive Alex’s blessing for the role.
One year after Alex Trebek’s passing, Ken Jennings reflects on what Alex meant to him and the special gift he received from Alex’s wife, Jean.
We miss you every day, Alex. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/6hQkM4e4OH
— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) November 8, 2021
In a video posted by the official “Jeopardy!” Twitter account on Alex Trebek’s anniversary, Ken said, “I miss Alex a lot. When I’m in here, I feel like he’s probably in the building somewhere. It’s hard not to talk about him in the present tense.”
“The first day I came in to guest host was just a few weeks after Alex had passed,” he explained. “It was a really rough time. I got to the studio and one of the producers handed me a little box and Alex’s wife Jean had given me a pair of his cuff links that he had worn on the show.”
“What a lovely gesture that was from Jean,” he added. “You know, at a time that was very hard for her family, dealing with a lot of grief and a lot of challenges, she thought about ‘Jeopardy!’ and she thought about me, a person she had never even met. And I thought, ‘What a lovely thing to do.’ She’s fantastic.”
He showed off the cuff links to the camera, saying, “I am wearing them today. My Alex Trebek cuff links are the only cuff links I own. They’re kind of a good luck charm for me here.”
Ken Jennings May Have Quit ‘The Chase’ To Host ‘Jeopardy!’
“The Chase” is an NBC trivia game show that features other “Jeopardy!” greats besides Ken: Brad Rutter and James Holzhauer. However, it was announced back in March that Ken would not be returning for the show’s third season. Chaser Mark Labbett, who joined the show from the British version of the game show, will also not be returning.
Instead, Ken and Mark will be replaced by the 2021 Tournament of Champions guest host Buzzy Cohen and two other chasers. The first is Brandon Blackwell, a popular University College champion, and Victoria Groce, who took down David Madden. The show will continue to be hosted by Sara Haines.
Although no one is able to confirm if this means that Ken has definitely been offered the position, it seems most fans have their fingers crossed. Fans of Mayim Bialik can still catch her on her Fox sitcom, “Call Me Kat.” She also made her feature film directorial debut with “As They Made Us” and expressed an interest in directing more films in the future.
