'Jeopardy!' Hosts Collide: Ken Jennings To Appear On Mayim Bialik's 'Call Me Kat'
By Kristin Myers on August 18, 2022 at 7:30 AM EDT
"Jeopardy!" host Ken Jennings is about to join his co-host Mayim Bialik on her sitcom, "Call Me Kat."
The show has often paid tribute to her previous roles in "The Big Bang Theory" and "Blossom," but it looks like her "Jeopardy!" co-host is finally going to make an appearance on season 3 of her Fox sitcom.
Mayim Bialik Invites Her 'Jeopardy!' Co-host To Guest Star On Her 'Call Me Kat' Sitcom
On Wednesday night, TV Insider got the inside scoop that the "Jeopardy!" contestant with the longest winning streak in the show's longest history will be appearing on her Fox sitcom. In 2004, Ken Jennings got to be close friends with late host Alex Trebek after he won 74 games in a row in 2004.
After Alex lost his struggle with pancreatic cancer in November 2020, the producers signed on a series of guest hosts to audition for a role. After a lot of hosting drama and debate about who will be the next "Jeopardy!" host, executive producer Michael Davies announced last month that both Ken and Mayim will be co-hosting for season 39.
Although they don't share the stage together on 'Jeopardy!", they will share the screen together in the season 3 premiere of "Call Me Kat." At the end of season 2, the cat cafe owner named Kat (Mayim) decided to head to Paris to see what life had in store for her. In the season 3 premiere, she decides to return home and is anxious to tell the person sitting next to her on the flight all about her adventures.
Of course, the person sitting next to her on that flight is actually Ken Jennings, who will be playing himself. Apparently, he's much more interested in taking a nap than he is listening to Kat's adventures.
This will not be the only time that past cast members from her other shows have made appearances in her sitcom. Three costars of her hit 90s sitcom "Blossom" - Joey Lawrence, Michael Stoyanov, and Jenna Van Oy, also guest starred as themselves in season 2. In the season 2 finale, Bialik's "Blossom" TV dad, Ted Wass, also appeared in a dream playing Kat's deceased father.
So How Are Ken Jennings & Mayim Bialik Splitting Hosting Duties For Season 39?
Ken Jennings will be kicking off season 39, hosting the long-running trivia game show from September through December. Mayim will pick up hosting duties again in January, although it's unknown if she will carry the season through to completion.
Ken will host the upcoming Second Chance Tournament and the Tournament of Champions later this year, which will be held in November. Mayim Bialik will be the sole host of "Celebrity Jeopardy!" when it begins airing on Sunday nights in September on ABC.
It’s official! There is white smoke over Culver City. @missmayim and I are your Jeopardy! hosts next season. https://t.co/Qj9TdjgFJU
— Ken Jennings (@KenJennings) July 27, 2022
Shortly after the official "Jeopardy!" Twitter account tweeted the announcement, Ken retweeted the news to his own page, adding, "It’s official! There is white smoke over Culver City. @missmayim and I are your Jeopardy! hosts next season."
Jeopardy! has been a big part of my life since I was a kid, and I take the show and its legacy very seriously. It’s been a singular honor to be associated with the talented staff and crew there for the past 18 (!) years.
— Ken Jennings (@KenJennings) July 28, 2022
"Jeopardy! has been a big part of my life since I was a kid, and I take the show and its legacy very seriously," he explained. "It’s been a singular honor to be associated with the talented staff and crew there for the past 18 (!) years."
I’m not a professional broadcaster, obviously. I still get nerves out there every single show. But I was lucky enough to watch Alex host Jeopardy! for decades—about as well as the job could possibly be done. I hope a drop of that Trebekian perfection slips through sometimes.
— Ken Jennings (@KenJennings) July 28, 2022
"I’m not a professional broadcaster, obviously. I still get nerves out there every single show," he continued. "But I was lucky enough to watch Alex host Jeopardy! for decades—about as well as the job could possibly be done. I hope a drop of that Trebekian perfection slips through sometimes."
I’m so excited about the Second Chance tournament and Tournament of Champions coming in the fall. An unprecedented lineup of super-champs…and a few surprises. If you’re a Jeopardy! fan, even a casual one, you’re not going to want to miss this.
— Ken Jennings (@KenJennings) July 28, 2022
"I’m so excited about the Second Chance tournament and Tournament of Champions coming in the fall," Ken concluded. "An unprecedented lineup of super-champs…and a few surprises. If you’re a Jeopardy! fan, even a casual one, you’re not going to want to miss this."