The streets are crying after Jeopardy announced executive producer Mike Richards and actress Mayim Bialik would host the game show instead of Levar Burton.
Jeopardy! dashed everyone’s dreams on Wednesday when showrunners announced the duo would take over for the late Alex Trebek, per Today. Richards will host the daily syndicated episodes while Bialik will handle the primetime and spin-off versions. The decision came after more than seven months of speculation and host suggestions.
This will be the first time two people share the hosting duties for Jeopardy!. Bialik is the first woman to be named host.
“We are thrilled to begin the next chapter of America’s Favorite Quiz Show with Mike hosting our daily show and Mayim hosting new versions of Jeopardy!,” Ravi Ahuja, chairman of Global Television Studios and Corporate Development for Sony Pictures, said in a statement to Today.
“We took this decision incredibly seriously,” Ahuja continued. “A tremendous amount of work and deliberation has gone into it, perhaps more than has ever gone into the selection of hosts for a show — deservedly so because it’s Jeopardy! and we are following the incomparable Alex Trebek.”
Burton was among the celebrities who auditioned for the gig. The former Reading Rainbow host took over Jeopardy for a week in July after fans started a petition for him to get the hosting gig. Richards’ name was leaked as a frontrunner last week, as previously reported.
Burton was on a lot of fans’ minds after Bialik and Richards were named.
One of my birthday wishes is for LeVar Burton to develop, executive produce, and host his own original game show. We’d all tune in! ✨
— Ebony Elizabeth Thomas (@Ebonyteach) August 11, 2021
Me trying to create a show right in this moment for @levarburton to host and make an international hit. pic.twitter.com/VS9g1WHPEb
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) August 11, 2021
LeVar Burton is sitting there, brilliant and uncomplicated and with four decades of a loyal fan base, and these fucking loony tunes roll the dice with Discount Patrick Bateman. https://t.co/6I8xV50WXs
— Charlotte Clymer 🏳️🌈 (@cmclymer) August 6, 2021
The outcry was so loud Bialik addressed the disgruntled fans in an Instagram reel. She also expressed her love for Burton.
“And if you don’t like me as the new host of Jeopardy!, I’m sorry. I love LeVar Burton. I worked with him on Big Bang Theory,” the Blossom star said. “I really have great respect for everybody who guest hosted. And I really think it’s amazing that it’s a woman hosting Jeopardy! It’s really exciting. It’s a very big deal.”
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Ain’t nobody trying to see you, Blossom.
