It seems the difficulties finding a new permanent host for Jeopardy! are not going to be ending any time soon. With Mike Richards no longer a potential host for the show, many fans hoped for LeVar Burton to be named the new host but were disappointed as well. All other popular choices were quickly dismissed, with Ken Jennings losing his shot for previous controversial Tweets and fans calling for Mayim Bialik to be fired.
It seems the intense amount of controversy now surrounding Jeopardy! is so bad that they are having a difficult time even finding people to volunteer as guest hosts for the show. In fact, some talent agencies may be trying to convince their talent to not even audition. According to one Hollywood publicist,
“Guest hosts were once lining up to be on the show hoping its prestige and class would rub off on them. Now we are telling clients to stay away from Jeopardy! and not to get involved in the drama that comes from being associated with this train-wreck.”
Former Jeopardy! champion Arthur Chu even discussed recently that he’s “struggling to keep watching” the show due to all of the drama surrounding it so it makes sense that actors and their agencies might be worried.
While it had been originally hoped that Mike Richard’s complete removal from the show might make things simpler in the long run, it doesn’t seem that this is the case. An inside source told Radar that “it is literally a sh-t show over there” due to Richards no longer being present as executive producer.
“Behind the scenes is a mess with no one knowing what they are doing. Mike (Richards) was a di-k, but at least everyone knew who was in charge. With Mike out, there is this massive power vacuum. He wasn’t the sort of guy who set up a solid management structure with a clear number two in charge, leaving behind a bunch of junior people who suddenly think it is their time to shine.”
Despite all of this, there have still been some unique celebrity names who have tried to throw their hat into the ring to be the new permanent Jeopardy! host. Ru Paul boldly said, “I’m right here bitch!” in his own attempt to get fans behind him and Samantha Bee even made a small audition tape before going on to tell Texas senate republicans to “f-ck off” almost immediately after.
There has also been the case of YouTuber MatPat attempting to become the new host of the show. After making a video and starting an extremely popular petition, many fans got #WhoIsMatPat to trend on Twitter trying to get him onto the show. But as he has faced his own large share of controversies in the past, it’s unlikely he’ll make the final cut either.
Currently, Mayim Bialik is hosting Jeopardy! until a permanent replacement can be found as it is unlikely she can host the show long term.
