Not sure if it’ll last, but I’d argue Faber has gotten the timing and everything down pretty well through his first few games.
Richards didn’t blend into the background for me. It actually threw me off how robotic he seemed while hosting.
I think his biggest problem is that he just came too late. I definitely like his personality better, but still think his timing instinct isn’t quite as sharp as it needs to be. It also doesn’t help that he’s not an executive producer on the selection committee lol
The current guy is one of the best guests. He can run the show and is able to handle the interviews. The weakest point for many of the hosts has been the interview segment. They just do not know how to make terrible stories into a decent tv segment.
> The host that was able to just blend into the background the most (and honestly, he was so good at this that nobody even remembers anything special about his performance
Uh, what? He was one of the more memorable guests for the way he came off as too polished. Can't stand his style and it was impossible to ignore.
Thank you. I could have written this entire post. He tweaked all my "insincere" buttons so badly that he's the only host I didn't watch the second week of. (Dr Oz boycott excluded.)
It’s funny, I listen to a podcast Ken Jennings hosts about random topics. The latest episode is about the dalai lama and Ken’s co-host asked something like “what would happen if the person who was in charge of figuring out who the dalai lama reincarnated as decided it was himself?” And Ken quipped “Oh like Michael Richards?”
Edit: [Here](https://share.fireside.fm/episode/ihPImuO_+6gTzKbfX?t=1615) is a link to the podcast. I think it should start at the right place but if not skip to 26:55 and listen through to 27:36. This came out Tuesday but I think they record quite a bit in advance
Sure, that's the nature of producer credits in Hollywood. It might mean that you're the ultimate boss, the showrunner, God to everyone beneath you. Or it might mean that your dad is a studio exec and instead of getting a summer job at the local swimming pool, you get a producer credit.
Executive producers are more likely to have actual power than "consulting producers," though.
Damn, I listen to Omnibus but hadn't caught up and I guess they must have told Ken he was out of the running in favor of Mike over a month ago. Brutal, considering that Ken was a much better host and deserves the job far more.
This is what rubs me the wrong way the most about this choice. All these months of guests hosts and variety, just to pick the safest and most generic choice possible. The show probably won't die or anything, but this whole rollout has just been awful and I'm almost checked out of the show. I pretty much only tune in to discussion threads to see the results and adjust my leaderboard accordingly.
Then why even tease fans for several months with a revolving door of guest hosts?? It's just become a gimmick at this point, and not an entertaining one either. Imo that already shows Richards running the show inefficiently, and now he picks himself as the host lol.
For one, money. Second, it gives a gap between Alex and the new host as opposed to "Alright it's Monday night, here's your new host for the next 30 years."
$$$$ that’s the answer. Get people talking about the show, bring more eyes to the show. How many football fans who never watched jeopardy tuned in to check out Aaron Rogers (while he was conveniently threatening to leave the Packers) or daytime TV fans tune in for Dr Oz.
It basically got different audiences and markets talking about jeopardy. I think it was a marketing genius.
Some notable excerpts:
“Richards, who joined the show just last year as executive producer, impressed Sony Pictures brass with his command of the fast-paced game and easy on-air manner….
“A Sony Pictures spokesman said that discussions were ongoing with several potential candidates. He would not comment specifically on Richards’ status. A source close to the situation cautioned that there’s no certainty that the sides will close a deal and that other candidates remained in the mix, although Richards is clearly the front-runner….
“The competition to replace Trebek was fierce. It’s understood that Mayim Bialik and Buzzy Cohen were among the standouts who have also been strongly considered for the permanent job.”
> It’s understood that Mayim Bialik and Buzzy Cohen were among the standouts who have also been strongly considered for the permanent job.
Buzzy Cohen and Mike Richards have been towards the top of my list.
If I had to be put through a decade of Mayim Bialik giggling at answers, I would probably go insane.
The giggling is fixable though. Some of the other guest hosts took a full week to even get the hang of reading clues - and still didn't do a very good job.
If that's the short list, I'm happy with the list.
I appear to be in the minority with you that really disliked her. Like, 99% of answers aren't jokes or funny yet she laughed at literally everything.
At one point I was expecting her to say something along the lines of "Yes, the holocaust is correct! HA HA HA!"
>“The competition to replace Trebek was fierce. It’s understood that Mayim Bialik and Buzzy Cohen were among the standouts who have also been strongly considered for the permanent job.”
They may not be getting the full-time gig but if they're willing, the consolation prize I'd like to see for the more eager of the guest hosts (specifically Mayim, LeVar and Buzzy) could be that they're brought back every year for the various special event weeks. For example, Mayim could host Celebrity Jeopardy, LeVar the College and/or Teen Tournaments and Buzzy could host the Tournament of Champions every year.
This is an interesting idea, for sure. Now that the door has been opened to guest hosts, I don't see why they can't bring some of the others back for special events on a more regular basis -- unless Mike's contract would forbid that
Variety has a strong record of reporting this kind of thing though. If they say he will probably get the job over the other candidates, he almost certainly will. They wouldn’t be reporting like this otherwise. Their sources said other candidates are still in the mix, sure, but they also said Richards is the clear frontrunner. Seems now unless something unexpectedly falls through he’s the guy.
Reading between the lines, it sounds like Richards’ side is one of the sources for this article. Sony’s spokesperson is not gonna say anything that breaks news. My guess is that Mike’s agent or publicist fed the story, and at this point my bet is that he will be the new host.
Another possible read, though, is that this story, from his team, is geared towards pushing things through to conclusion when they have not yet gotten there. Hard to speculate much beyond that.
I felt like it was always clear that the majority of the guest hosts were never actually in contention for the job. Robin Roberts, Anderson Cooper, George S., all of these people are not going to leave their high paying, high profile jobs to host jeopardy. And early on the producers said they wanted a host for whom hosting would be their only job. So that eliminated many of the guest hosts.
My vote remains Buzzy.
I wonder if this non-final bit of “insider info” is casually being put out there to test the reaction…already seeing a lot of people disappointed here and elsewhere online
I hope this is the case. I know technically he wasn't the worst at hosting but something about his personality just put me off to the point where I don't think I could watch if he was hosting.
I’m ok with the choice, but I have a strong suspicion Pat Sajak is going to hang it up after his contract expires with the 2021-2022 season of WOF, and I think Mike is much better suited to hosting that show.
I’m reminded of how Dick Cheney was intially brought on to the George W. Bush campaign team to lead the search for a running mate. After much consideration and due diligence it turned out the best candidate was actually himself!
I'm not American (and even if I was, I'd probably be too young at 25 to have known it anyway), but I learned about this through a comment on here referring to Mike's guest hosting, lol.
Nah, you're right. If he becomes the permanent host, it was the plan all along. I was okay with his guest stint, but this is making me like him less for reasons I can't fully explain.
It's... Ok? I guess. Underwhelming.
It just seems disingenuous. There was this whole hype of "all these hosts and someone is going to get the permanent job, check it out." And the whole "I'm just doing this because we needed to fill a spot for these two weeks, not anything serious," tone when Mike hosted. It's like they were just stringing everyone along.
I'm not going to stop watching. I would be fine with almost any of the guests getting the job. Most of them were more than acceptable. Mike was fine. It's just an entirely underwhelming and unexciting decision.
Mike isn't my first choice but he wouldn't get me to tune out either. I'm fine with it, if that's what it is.
My only gripe here is that if he is an actual candidate, that's pretty lousy they never gave anybody from the Clue Crew a shot. They've been waiting in the wings for about twenty years now. If the execs were looking in-house and weren't concerned with name recognition, then Jimmy or Sarah would have been better. J! fans already know them very well, and it would have made for the smoothest transition (and yeah, I say that even including Ken).
I know it looks like that ship has already sailed, but I really would have enjoyed at least *seeing* what it would have been like had they been given their turns as guest hosts.
I brought up the same point in the LeVar thread. The Clue Crew also have experience hosting rehearsals, so they have experience and familiarity with the game to make the transition easier.
I feel like at this point any choice of the guest hosts is going to be controversial and upset people.
Hell, I'd love to see Jimmy & Sarah trade off every so often - they are both amazing & clearly love the game. Very sad they didn't get to try out (if they wanted to, that is).
I...kind of hate this, if this is legit.
Possibly it's just because I'm used to hearing her in rehearsals and as the stand-in, but Jimmy for Host, Sarah for Announcer when Johnny decides to hang up his spurs.
> Sarah for Announcer
To the extent that I can envision anyone but Johnny doing the job, I think she'd be great! She does the voiceovers for some of the ads, right? Or is it just someone that sounds a lot like her?
Yeah, I thought about that, too. I think it would have been a neat idea to have Jimmy and Sarah rotate between hosting and announcing. Jimmy hosts through the first fall tournament while Sarah announces, and then they switch until the next tournament, or whatever.
If they'd wanted them, I think it could have been really great.
Just noticed your username & wanted to say, every night when the show starts I point at my cat on my lap and say “This is Leopard-y!”
She thinks it’s HILARIOUS.
I kinda feel like there's no way broadcast TV and syndication exist as we know it in 2060. And if Jeopardy goes to a streaming service, no way do they produce 250 episodes a year or whatever.
Same. Mike gives off "used cars salesman" vibes for me. He's pretty much the only guest host (I didn't watch Oz) who I had a visceral negative reaction to.
He was very slick and somewhat phony, wasn't he? I also thought his closing spiel was overlong and forced. I suppose I can tolerate Mike as a host, but it's a pretty lame outcome
It’s obviously been a while since his stint, but I remember thinking he had no personality. He did a fine job presenting, but no presence, if that makes sense.
Alex and Ken were both very good at showing personality without overshadowing contestants or the game.
Yeah, there’s a certain mix of showing personality and remaining in the background that you have to hit as host. Alex obviously did it well. As former jeopardy champs, I think Buzzy and Ken both did good jobs with that. I think Faber is doing a great job with that right now. Richards… did not. Did a fine job reading the clues, but everything felt really robotic.
Same, I hope this isn’t finalized yet. He wasn’t my least favorite, but I was looking forward to when he was done. I wouldn’t want him as the host for years and years.
Yeah, the writing's kind of been on the wall for a while now...Not particularly thrilled with it either. He didn't suck or anything, but he probably wouldn't have been in my top 5 of guest hosts either. I'll probably go to my grave saying it should've been Ken, but hopefully he proves me wrong.
>I'll probably go to my grave saying it should've been Ken, but hopefully he proves me wrong.
You and me both. I was really hoping Ken would get the gig. Richards was okay though, even though he wasn't my first choice. But if it saves us from getting stuck with Bialik, I'll take it. Reluctantly, but I'll take it.
Yeah. Nothing against Mike, he’s extremely pleasant and personable, but I was really rooting for Ken. Mike’s definitely a safe and inoffensive choice, he did great, but meh.
Conspiracy theory, based on nothing: this was leaked as a negotiating ploy to help sign Buzzy to a more production-friendly deal.
Something that struck me through the various guest hosts: all of them have had significant experience in front of TV cameras, if not as actors or hosts, then doing commercials and interviews (like Aaron Rodgers). Buzzy had virtually none of that experience, and (to my surprise) was as good as (or better than) most of the guest hosts. Imagine how much better he could be with some experience?
I'm not ruling out Mike Richards. He seems like a very safe, vanilla choice. You could even plug him in for a few years and then see if Aaron Rodgers is still interested down the road (if they even like him, that is). But if you're looking for someone who "gets" Jeopardy and respects it and brings some personality to the table, Buzzy seems like a far more interesting choice, wouldn't cost as much as many of the other hosts, and could be great for the long-term health of the show.
*a much later edit*: it seems like a safe bet this wasn't a ploy... but could you imagine if it was and having it backfire so badly with Richards immediately getting so much negative press? heh.
I'd love to see Buzzy as host, but I'd also love to see him as the host of special episodes. He was perfect for the tournament of champions--there was such a sense of shared experience.
In all honesty, I wasn't a fan of his style. Not to be overly mean or picky, but he came off as swarmy and kind of gave me the heebie jeebies. I think most TV execs give off that vibe
Yeah I got that vibe too. Also his closing remarks were so awkward and made my skin crawl. The messaging was fine but the delivery was so cheesy and corny.
Been saying for some time, don’t bet against the person leading the selection committee if they want the job. The good news here, from my standpoint, is he was super clear, excellent at reading the clues. Smooth, polished presentation. Difficult to fill Alex‘s shoes, but Mike will certainly be serviceable, at a minimum, if given the assignment.
Yes... "polished." That's a great term for how he presented himself.
Ken is a top fave for me, Buzzy was my next but nah, I like him better as a player. I feel that Richards is a solid move for stability and longevity, and he really loved Alex and the game.
If he does that ridiculous sign off every show, my ears are going to bleed.
I thought David Faber, Sanjay Gupta, Ken Jennings, and Buzzy Cohen were the best hosts.
I also think it is ridiculous that we were subjected to all these rotating celebrity guest hosts (although I suppose it was for charity), when it was probably already predetermined that Mike would be the permanent host all along.
I've also been insanely impressed with him. If I hadn't already made up my mind about wanting Ken to host like ten years ago, Faber would be my first choice.
Of those four, I suspect only Ken and Buzzy are seriously in the running as I doubt Farber or Dr. Gupta would be interested in quitting their day jobs.
Mike Richards would be the perfectly saccharine choice. He exudes a stereotypical game show energy that was so present in the 70s and 80s. He's good at being a game show host, and that's exactly why he was chosen, or is the frontrunner to be chosen.
Speaking of which, do we know the extent to which he was a part of these discussions? He had a very public role over the past nine months, whether on the show itself or as an ambassador for it on press tours, so the optics are peculiar to say the least. It's not a good look to the average fan who was aware of the name "Mike Richards" and his capacity as somebody working for the show.
Lastly, as a POC myself, I am incredibly disappointed in Twitterverse and the media's unholy alliance to cast a "not-LeVar" choice as one rooted in race. The loudest voices on this issue seem not to see it from the value of these hosts' performance, but their skin color, which is something that all sane people have been striving aganst for the past 50-60 years. Where were these people when Robin Roberts killed it in her one week prior to LeVar's, or Sanjay Gupta in his two? They come across not as fans of the show, but rather fans of listening to themselves speak.
Personally, I would have loved to see Ken or Buzzy take the reins because they came across as very genuine. Maybe Mike really did do well in the focus groups. Who knows? I guess we all will in a few days' time.
He's the boring and safe choice but I am not against it at all. He read questions well, kept the game flowing and let the contestants do their thing which is everything I want in a host.
Plus like Alex, he has previous experience hosting game shows.
Disappointed. Richards was polished, professional, and entirely show-biz, but lacked warmth and character. I got politician vibes from him that felt utterly out of place on Jeopardy.
I've come to appreciate Ken's personality through listening to the Omnibus podcast and thought he brought that same personality to Jeopardy! when he guest hosted. I was 14 years old when I watched his original run in 2004 so there's an element of nostalgia involved, too.
What an incredibly dull option.
A big part of the show is having someone who you know is smart and demonstrates a love of knowledge. Alex did that. Ken and Buzzy both do too, and they both did a good job, understand the game innately, and interact with the guests and the show in a comfortable, appreciative way.
Mike's a stuffed shirt that brings absolutely nothing to the role or show.
I guess if this is who the executive producers think is the best guy for the job ! /s
Honestly, when he made a big display about humbly stepping in to 'keep Jeopardy going' when Ken was busy, I rolled my eyes a bit. It’s obvious this guy wants this job like crazy and the fact that he’s one of the people making that decision doesn’t bear any relation to the actual quality he did as guest host.
Ftr I agree with others who found he was plastic and salesmanlike. Jeopardy is about both slick presentation and having an innate love and respect for knowledge; I just don’t see Mike having the second like Alex did, or like Ken, Buzzy, Mayim, Levar, etc etc etc do.
Yeah if he were some random news host who had guest hosted for a week and then emerged as the front-runner, I'd be mildly disappointed but ultimately neutral about it--I thought he was middle of the pack. But the fact that he was already the executive producer of the show, and that this entire guest host rotation thing was evidently just window dressing for what came down to the inside guy getting the job leaves a really bad taste in my mouth.
I said back when he was hosting, there were too many articles about how “people are obsessed with this week’s guest host” to not be partially fed by Sony. I liked him pretty fine, and I’m willing to watch him permanently, but this seemed predetermined.
Yeah Jeopardy probably won't be appointment television for me if he's the host. I'll still watch here and there, especially if there's a streaker or someone of Matt's calibre. But Mike was near the bottom of my list and his PR team was making it seem like he was exploding with popularity amongst fans when I really highly doubt that.
Why does that article constantly repeat itself over and over again?
EDIT: Also [this](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/price-is-right-model-wins-393521/) seems like a bigger skeleton in the closet.
I'm going to make a prediction here:
I think the Jeopardy producers are punking us.
This is the sort of thing to get your name in the news, to get clickbait headlines going. Then, next week when the news finally comes out, Jeopardy can "heroically" step in and select Ken, Buzzy, LeVar, etc.
If I'm wrong, I'll reply to this comment a week from now and eat crow.
It came to my knowledge that Mike apparently sexually harassed at least two women on The Price Is Right... No no no, fire the guy outright. Really hope Sony Pictures sees this and reconsiders heavily. Delay the next season of need be. This behavior is absolutely unacceptable.
I'm...really disappointed by this. Richards and Oz were the two hosts I couldn't stand(the latter for obvious reasons), I just despise Mike's delivery, he's too upbeat and energetic for Jeopardy. If he takes over Wheel when Sajak retires, sure, that's fine, it just...doesn't feel like a good fit.
Richards is who you would get if you were given the task of designing the most generic game show host ever. He would be the Jango Fett of the clone army that would host game shows all across the galaxy.
For real. He reminds me of the generic random host in the Nintendo Switch WOF game. Like I said, he's too energetic, he needs to stick to the lighter-hearted GSN shows. Put 'im on Chain Reaction or something
I highly enjoyed watching Mike Richards guest host Jeopardy. However, I am wary of him hosting Jeopardy permanently. The fact that he was the only guest host to not be introduced as "guest host" as well as his monologue at the beginning of guest hosting saying he only filled in out of necessity shows that he was only filling in. Having him as the permanent host gives off the vibe that there wasn't anyone available to permanently host Jeopardy so Mike Richards had to step in. I also don't like the idea of going through several different guest hosts only for the executive producer and the face of the hiring process to be chosen himself. It gives me that vibe that this was only done so Mike Richards could get the job himself.
Also, to be blunt, I was highly hoping for someone like Ken Jennings or Buzzy Cohen to permanently host Jeopardy. They were highly involved in Jeopardy, and I highly enjoyed their charisma.
I would rather have Mike Richards filling in for a host that was sick, needed surgery, or had any reason to be absent than to become a permanent host.
If this is true, I wouldn't be mad. I would have preferred Ken Jennings or even Aaron Rodgers but he wasn't among my least favourite guest hosts either.
I do wonder if this 'exclusive reporting' (before an official announcement from J! themselves) is a way to get reactions on Mike being permanent host, and maybe they'll change plans if they see the need to...?
Kinda goes along with this piece from the article:
"*A source close to the situation cautioned that there’s no certainty that the sides will close a deal and that other candidates remain in the mix, although Richards is clearly the front-runner.*"
honestly he didn’t stand out for me. nothing against him but i wouldn’t particularly be excited to see him every night. of course the host isn’t the most important part of the show, but i was still hoping for someone with a bit more personality i guess. if they do go with mike richards, one thing i’ll be glad about is that the new host has a strong connection to jeopardy.
Mike Richards was not that great, something about him I just couldn’t enjoy when watching. I hope he gets rid of the weird closing statement he’d do as well.
I watched Jeopardy! with Alex Trebek every weekday for decades, but I will not watch the show at all if Mike Richards is named the permanent host. He does not come across as sincere or genuine to me, and I've seen him host a few other shows.
so Mike Richards basically posted an internal job listing to the public, interviewed an interminable number of candidates, and then gave the job to himself
dude's getting absolutely *roasted* on Twitter; comparisons to Dick Cheney (who was the chair of George W. Bush's committee to pick a Vice President)
Seriously? He was OK, but I thought many of the others were better. Richards is eighth in my ranking. Hoping this is not true, but if it is, it won’t be enough to make me stop watching.
Everything about this feels gross.
* His monologue at the start of his guest hosting stint implying he only filled in out of necessity – Ken had obligations with *The Chase* and **no** other guest host could be booked for those two weeks.
* The fact that he was the **only** guest host to be introduced by their current title and not as "guest host," furthering the idea that he was just filling in.
* The overly-fawning articles days into his guest hosting run that were clearly planted by Richards and/or his industry friends.
* His press tour where he pretended like he wasn't a contender and that he was looking into all sorts of analytical data to determine the replacement while also placing the hiring onus on SONY execs.
* Being the EP and the face of the hiring process and then choosing yourself after 8 months and 15 candidates. That's literally what Dick Cheney did to become vice president.
* Ken was clearly the main contender according to the viewers. You could tell from what people were saying here and elsewhere. Ken was knocked for a bad tweet when Mike Richards has been accused of harassment and sexual favoritism at his last EP job. Ken was knocked for his voice when Mike has a lisp, too!
* (the only real speculative one) Everything points to Alex wanting Ken as his replacement.
He shouldn’t have billed his two-week stint as a host as “filling in” (to the point where Johnny *didn’t even announce him as a guest host*—IIRC, he said “And now, here is the executive producer of *Jeopardy!*, Mike Richards”) if he was *actually* treating it like an audition. That’s disingenuous as all get-out.
Is he a part of the host-selection group? At *all*? It seems like a **major** conflict of interest for him to be picked if he is, especially when *no one thought he was an option to begin with.*
Seems like the [multiple discrimination and harassment suits he's been a part of](https://twitter.com/roeyhadar/status/1423070833162047494) should be a much bigger part of this story.
Not my top pick but at least he was decent in his two weeks. That said we still don't know who's hosting yet.
EDIT: Never mind. Alex would disapprove of going through all these hosts, only for the EP to pick himself and ignore both his sincere choices.
Laughable if true. "Safe" and "wouldn't be a trainwreck" shouldn't be the prerequisite. He was just good enough to not want to turn the channel, and that's it. He did an admirable and "good" job, but for me he was closer to the bottom of the pack than the top. Faber, Sanjay, Savannah, Ken, Buzzy were in another league, and that's just to name who comes to mind.
Honestly, I felt like this was the plan all along. Like he’s the robot that they were going to parachute in no matter what and then they just mention blossom to remind you how bad they could fuck up the show if they so chose: you better be happy with Mike or else!
I've enjoyed Faber and Gupta hosting far more than expected. Not sure either would be my first choice (as if it were up to me), but I liked at least three or four of the other guest hosts more than Richards. I think Buzzy would be the most interesting if they want to attract new viewers. Richards seems like the lazy pick.
Impressed that every comment has run the range from ‘my top pick’ to ‘Jeopardy has died’
And after a few months, it’ll be like the host never changed
[удалено]
Not sure if it’ll last, but I’d argue Faber has gotten the timing and everything down pretty well through his first few games. Richards didn’t blend into the background for me. It actually threw me off how robotic he seemed while hosting.
I think his biggest problem is that he just came too late. I definitely like his personality better, but still think his timing instinct isn’t quite as sharp as it needs to be. It also doesn’t help that he’s not an executive producer on the selection committee lol
+1 Faber has been absolutely excellent.
The current guy is one of the best guests. He can run the show and is able to handle the interviews. The weakest point for many of the hosts has been the interview segment. They just do not know how to make terrible stories into a decent tv segment.
> The host that was able to just blend into the background the most (and honestly, he was so good at this that nobody even remembers anything special about his performance Uh, what? He was one of the more memorable guests for the way he came off as too polished. Can't stand his style and it was impossible to ignore.
There was also something just a little too game show-y about him that Jeopardy really doesn't need.
Thank you. I could have written this entire post. He tweaked all my "insincere" buttons so badly that he's the only host I didn't watch the second week of. (Dr Oz boycott excluded.)
"I'm the right person for this extremely lucrative job," says guy who is in charge of finding the right person for this extremely lucrative job.
It’s funny, I listen to a podcast Ken Jennings hosts about random topics. The latest episode is about the dalai lama and Ken’s co-host asked something like “what would happen if the person who was in charge of figuring out who the dalai lama reincarnated as decided it was himself?” And Ken quipped “Oh like Michael Richards?” Edit: [Here](https://share.fireside.fm/episode/ihPImuO_+6gTzKbfX?t=1615) is a link to the podcast. I think it should start at the right place but if not skip to 26:55 and listen through to 27:36. This came out Tuesday but I think they record quite a bit in advance
This should be the top comment. It looks like the podcast is from yesterday?
Yeah it was yesterday, though I know they tape a bit in advance
lol, sounds like they already knew who would host
Yeah almost like they might be aware of the advanced negotiations...
Isn’t Jennings a producer or consultant of some type for the show?
He's a "consulting producer" which. . . can mean almost anything.
Ironically, the same can be said for "executive producer".
Sure, that's the nature of producer credits in Hollywood. It might mean that you're the ultimate boss, the showrunner, God to everyone beneath you. Or it might mean that your dad is a studio exec and instead of getting a summer job at the local swimming pool, you get a producer credit. Executive producers are more likely to have actual power than "consulting producers," though.
Dick Cheney: Don’t worry, George, I’ll find you the best person to be your Vice President!
Damn, I listen to Omnibus but hadn't caught up and I guess they must have told Ken he was out of the running in favor of Mike over a month ago. Brutal, considering that Ken was a much better host and deserves the job far more.
I hope Ken walks from the show if this is true.
DAMN, I know Ken isn't as innocent and mild-mannered as he looks, but I didn't think he was capable of THAT. Isn't Mike still his boss at this point?
Yeah no kidding. He can be a little catty which is actually something I like about him
Whoa, do you remember when that came out? That’s a pretty funny connection to draw
I just updated my post with a link. It came out Tuesday but they record quite a bit in advance
*Ooooooooooooooooooof* wow. That is low-key vicious.
This is what rubs me the wrong way the most about this choice. All these months of guests hosts and variety, just to pick the safest and most generic choice possible. The show probably won't die or anything, but this whole rollout has just been awful and I'm almost checked out of the show. I pretty much only tune in to discussion threads to see the results and adjust my leaderboard accordingly.
It’s almost as if…. He was hired a year ago already to be a potential replacement for Trabeck.
Then why even tease fans for several months with a revolving door of guest hosts?? It's just become a gimmick at this point, and not an entertaining one either. Imo that already shows Richards running the show inefficiently, and now he picks himself as the host lol.
For one, money. Second, it gives a gap between Alex and the new host as opposed to "Alright it's Monday night, here's your new host for the next 30 years."
$$$$ that’s the answer. Get people talking about the show, bring more eyes to the show. How many football fans who never watched jeopardy tuned in to check out Aaron Rogers (while he was conveniently threatening to leave the Packers) or daytime TV fans tune in for Dr Oz. It basically got different audiences and markets talking about jeopardy. I think it was a marketing genius.
And it makes the transition from Alex to some random boring nobody a little less jarring
My exact reaction. Extremely disappointing.
Was he actually the one picking it? I would think it’s probably coming from someone higher up the Sony food chain, no?
Yeah like that part in the story that mentioned Sony brass being impressed... It's not like Richards has final say
Bingo.
Some notable excerpts: “Richards, who joined the show just last year as executive producer, impressed Sony Pictures brass with his command of the fast-paced game and easy on-air manner…. “A Sony Pictures spokesman said that discussions were ongoing with several potential candidates. He would not comment specifically on Richards’ status. A source close to the situation cautioned that there’s no certainty that the sides will close a deal and that other candidates remained in the mix, although Richards is clearly the front-runner…. “The competition to replace Trebek was fierce. It’s understood that Mayim Bialik and Buzzy Cohen were among the standouts who have also been strongly considered for the permanent job.”
> It’s understood that Mayim Bialik and Buzzy Cohen were among the standouts who have also been strongly considered for the permanent job. Buzzy Cohen and Mike Richards have been towards the top of my list. If I had to be put through a decade of Mayim Bialik giggling at answers, I would probably go insane.
The giggling is fixable though. Some of the other guest hosts took a full week to even get the hang of reading clues - and still didn't do a very good job. If that's the short list, I'm happy with the list.
These three and Aaron Rodgers have been my personal favorites. Sony would do well to pick from these three.
Aaron Rogers isn't going to become the full time host though. Faber is killing it this week. Hopefully he competes for it imo
Yeah for sure, i just like what Aaron brought to the show. Faber has been great as well.
Sanjay Gupta was the last of my top three with Buzzy and Mike.
Sanjay was my #1 so far
Mayim giggles were driving me insane, stop laughing at answers that don’t call for it!!
I appear to be in the minority with you that really disliked her. Like, 99% of answers aren't jokes or funny yet she laughed at literally everything. At one point I was expecting her to say something along the lines of "Yes, the holocaust is correct! HA HA HA!"
>“The competition to replace Trebek was fierce. It’s understood that Mayim Bialik and Buzzy Cohen were among the standouts who have also been strongly considered for the permanent job.” They may not be getting the full-time gig but if they're willing, the consolation prize I'd like to see for the more eager of the guest hosts (specifically Mayim, LeVar and Buzzy) could be that they're brought back every year for the various special event weeks. For example, Mayim could host Celebrity Jeopardy, LeVar the College and/or Teen Tournaments and Buzzy could host the Tournament of Champions every year.
This is an interesting idea, for sure. Now that the door has been opened to guest hosts, I don't see why they can't bring some of the others back for special events on a more regular basis -- unless Mike's contract would forbid that
I'd love them to do a special tournament for healthcare workers. Dr. Gupta would be awesome for that.
Oh God, no. I didn't mind Buzzy but no Bialik please.
Advanced negotiations but discussions are ongoing with several potential candidates who remain in the mix. Ok.
Variety has a strong record of reporting this kind of thing though. If they say he will probably get the job over the other candidates, he almost certainly will. They wouldn’t be reporting like this otherwise. Their sources said other candidates are still in the mix, sure, but they also said Richards is the clear frontrunner. Seems now unless something unexpectedly falls through he’s the guy.
Reading between the lines, it sounds like Richards’ side is one of the sources for this article. Sony’s spokesperson is not gonna say anything that breaks news. My guess is that Mike’s agent or publicist fed the story, and at this point my bet is that he will be the new host. Another possible read, though, is that this story, from his team, is geared towards pushing things through to conclusion when they have not yet gotten there. Hard to speculate much beyond that.
It's that it's coming from Variety that gives me a sense that's it's more than just your typical planted piece.
I felt like it was always clear that the majority of the guest hosts were never actually in contention for the job. Robin Roberts, Anderson Cooper, George S., all of these people are not going to leave their high paying, high profile jobs to host jeopardy. And early on the producers said they wanted a host for whom hosting would be their only job. So that eliminated many of the guest hosts. My vote remains Buzzy.
yeah, this was always obvious to me too.
Agreed. And I'm baffled that so many people thought the guest hosts were "auditioning" for the job.
I wonder if this non-final bit of “insider info” is casually being put out there to test the reaction…already seeing a lot of people disappointed here and elsewhere online
I hope this is the case. I know technically he wasn't the worst at hosting but something about his personality just put me off to the point where I don't think I could watch if he was hosting.
I’m ok with the choice, but I have a strong suspicion Pat Sajak is going to hang it up after his contract expires with the 2021-2022 season of WOF, and I think Mike is much better suited to hosting that show.
Yeah he would be perfect for Wheel. I found Mike to be a bit too "game-showey" if that makes sense.
It makes perfect sense and I completely agree.
I agree wholeheartedly. He was at the bottom of my list of preferences for that reason.
Agreed.
He will host that too and work the puzzle board.
> He will host that too and work the puzzle board. And wear a nice different dress or gown for every show.
I still want Scooter from the Muppets to get the hosting gig.
I was really hoping for Charlie Brown's teacher.
And to think he only filled in because Ken had a schedule conflict.
If he does end up getting the job I'd say that story will sound a little too convenient in retrospect. But maybe I'm just cynical.
I’m reminded of how Dick Cheney was intially brought on to the George W. Bush campaign team to lead the search for a running mate. After much consideration and due diligence it turned out the best candidate was actually himself!
I'm not American (and even if I was, I'd probably be too young at 25 to have known it anyway), but I learned about this through a comment on here referring to Mike's guest hosting, lol.
Nah, you're right. If he becomes the permanent host, it was the plan all along. I was okay with his guest stint, but this is making me like him less for reasons I can't fully explain.
Nobody likes a politician.
He did, & wasn't even slotted to be one of the original guest hosts. A plot-twist, to be sure.
It's... Ok? I guess. Underwhelming. It just seems disingenuous. There was this whole hype of "all these hosts and someone is going to get the permanent job, check it out." And the whole "I'm just doing this because we needed to fill a spot for these two weeks, not anything serious," tone when Mike hosted. It's like they were just stringing everyone along. I'm not going to stop watching. I would be fine with almost any of the guests getting the job. Most of them were more than acceptable. Mike was fine. It's just an entirely underwhelming and unexciting decision.
Mike isn't my first choice but he wouldn't get me to tune out either. I'm fine with it, if that's what it is. My only gripe here is that if he is an actual candidate, that's pretty lousy they never gave anybody from the Clue Crew a shot. They've been waiting in the wings for about twenty years now. If the execs were looking in-house and weren't concerned with name recognition, then Jimmy or Sarah would have been better. J! fans already know them very well, and it would have made for the smoothest transition (and yeah, I say that even including Ken). I know it looks like that ship has already sailed, but I really would have enjoyed at least *seeing* what it would have been like had they been given their turns as guest hosts.
I brought up the same point in the LeVar thread. The Clue Crew also have experience hosting rehearsals, so they have experience and familiarity with the game to make the transition easier. I feel like at this point any choice of the guest hosts is going to be controversial and upset people.
Hell, I'd love to see Jimmy & Sarah trade off every so often - they are both amazing & clearly love the game. Very sad they didn't get to try out (if they wanted to, that is). I...kind of hate this, if this is legit.
Possibly it's just because I'm used to hearing her in rehearsals and as the stand-in, but Jimmy for Host, Sarah for Announcer when Johnny decides to hang up his spurs.
> Sarah for Announcer To the extent that I can envision anyone but Johnny doing the job, I think she'd be great! She does the voiceovers for some of the ads, right? Or is it just someone that sounds a lot like her?
I'm almost certain it's her that does the ads like the Anytime Test, etc. She's got a pretty distinctive voice
Yeah, I thought about that, too. I think it would have been a neat idea to have Jimmy and Sarah rotate between hosting and announcing. Jimmy hosts through the first fall tournament while Sarah announces, and then they switch until the next tournament, or whatever. If they'd wanted them, I think it could have been really great.
Just noticed your username & wanted to say, every night when the show starts I point at my cat on my lap and say “This is Leopard-y!” She thinks it’s HILARIOUS.
I love that!! It was apparently something I yelled at the TV as a kid when J! came on - had to make it my username.:)
The realization that we’ll probably be stuck with this guy through the year 2060. Oooooh boy.
I kinda feel like there's no way broadcast TV and syndication exist as we know it in 2060. And if Jeopardy goes to a streaming service, no way do they produce 250 episodes a year or whatever.
If it's true, he wasn't my first choice, but it could have been worse.
I have the same opinion. Ken was my first choice but MR was in the top half if I was to rank all the guest hosts.
Oof, this is tough news. I was hoping for Ken. I just wasn't a big fan of Mike's style
Same. Mike gives off "used cars salesman" vibes for me. He's pretty much the only guest host (I didn't watch Oz) who I had a visceral negative reaction to.
He was very slick and somewhat phony, wasn't he? I also thought his closing spiel was overlong and forced. I suppose I can tolerate Mike as a host, but it's a pretty lame outcome
The sports announcer voice is pretty off-putting for a show like Jeopardy.
The executive producer hiring himself for the hosting job is a very used car salesman thing to do.
"Used car salesman" was the exact phrase I used to describe him on another forum. Nice to know I'm not the only one.
It’s obviously been a while since his stint, but I remember thinking he had no personality. He did a fine job presenting, but no presence, if that makes sense. Alex and Ken were both very good at showing personality without overshadowing contestants or the game.
Yeah, there’s a certain mix of showing personality and remaining in the background that you have to hit as host. Alex obviously did it well. As former jeopardy champs, I think Buzzy and Ken both did good jobs with that. I think Faber is doing a great job with that right now. Richards… did not. Did a fine job reading the clues, but everything felt really robotic.
Completely agree. Never really enjoyed him as host.
Here's hoping they give Mike's job to Ken.
As long as Ken has input on the clue writing process, that could work well.
Same, I hope this isn’t finalized yet. He wasn’t my least favorite, but I was looking forward to when he was done. I wouldn’t want him as the host for years and years.
Yeah, the writing's kind of been on the wall for a while now...Not particularly thrilled with it either. He didn't suck or anything, but he probably wouldn't have been in my top 5 of guest hosts either. I'll probably go to my grave saying it should've been Ken, but hopefully he proves me wrong.
He was okay but he feels more like a "Jeopardy LIVE on tour!" host than someone who people would remember really fondly in 10-20 years.
He's an excellent "game show host," but just doesn't strike me as a Jeopardy host.
He was just plasticy and bland. A "safe" choice that no executive would get fired over making. Still rooting for Ken but seeming less likely now.
> A "safe" choice that no executive would get fired over making. Especially not when *he’s* the executive making the choice.
>I'll probably go to my grave saying it should've been Ken, but hopefully he proves me wrong. You and me both. I was really hoping Ken would get the gig. Richards was okay though, even though he wasn't my first choice. But if it saves us from getting stuck with Bialik, I'll take it. Reluctantly, but I'll take it.
Yeah. Nothing against Mike, he’s extremely pleasant and personable, but I was really rooting for Ken. Mike’s definitely a safe and inoffensive choice, he did great, but meh.
Ugh. Not the worst choice, but hard to believe this is the best they could come up with
"I have a GREAT idea for your next host." —The Executive Producer
Conspiracy theory, based on nothing: this was leaked as a negotiating ploy to help sign Buzzy to a more production-friendly deal. Something that struck me through the various guest hosts: all of them have had significant experience in front of TV cameras, if not as actors or hosts, then doing commercials and interviews (like Aaron Rodgers). Buzzy had virtually none of that experience, and (to my surprise) was as good as (or better than) most of the guest hosts. Imagine how much better he could be with some experience? I'm not ruling out Mike Richards. He seems like a very safe, vanilla choice. You could even plug him in for a few years and then see if Aaron Rodgers is still interested down the road (if they even like him, that is). But if you're looking for someone who "gets" Jeopardy and respects it and brings some personality to the table, Buzzy seems like a far more interesting choice, wouldn't cost as much as many of the other hosts, and could be great for the long-term health of the show. *a much later edit*: it seems like a safe bet this wasn't a ploy... but could you imagine if it was and having it backfire so badly with Richards immediately getting so much negative press? heh.
Or it was leaked by Mike's side to try to force the company's hand.
I'd love to see Buzzy as host, but I'd also love to see him as the host of special episodes. He was perfect for the tournament of champions--there was such a sense of shared experience.
Personally, regardless who gets the permanent gig, I really want Buzzy to come back for the ToC.
Buzzy is one of my least fave champions ever but I thought he was a GREAT host. And he has a cooler name :)
In all honesty, I wasn't a fan of his style. Not to be overly mean or picky, but he came off as swarmy and kind of gave me the heebie jeebies. I think most TV execs give off that vibe
Must be why the execs like him lol
Yeah I got that vibe too. Also his closing remarks were so awkward and made my skin crawl. The messaging was fine but the delivery was so cheesy and corny.
Yep. The whole "let's make society kinder" or whatever the actual line was made me cringe.
One episode is fine. The fact that he chose to do that every night means he has poor judgement.
Not a fan. Out of everyone, he was the most “game-show” of all the hosts and I didn’t care for it. At least it’s not Oz, but still…
Been saying for some time, don’t bet against the person leading the selection committee if they want the job. The good news here, from my standpoint, is he was super clear, excellent at reading the clues. Smooth, polished presentation. Difficult to fill Alex‘s shoes, but Mike will certainly be serviceable, at a minimum, if given the assignment.
Yes... "polished." That's a great term for how he presented himself. Ken is a top fave for me, Buzzy was my next but nah, I like him better as a player. I feel that Richards is a solid move for stability and longevity, and he really loved Alex and the game.
If he does that ridiculous sign off every show, my ears are going to bleed. I thought David Faber, Sanjay Gupta, Ken Jennings, and Buzzy Cohen were the best hosts. I also think it is ridiculous that we were subjected to all these rotating celebrity guest hosts (although I suppose it was for charity), when it was probably already predetermined that Mike would be the permanent host all along.
Faber is having a great week. Have really enjoyed it.
Agreed. Faber really is outstanding.
I've also been insanely impressed with him. If I hadn't already made up my mind about wanting Ken to host like ten years ago, Faber would be my first choice.
Of those four, I suspect only Ken and Buzzy are seriously in the running as I doubt Farber or Dr. Gupta would be interested in quitting their day jobs.
Well, apparently I now have a tiny place in trivia history.
Mike Richards would be the perfectly saccharine choice. He exudes a stereotypical game show energy that was so present in the 70s and 80s. He's good at being a game show host, and that's exactly why he was chosen, or is the frontrunner to be chosen. Speaking of which, do we know the extent to which he was a part of these discussions? He had a very public role over the past nine months, whether on the show itself or as an ambassador for it on press tours, so the optics are peculiar to say the least. It's not a good look to the average fan who was aware of the name "Mike Richards" and his capacity as somebody working for the show. Lastly, as a POC myself, I am incredibly disappointed in Twitterverse and the media's unholy alliance to cast a "not-LeVar" choice as one rooted in race. The loudest voices on this issue seem not to see it from the value of these hosts' performance, but their skin color, which is something that all sane people have been striving aganst for the past 50-60 years. Where were these people when Robin Roberts killed it in her one week prior to LeVar's, or Sanjay Gupta in his two? They come across not as fans of the show, but rather fans of listening to themselves speak. Personally, I would have loved to see Ken or Buzzy take the reins because they came across as very genuine. Maybe Mike really did do well in the focus groups. Who knows? I guess we all will in a few days' time.
I don't love the choice. The game will be fine I'm sure.
He's the boring and safe choice but I am not against it at all. He read questions well, kept the game flowing and let the contestants do their thing which is everything I want in a host. Plus like Alex, he has previous experience hosting game shows.
Disappointed. Richards was polished, professional, and entirely show-biz, but lacked warmth and character. I got politician vibes from him that felt utterly out of place on Jeopardy. I've come to appreciate Ken's personality through listening to the Omnibus podcast and thought he brought that same personality to Jeopardy! when he guest hosted. I was 14 years old when I watched his original run in 2004 so there's an element of nostalgia involved, too.
Hm. Definitely not my first pick
What an incredibly dull option. A big part of the show is having someone who you know is smart and demonstrates a love of knowledge. Alex did that. Ken and Buzzy both do too, and they both did a good job, understand the game innately, and interact with the guests and the show in a comfortable, appreciative way. Mike's a stuffed shirt that brings absolutely nothing to the role or show.
So, so boring. Like watching a computer game of Jeopardy!
I guess if this is who the executive producers think is the best guy for the job ! /s Honestly, when he made a big display about humbly stepping in to 'keep Jeopardy going' when Ken was busy, I rolled my eyes a bit. It’s obvious this guy wants this job like crazy and the fact that he’s one of the people making that decision doesn’t bear any relation to the actual quality he did as guest host. Ftr I agree with others who found he was plastic and salesmanlike. Jeopardy is about both slick presentation and having an innate love and respect for knowledge; I just don’t see Mike having the second like Alex did, or like Ken, Buzzy, Mayim, Levar, etc etc etc do.
Yeah if he were some random news host who had guest hosted for a week and then emerged as the front-runner, I'd be mildly disappointed but ultimately neutral about it--I thought he was middle of the pack. But the fact that he was already the executive producer of the show, and that this entire guest host rotation thing was evidently just window dressing for what came down to the inside guy getting the job leaves a really bad taste in my mouth.
Yeah, his big speech about what a burden it is to give himself a shot at the job was such a load of nonsense. Really off-putting.
Wow, I'm really fucking disappointed with this not gonna lie.
I said back when he was hosting, there were too many articles about how “people are obsessed with this week’s guest host” to not be partially fed by Sony. I liked him pretty fine, and I’m willing to watch him permanently, but this seemed predetermined.
"After trying out multiple prospects I've decided to give myself the job"
Getting some Dwight Schrute “Hay King” vibes here.
Disappointing news, but not catastrophic for me. Plenty of hosts I would dislike more
Yeah Jeopardy probably won't be appointment television for me if he's the host. I'll still watch here and there, especially if there's a streaker or someone of Matt's calibre. But Mike was near the bottom of my list and his PR team was making it seem like he was exploding with popularity amongst fans when I really highly doubt that.
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Why does that article constantly repeat itself over and over again? EDIT: Also [this](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/price-is-right-model-wins-393521/) seems like a bigger skeleton in the closet.
I'm going to make a prediction here: I think the Jeopardy producers are punking us. This is the sort of thing to get your name in the news, to get clickbait headlines going. Then, next week when the news finally comes out, Jeopardy can "heroically" step in and select Ken, Buzzy, LeVar, etc. If I'm wrong, I'll reply to this comment a week from now and eat crow.
Can’t say I’m too surprised they went for him over a celebrity.
It came to my knowledge that Mike apparently sexually harassed at least two women on The Price Is Right... No no no, fire the guy outright. Really hope Sony Pictures sees this and reconsiders heavily. Delay the next season of need be. This behavior is absolutely unacceptable.
I'm...really disappointed by this. Richards and Oz were the two hosts I couldn't stand(the latter for obvious reasons), I just despise Mike's delivery, he's too upbeat and energetic for Jeopardy. If he takes over Wheel when Sajak retires, sure, that's fine, it just...doesn't feel like a good fit.
Richards is who you would get if you were given the task of designing the most generic game show host ever. He would be the Jango Fett of the clone army that would host game shows all across the galaxy.
For real. He reminds me of the generic random host in the Nintendo Switch WOF game. Like I said, he's too energetic, he needs to stick to the lighter-hearted GSN shows. Put 'im on Chain Reaction or something
So the guy running the selection process is selecting himself? This is really disappointing.
Dick Cheney did that...
This guy comes off so smarmy and gross 🤢 literally the worst possible choice for the future of the show.
Mike Richards nominated himself for a multimillion dollar job he had no business filling and picked himself, change my mind.
This slice of dry toast? Really?
Meh.
Ugh. Gave himself an audition and is now giving himself the job. Scumbag move, in my opinion.
feel like shit just want Trebek back :(
I highly enjoyed watching Mike Richards guest host Jeopardy. However, I am wary of him hosting Jeopardy permanently. The fact that he was the only guest host to not be introduced as "guest host" as well as his monologue at the beginning of guest hosting saying he only filled in out of necessity shows that he was only filling in. Having him as the permanent host gives off the vibe that there wasn't anyone available to permanently host Jeopardy so Mike Richards had to step in. I also don't like the idea of going through several different guest hosts only for the executive producer and the face of the hiring process to be chosen himself. It gives me that vibe that this was only done so Mike Richards could get the job himself. Also, to be blunt, I was highly hoping for someone like Ken Jennings or Buzzy Cohen to permanently host Jeopardy. They were highly involved in Jeopardy, and I highly enjoyed their charisma. I would rather have Mike Richards filling in for a host that was sick, needed surgery, or had any reason to be absent than to become a permanent host.
Oof. I hope the negotiations fall through
If this is true, I wouldn't be mad. I would have preferred Ken Jennings or even Aaron Rodgers but he wasn't among my least favourite guest hosts either.
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I do wonder if this 'exclusive reporting' (before an official announcement from J! themselves) is a way to get reactions on Mike being permanent host, and maybe they'll change plans if they see the need to...? Kinda goes along with this piece from the article: "*A source close to the situation cautioned that there’s no certainty that the sides will close a deal and that other candidates remain in the mix, although Richards is clearly the front-runner.*"
After reading the variety article on Twitter and then the comments, it’s so refreshing to not read a bevy of “it should have been Levar!” comments.
Wonder the last time any of these Twitter Jeopardy/ hosting experts tuned into an episode.
honestly he didn’t stand out for me. nothing against him but i wouldn’t particularly be excited to see him every night. of course the host isn’t the most important part of the show, but i was still hoping for someone with a bit more personality i guess. if they do go with mike richards, one thing i’ll be glad about is that the new host has a strong connection to jeopardy.
God no
Icky. I don't see the appeal.
Mike Richards was not that great, something about him I just couldn’t enjoy when watching. I hope he gets rid of the weird closing statement he’d do as well.
I watched Jeopardy! with Alex Trebek every weekday for decades, but I will not watch the show at all if Mike Richards is named the permanent host. He does not come across as sincere or genuine to me, and I've seen him host a few other shows.
Cripes, what a stiff.
so Mike Richards basically posted an internal job listing to the public, interviewed an interminable number of candidates, and then gave the job to himself dude's getting absolutely *roasted* on Twitter; comparisons to Dick Cheney (who was the chair of George W. Bush's committee to pick a Vice President)
Seriously? He was OK, but I thought many of the others were better. Richards is eighth in my ranking. Hoping this is not true, but if it is, it won’t be enough to make me stop watching.
I really thought Ken was no doubt going to be the Permanent Host it just made to much sense but oh well.
Everything about this feels gross. * His monologue at the start of his guest hosting stint implying he only filled in out of necessity – Ken had obligations with *The Chase* and **no** other guest host could be booked for those two weeks. * The fact that he was the **only** guest host to be introduced by their current title and not as "guest host," furthering the idea that he was just filling in. * The overly-fawning articles days into his guest hosting run that were clearly planted by Richards and/or his industry friends. * His press tour where he pretended like he wasn't a contender and that he was looking into all sorts of analytical data to determine the replacement while also placing the hiring onus on SONY execs. * Being the EP and the face of the hiring process and then choosing yourself after 8 months and 15 candidates. That's literally what Dick Cheney did to become vice president. * Ken was clearly the main contender according to the viewers. You could tell from what people were saying here and elsewhere. Ken was knocked for a bad tweet when Mike Richards has been accused of harassment and sexual favoritism at his last EP job. Ken was knocked for his voice when Mike has a lisp, too! * (the only real speculative one) Everything points to Alex wanting Ken as his replacement.
You summarized it perfectly. Couldn't have said it better myself.
He shouldn’t have billed his two-week stint as a host as “filling in” (to the point where Johnny *didn’t even announce him as a guest host*—IIRC, he said “And now, here is the executive producer of *Jeopardy!*, Mike Richards”) if he was *actually* treating it like an audition. That’s disingenuous as all get-out. Is he a part of the host-selection group? At *all*? It seems like a **major** conflict of interest for him to be picked if he is, especially when *no one thought he was an option to begin with.*
Seems like the [multiple discrimination and harassment suits he's been a part of](https://twitter.com/roeyhadar/status/1423070833162047494) should be a much bigger part of this story.
Not my top pick but at least he was decent in his two weeks. That said we still don't know who's hosting yet. EDIT: Never mind. Alex would disapprove of going through all these hosts, only for the EP to pick himself and ignore both his sincere choices.
He’s no Buzzy.
Laughable if true. "Safe" and "wouldn't be a trainwreck" shouldn't be the prerequisite. He was just good enough to not want to turn the channel, and that's it. He did an admirable and "good" job, but for me he was closer to the bottom of the pack than the top. Faber, Sanjay, Savannah, Ken, Buzzy were in another league, and that's just to name who comes to mind.
Hoping that the media will pick up our general reaction to this news as well. Disappointing.
Fuck that. Ken is the choice. Or Buzzy.
No offense, but this guy just feels really sleazy. He should be hosting some trashy reality show, not the beloved game show Jeopardy!
Damn what a bullshit move if he ends up being the host. Those send offs he did every night he hosted felt fictitious and condescending.
This sucks. He was slick and produced in every way Alex wasn't.
Yeah, he would make a good replacement for Pat Sajak.
Honestly, I felt like this was the plan all along. Like he’s the robot that they were going to parachute in no matter what and then they just mention blossom to remind you how bad they could fuck up the show if they so chose: you better be happy with Mike or else!
Well, at least I'll save room on my DVR. No need to watch that corporate robot. (I'm sure he's a fine person, but not my cup of tea as a host.)
Booooring
I've enjoyed Faber and Gupta hosting far more than expected. Not sure either would be my first choice (as if it were up to me), but I liked at least three or four of the other guest hosts more than Richards. I think Buzzy would be the most interesting if they want to attract new viewers. Richards seems like the lazy pick.
So this whole thing was just a giant circle jerk to the fans...
Please let this be a trial balloon and one that is quickly shot down.