Alex Trebek was the glue of Jeopardy. He hosted the game show for decades up until his death of pancreatic cancer in November. As the country mourns this great loss, the show struggled to keep going as they shifted between different types of hosts.
Rumors were swirling that Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune Producer Mike Richards was in the running to become the new host. The show has gone through sixteen hosts since the season premiere in January, including iconic player Ken Jennings. As of Thursday, it turns out that the rumors were true, despite fans protests.
Let me save you a click: the two new @jeopardy hosts are Mike Richards, who was previously sued for sexual harassment, and Mayim Bialik, who shills bullshit "brain pills," eats placentas, and runs a "non-vaccinating family." https://t.co/ZfpA1Ixgrm https://t.co/xPGE2cjpK9
— Rebecca "Get a Fucking Vaccine" Watson (@rebeccawatson) August 11, 2021
Mike Richards has hosted Pyramid and Beauty and the Geek. Before the announcement, Richards was asked about whether or not he would take the job, he said "I mean, it's the greatest job in television, although I may be biased. I would definitely consider it if Sony made that decision and wanted me to do it. It would be amazing."
Producers and Sony Executives were working together to figure out who will be the final host. They were working with focus groups, checking out ratings, and somewhat taking social media into consideration. As it turns out, the social media voices were not loud enough. Fans were adamant about Lavar Burton from Reading Rainbow becoming the host, but apparently, that was just a pipe dream. Bialik claimed that she waited a "long time" to announce her new job, which means that this decision had been made a while ago.
jeopardy viewers finding out mike richards is the new host pic.twitter.com/hHJQQzMUBM
— entitled (@PythonBro) August 4, 2021
Richards was also in charge of finding a new host, despite being a contender. "We've got to be careful about the 20,000 people or whatever that are screaming the loudest. We're pretty astute in the way that we approach that. What we're going to look for is the best candidate for the show, and we're not going to limit it to anyone based on anything. That would be the "Jeopardy!" way."
Folks on social media are not a fan of Richards and have made it clear, especially due to his sexual assault allegations and lawsuit. Mayim Bialik has enraged fans of Jeopardy and Big Bang Theory due to her anti-vaccination conspiracies and misinformation on modern medicine. It's unlikely that they will redo these choices.