Jeopardy Season 39 premiered on Monday with Ken Jennings back at the podium as host. This season, Jennings will continue to split hosting duties with actress Mayim Bialik, but he took on the first handful of episodes this time around. Fans were ecstatic to see him kicking off the new installment and they hoped that he wouldn’t be going anywhere.
Jeopardy! has still not quite reached equilibrium since the death of longtime host Alex Trebek in December of 2020. The quiz show ran a full season with rotating guest hosts, giving everyone time to form a strong opinion on who the new permanent host should be. After a few hiccups, last season was hosted by Jennings and Bialik in turns – each recording a week or two’s worth of episodes at a time. Many fans were shocked to hear that this arrangement would continue in the new season.
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Some fans found this out on Monday, and many were not pleased. Others don’t yet seem to realize that Jennings is still co-host, not a full-time host. The show may have confused some viewers by changing its introduction – Jennings is now introduced as “the host of Jeopardy” rather than “hosting Jeopardy” as he was introduced last season. However, that will still apply to Bialik as well.
For now, die-hard fans are just glad that Jeopardy is back on weeknights at 7 p.m. ET. Scroll down for some of the biggest reactions to the season premiere and Jennings’ return from social media.
Intro Change
While the new introduction may seem like a subtle change, it clearly meant a lot to fans. Some thought that in the last two years, Jeopardy has not been giving Jennings due credit for his role in promoting the show and making it fun to watch.
Preference
Many fans have a preference between Jennings and Bialik, and some even say that they only watch the show when one or the other is hosting. Those that prefer watching Jennings were pleased to see that he would helm the first streak of episodes.
Confusion
Fans who have not followed entertainment news very closely can be forgiven for not understanding the hosting situation at Jeopardy this season. Many live-tweeted the new episode with a false impression or just plain old confusion.
Successor
For many fans, the ideal Jeopardy host should simply share the most in common with Trebek. Many felt that Jennings meets that criteria better than anyone else.
Memories
Fans looked back on Jennings’ long history on Jeopardy as a contestant and a host.
About the Game
Some fans felt that the debate about the perfect host was overblown, as Jeopardy is less about the person at the podium and more about the people playing the game – as well as the game itself.
‘Thank You, Alex’
Finally, some fans noticed that Jennings dropped his sign-off “thank you, Alex” this season. There were mixed feelings on this change.
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