‘Jeopardy!’ Watchers Weigh in on New Permanent Host Report

Jeopardy! reportedly has a brand new permanent host, and watchers of the show are weighing in the news. According to Variety, Mike Richards, an executive producer of the long-running quiz show, is in “advanced negotiations” with Sony Pictures Television to take over as the new host. This report comes after Jeopardy! brought in a rotating list of interim hosts to fill in, following the death of Alex Trebek in late 2020, one of which was Richards.

Notably, Richards is no stranger to game show hosting. He previously served as host of Beauty and the Geek and GSN’s Pyramid. He has also worked be the scenes on many game shows, including The Price Is Right, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, Weakest Link, and Let’s Make a Deal. Richards was also considered as a replacement for Bob Barker when the iconic host left The Price is Right, but Drew Carey was chosen instead.

Regarding his possible permanent hosting job at Jeopardy!, a Sony spokesperson stated that negotiations are ongoing and that there is more than one candidate being considered. A separate, anonymous source added, however, that while this is true, Richards appears to be the frontrunner. Whether it happens or not, the idea of Ricvhjards taking over has sparked a lot of chatter on social media. Scroll down to see what people are saying, and let us know in the comments how you feel about it!

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“Surprised,” a Jeopardy! watcher tweeted. “Not that he wasn’t a good host (he is one of my top picks), but I figured he was comfortable in his executive producer seat.”

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“My top three were Ken Jennings, Savannah Guthrie, and LeVar Burton,” someone else offered. “This guy didn’t even register.”

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“LeVar Burton is a great man of many talents, but he could not get the hang of hosting the show. Which is fine!” one fan explained. “Richards wasn’t the *very best* guest host, but it’s not like Katie Couric or Robin Roberts wanted the full-time gig. I think Richards will do well, he knows the game.”

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“Great choice. He was definitely the best host. Excellent energy, attitude and knowledge,” another watcher commented. “[LeVar] Burton was not up to par.”

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“What was the point of these last few months of auditions when they knew it was going to the executive producer?” a frustrated fan asked.

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“He was fine, but there were plenty of other good hosts,” one more Twitter user wrote. “Personally I like the rotating host format.”

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“I can live with that, he did all right. It’s like keeping the show in the family so to speak,” a final fan tweeted. “Although I would’ve also been fine with Levar or Jennings also.”