Jeopardy! Interim Host Thread

This is where all of the games are discussed.

Moderators: alietr, trainman, econgator, dhkendall

Post Reply
User avatar
Robert K S
Jeopardy! Champion
Posts: 5247
Joined: Thu Jun 30, 2011 1:26 pm
Location: Cleveland, Ohio
Contact:

Re: Jeopardy! Interim Host Thread

Post by Robert K S »

Xu Donym wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 7:32 pm I just can't see him becoming host of J! while continuing as Executive Producer of both shows.
Sorry to be contradictory without much to back it up, but I doubt hosting would make it any harder on him to do the rest of his existing job. The Wheel tape days are always different from the J! tape days and so it's like having two part-time jobs that never overlap in their time demands. And he wouldn't need to cede any of his oversight of the writing process.

Like many others, I think there are better candidates than Richards. He's definitely a "meh" choice. And not necessarily "meh" as in "safe".
User avatar
CailinGaoilge
Watches Jeopardy! Way Too Much
Posts: 595
Joined: Wed Oct 07, 2015 8:36 pm
Location: Ontario, Canada; formerly resident in UK and Ireland

Re: Jeopardy! Interim Host Thread

Post by CailinGaoilge »

squarekara wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 6:10 pm
econgator wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 6:08 pm
God, I hope not.
:cry:
Please, NO! In this household, only Oz and Burton rated lower. Horrible choice. :( :( :(
User avatar
Robert K S
Jeopardy! Champion
Posts: 5247
Joined: Thu Jun 30, 2011 1:26 pm
Location: Cleveland, Ohio
Contact:

Re: Jeopardy! Interim Host Thread

Post by Robert K S »

CailinGaoilge wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 8:31 pm Please, NO! In this household, only Oz and Burton rated lower. Horrible choice. :( :( :(
(Almost ditto in the larger JBoard household--Bill also ranked lower.)
User avatar
econgator
Let's Go Mets!
Posts: 10671
Joined: Fri Jul 01, 2011 10:32 am

Re: Jeopardy! Interim Host Thread

Post by econgator »

Mario500 wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 7:51 pm
(remembers having had often considered whom I had believed to have had been the Mike Richards mentioned in this article to had been a favorite a mine for the role of host mentioned in the article (along with whom I had believed to have had been a certain LeVar Burton))*

(*thoughts expressed in the form of a narrative)
Ummmm ... what?
User avatar
CailinGaoilge
Watches Jeopardy! Way Too Much
Posts: 595
Joined: Wed Oct 07, 2015 8:36 pm
Location: Ontario, Canada; formerly resident in UK and Ireland

Re: Jeopardy! Interim Host Thread

Post by CailinGaoilge »

Robert K S wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 8:38 pm
CailinGaoilge wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 8:31 pm Please, NO! In this household, only Oz and Burton rated lower. Horrible choice. :( :( :(
(Almost ditto in the larger JBoard household--Bill also ranked lower.)
I'd forgotten about Whittaker. That speaks volumes about the impression he made...
User avatar
squarekara
J! Reactionary
Posts: 1552
Joined: Wed Feb 08, 2017 12:49 am
Location: USDA Zone 5

Re: Jeopardy! Interim Host Thread

Post by squarekara »

econgator wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 8:43 pm
Mario500 wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 7:51 pm
(remembers having had often considered whom I had believed to have had been the Mike Richards mentioned in this article to had been a favorite a mine for the role of host mentioned in the article (along with whom I had believed to have had been a certain LeVar Burton))*

(*thoughts expressed in the form of a narrative)
Ummmm ... what?
Glad to see some personal pronouns popping up at any rate.

I thought Richards did well enough, but I never thought he was a serious candidate for the job. I figured he was handy, and he just stepped into the breach when needed. As stated upthread, maybe he's just the rebound guy.
Last edited by squarekara on Wed Aug 04, 2021 8:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Bamaman
Also Receiving Votes
Posts: 12895
Joined: Sat Jul 02, 2011 1:39 pm

Re: Jeopardy! Interim Host Thread

Post by Bamaman »

CailinGaoilge wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 8:49 pm
Robert K S wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 8:38 pm
CailinGaoilge wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 8:31 pm Please, NO! In this household, only Oz and Burton rated lower. Horrible choice. :( :( :(
(Almost ditto in the larger JBoard household--Bill also ranked lower.)
I'd forgotten about Whittaker. That speaks volumes about the impression he made...
They are kind of running together for me. Bill was just dull to me.
goongas
Watches Jeopardy! Way Too Much
Posts: 377
Joined: Tue May 20, 2014 10:34 pm

Re: Jeopardy! Interim Host Thread

Post by goongas »

squarekara wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 8:52 pm
econgator wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 8:43 pm
Mario500 wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 7:51 pm
(remembers having had often considered whom I had believed to have had been the Mike Richards mentioned in this article to had been a favorite a mine for the role of host mentioned in the article (along with whom I had believed to have had been a certain LeVar Burton))*

(*thoughts expressed in the form of a narrative)
Ummmm ... what?
Glad to see some personal pronouns popping up at any rate.

I thought Richards did well enough, but I never thought he was a serious candidate for the job. I figured he was handy, and he just stepped into the breach when needed. As stated upthread, maybe he's just the rebound guy.
I don't really think they want to go through another hosting carousel ever again, never mind in a year.
brick
Watches Jeopardy! Way Too Much
Posts: 1238
Joined: Tue May 26, 2015 2:03 pm

Re: Jeopardy! Interim Host Thread

Post by brick »

I liked him a lot actually. He was relaxed, respectful of the rhythm of the game, wasn’t overtly trying to pull focus to himself and compete with the contestants for attention. He’s solidly in my top three and might be my favorite. He needs to relax the tailoring on his suits a touch.
Leander
Watches Jeopardy! Way Too Much
Posts: 2189
Joined: Thu Oct 04, 2012 10:18 am

Re: Jeopardy! Interim Host Thread

Post by Leander »

goongas wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 9:41 pm
I don't really think they want to go through another hosting carousel ever again, never mind in a year.
Why would they need to replicate the hosting carousel? Just pick someone, either from the people who hosted this year or someone new, like other shows do.

While it’s fun to rate all the guest hosts, I’ve always thought the serious candidates were a small subset of the guest hosts. Most of them participated for a fun experience, charity and publicity for themselves and the show, not to audition for hosting.
tddeveryday
DIY Problem Solver
Posts: 154
Joined: Tue Feb 12, 2019 8:30 am

Re: Jeopardy! Interim Host Thread

Post by tddeveryday »

goongas wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 7:48 pm Usually when there are leaks like this, the decision has been made, and they are just looking for reaction to the news before announcing it officially.
This is exactly correct. The decision-makers are pretty much ready to choose Mike at this point. "Advanced negotiations" means, "Let's leak the news to see what the fans think."
My lucky numbers are 6, 66, and 666.
hdayejr
Contributor
Posts: 46
Joined: Fri Apr 06, 2012 7:58 pm

Re: Jeopardy! Interim Host Thread

Post by hdayejr »

CailinGaoilge wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 8:31 pm
squarekara wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 6:10 pm
econgator wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 6:08 pm
God, I hope not.
:cry:
Please, NO! In this household, only Oz and Burton rated lower. Horrible choice. :( :( :(
Nobody is forcing you to watch
brucejoel199
Contributor
Posts: 48
Joined: Sat Nov 30, 2019 12:26 am

Re: Jeopardy! Interim Host Thread

Post by brucejoel199 »

tddeveryday wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 10:31 pm
goongas wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 7:48 pm Usually when there are leaks like this, the decision has been made, and they are just looking for reaction to the news before announcing it officially.
This is exactly correct. The decision-makers are pretty much ready to choose Mike at this point. "Advanced negotiations" means, "Let's leak the news to see what the fans think."
That begs the question: is there a legitimate chance that these online reactions - seemingly mostly consisting of "meh" at best, & disappointed & upset at worst given the Cheney-feeling & his TPIR sexual-harassment scandals - actually lead TPTB to think that they need to hire somebody else?
tddeveryday
DIY Problem Solver
Posts: 154
Joined: Tue Feb 12, 2019 8:30 am

Re: Jeopardy! Interim Host Thread

Post by tddeveryday »

brucejoel199 wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 10:52 pm That begs the question: is there a legitimate chance that these online reactions . . . actually lead TPTB to think that they need to hire somebody else?
Not an expert on these things, but I think it's unlikely. Before Chris Evans became Captain America, one of these "advanced negotiation" leaks was reported about John Krasinski getting the role, which the fans hated so much that the suits decided not to go with him. I have no idea how often that kind of thing happens, but that's at least one example.

My first reaction was too strong. I don't hate the idea of Mike as the next permanent host. I actually liked him fine at the time. But I'm deeply disappointed because, like Robert said, there were definitely better options.
My lucky numbers are 6, 66, and 666.
User avatar
This Is Kirk!
Jeopardy! Champion
Posts: 6562
Joined: Mon Dec 17, 2012 1:35 am
Location: Seattle

Re: Jeopardy! Interim Host Thread

Post by This Is Kirk! »

Why the hell would they pick Richards? You'd think none of the other guest hosts had the chops, when nothing could be farther from the truth.
goongas
Watches Jeopardy! Way Too Much
Posts: 377
Joined: Tue May 20, 2014 10:34 pm

Re: Jeopardy! Interim Host Thread

Post by goongas »

This Is Kirk! wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 11:26 pm Why the hell would they pick Richards? You'd think none of the other guest hosts had the chops, when nothing could be farther from the truth.
Mainly, other than Ken and Buzzy, I imagine the main reason was the stronger candidates had day jobs that they were not going to give up for J!, and/or Sony was not going to pay the salaries they would command to give up their day jobs. The ratings for J! are not what they used to be, I can't imagine they are in a good situation when they have to renew contracts with local stations in the future to ask for higher syndication fees.
reddpen
Thrice Unplucked from the Jeopardy! Pool
Posts: 844
Joined: Fri Jul 01, 2011 11:51 am
Location: Seattle
Contact:

Re: Jeopardy! Interim Host Thread

Post by reddpen »

Having predicted this back on Inauguration Day doesn't make it any easier to swallow.
In and out of the pool four times
User avatar
zakharov
Watches Jeopardy! Way Too Much
Posts: 1049
Joined: Mon May 14, 2012 7:27 pm
Location: NYC

Re: Jeopardy! Interim Host Thread

Post by zakharov »

Wow guys I found this leaked image from the meetings where Mike Richards was working hard to pick the new host of Jeopardy!

Image
4-time pool swimmer - last audition June 2019
Follow me on Twitter @JakeMHS
User avatar
squarekara
J! Reactionary
Posts: 1552
Joined: Wed Feb 08, 2017 12:49 am
Location: USDA Zone 5

Re: Jeopardy! Interim Host Thread

Post by squarekara »

Xu Donym
Loyal Jeopardista
Posts: 214
Joined: Fri Apr 19, 2019 1:00 pm

Re: Jeopardy! Interim Host Thread

Post by Xu Donym »

Robert K S wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 8:20 pm
Xu Donym wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 7:32 pm I just can't see him becoming host of J! while continuing as Executive Producer of both shows.
Sorry to be contradictory without much to back it up, but I doubt hosting would make it any harder on him to do the rest of his existing job. The Wheel tape days are always different from the J! tape days and so it's like having two part-time jobs that never overlap in their time demands. And he wouldn't need to cede any of his oversight of the writing process.

Like many others, I think there are better candidates than Richards. He's definitely a "meh" choice. And not necessarily "meh" as in "safe".
There's nothing wrong with being contradictory; we're all just speculating based on limited information.

If Richards really does get the job, though, it may hint that the decision came from Sony executives in Japan rather than the USA. After the Art Fleming years and the Alex Trebek years, and with several female and non-white guest hosts giving excellent performances, we might think that the environment in the USA would lean toward choosing an excellent non-white and/or non-male if one is available and might help grow the J! audience. I am one of those who thought Richards gave a completely acceptable performance as host. But does he have the personality to build a new/growing audience? I don't think so. Bialik could do that, and while I imagine her age works against her so could Roberts. For that matter, so could Rogers. A choice of Richards would strike me as an admission that J! is on life-support and will need some time off the air, as between the Fleming and Trebek eras, before it can spring to life again with renewed freshness and cultural relevance.

Remember, too, that Richards has been at the helm as Executive Producer during these last couple of years when the quality of clues has declined so visibly. If he's selected as host, it is highly unlikely that clue-writing will improve, which will further damage the show, no matter who's the host.
Post Reply