How Did Bill Whitaker Do as Host?

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Rate Bill Whitaker on a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 is best

1
2
3%
2
1
2%
3
1
2%
4
10
16%
5
16
25%
6
12
19%
7
14
22%
8
5
8%
9
2
3%
10
1
2%
 
Total votes: 64

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alietr
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How Did Bill Whitaker Do as Host?

Post by alietr »

How do you think Bill Whitaker did as host?
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Robert K S
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Re: How Did Bill Whitaker Do as Host?

Post by Robert K S »

They should not have put up as guest hosts anyone who does not actually want the job. Especially for two full weeks. There are plenty of capable and reasonably famous people who would give limbs to be up on that stage.

Whitaker was fine, but he was boring. I believed him when he said he loved watching the show, but I don't believe he is a fan of the game in the way that one needs to be a fan in order to be a successful host.
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Re: How Did Bill Whitaker Do as Host?

Post by merica »

Robert K S wrote: Wed May 19, 2021 8:26 am They should not have put up as guest hosts anyone who does not actually want the job. Especially for two full weeks. There are plenty of capable and reasonably famous people who would give limbs to be up on that stage.

Whitaker was fine, but he was boring. I believed him when he said he loved watching the show, but I don't believe he is a fan of the game in the way that one needs to be a fan in order to be a successful host.
Spot on, Robert K S. It were as though Mr. Whitaker thought the stage was inside a library. Maybe it was nerves? I thought we would see a change from week one to week two, but I didn't get that feeling. Admittedly, I did not see every part of every episode, but I would say I saw at least half of his work. He is not too high up on my list at this point.
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squarekara
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Re: How Did Bill Whitaker Do as Host?

Post by squarekara »

He was a warm, comforting bowl of oatmeal. Capable host, but his sleepy energy wasn't ideal for J!
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Re: How Did Bill Whitaker Do as Host?

Post by davey »

I found his stolid professionalism a bit easier to take for 2 weeks than Anderson Cooper's more energetic version, though maybe that's just because BW is a less ubiquitous media presence.
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Re: How Did Bill Whitaker Do as Host?

Post by sarisson »

I'll admit I'd never heard of him before he was announced as a guest host, but he did a great job. I wasn't impressed with his first episode, but he improved quickly. I gave him a 9, same as Ken and Aaron.
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Re: How Did Bill Whitaker Do as Host?

Post by Ironhorse »

I liked Bill a lot. One of my initialdraws to Jeopardy was that it is a known quantity every evening; something comforting that can be watched after work, so Bill's calm demeanor seems appropriate in that context.
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MarkBarrett
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Re: How Did Bill Whitaker Do as Host?

Post by MarkBarrett »

Bill through 10 games never seemed to me to be quite in the right place. I gave him a 7 as I did not have any reasons to go lower. Bill filled in and the show moved on. Nothing about Bill's hosting style was annoying while nothing gave the episodes anything special either.

Viewing all the guest hosts it's been obvious there is only one Alex Trebek. While others can do the job in their own style the choices narrow for those guest hosts that can I can imagine still being in place in ten years. Bill is not the choice while I have no problem with him getting the opportunity.
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Re: How Did Bill Whitaker Do as Host?

Post by Johnblue »

Dismal but it doesn’t seem like he wants the job much anyway.
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triviawayne
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Re: How Did Bill Whitaker Do as Host?

Post by triviawayne »

I gave him a 5.

I was really looking forward to seeing him host, but he came on and stayed about as low-key as could be. He just isn't the right fit for the show.

He did have fine pace and clue reading, and his interviews were good, but for me, it was just too low-key.
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Leander
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Re: How Did Bill Whitaker Do as Host?

Post by Leander »

I thought he was OK. I gave him a seven. I agree his flaw was being too low key and flat. Aaron Rodgers was a bit low key too, but was able to insert some humor during his stint.
Last edited by Leander on Wed May 19, 2021 6:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: How Did Bill Whitaker Do as Host?

Post by TenPoundHammer »

6. He was low key almost to a fault and I thought he was pretty weak on the interviews.
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AFRET CMS
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Re: How Did Bill Whitaker Do as Host?

Post by AFRET CMS »

squarekara wrote: Wed May 19, 2021 8:48 am He was a warm, comforting bowl of oatmeal.
Not a bad turn of phrase, but watching him wasn't quite as exciting as eating oatmeal.
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Re: How Did Bill Whitaker Do as Host?

Post by Bamaman »

I gave him a five. He wasn’t bad, he just wasn’t very exciting.
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Re: How Did Bill Whitaker Do as Host?

Post by QuizGeek75 »

He was decent, but like Katie Couric, I don't think I see either of them hosting it in the long run.
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squarekara
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Re: How Did Bill Whitaker Do as Host?

Post by squarekara »

AFRET CMS wrote: Wed May 19, 2021 5:51 pm
squarekara wrote: Wed May 19, 2021 8:48 am He was a warm, comforting bowl of oatmeal.
Not a bad turn of phrase, but watching him wasn't quite as exciting as eating oatmeal.
Full disclosure: I usually throw in some flax seeds and wild blueberries. ;)
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Re: How Did Bill Whitaker Do as Host?

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Re: How Did Bill Whitaker Do as Host?

Post by twelvefootboy »

I gave him a 5, and put him just above Oz and just below Cooper and Couric.
He just didn't seem to be all that into it. I haven't seen any of his telejournalism, so he may just be perfectly in character. I like people comfortable in their own skin, but the host of Jeopardy needs some positive karma.
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Re: How Did Bill Whitaker Do as Host?

Post by Peter the accountant »

A 7 from me. Perfectly fine. Nothing outstanding. I do watch 60 Minutes pretty regularly, so can say that Bill guest hosted exactly as he is as a newsman. Well-prepared, deliberate, careful, not flashy or showy.

My main criticism was his "And now ... the final clue." I don't care at all for the way he approached that. The final clue is unimportant as a status. A quick mention of it when the contestant doesn't call for it is about all that is needed - to remind viewers why he's reading a clue that no one called for. But in the big picture, that is a small nit to pick.

I kind of agree that his low-key approach is not what I want in the next host. But he was a perfectly fine caretaker of the position.
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Re: How Did Bill Whitaker Do as Host?

Post by Sam Hobbs »

I thought he was quite good. I really like the way he said Yes!
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