Who is...Today’s Guest Host?

[pennben]

Yep.  As I said earlier, Mike seems to be at the same spot Alex was when he got the job.  I did have concerns when lawsuits were immediately to the front, but they seem addressed.  

But Jeopardy & Mike have no one but themselves to blame for upset fans, because they did indeed lean into the notion that fans would have a voice in the decision. As for who is the best host, who knows, I know there were many way back when when Alex started that just thought he was another no name plastic game show host who didn't deserve the spot.  

On the one hand, I'm glad they focused on hosting abilities over fan favorites.  Ken  had his issues in my mind, but most importantly was the issue that he could never fade into the background--he's the recordholder, honestly there's no way for him to announce a win streak without it also being obvious he had the longest streak.  It was a built in issue made from his success.  Also, he seems like a bit of a dick (in my opinion!).

I am a bit disappointed that they couldn't seem to find an successor to Alex other than a white man whose resume was basically the same as his as when he started so many years ago.  That, to me, speaks to a lack of imagination and forward thinking as well as the reality of who gets ahead and how that hasn't really changed all that much in all these years.  I say that without really having a different favorite, but just wishing there had been more of a "let's do this differently now" attitude v. "this worked before, let's be safe" approach that happened (especially while they pretended that it mattered).   

Edited August 12, 2021 by pennben

[Carey]

Jeopardy will be fine.  FWIW, Alex actually had gameshow experience prior to his run.  Several people that lack gameshow knowledge but think they have it did not know that.  Ditto with Mike Richards, and one could say his background exceeded Trebek.  As mentioned, no matter what the choice was, several people were going to be unhappy.

IMO, no slam dunk here, but not a failure either.  I'll wait and see, and might have an opinion in a year or two

[Black Knight]

I think it's just sort of annoying that they didn't even give a guest host slot to the one Trebek himself suggested as his successor. And LeVar Burton only got one day of taping when other guest hosts got two. Those choices on the show's part feel like rigging things to undercut candidates who had strong arguments for them - a handpicked successor on the one hand, a popular favorite on the other - to clear the way for Richards. Bialik is clearly a late addition after the Richards trial balloon failed to inflate, and we'll see how many times she actually hosts in a year given the nebulousness of "primetime" and "possible spin-off".

It really would have been smarter to just skip the guest hosts and have Richards be the "interim" host from the start, then confirm him as permanent around now.

[biakbiak]

3 minutes ago, Black Knight said:

didn't even give a guest host slot to the one Trebek himself suggested as his successor. A

He suggested more than one person and is there any indication that any of them were even interested in guest hosting?

[opus]

41 minutes ago, Carey said:

I'll wait and see, and might have an opinion in a year or two

Actually watching and then making a more informed opinion? Not how the court of public opinion works.

But to be fair, right now we can only write to the moment, and not to a year from now.

[pennben]

Feels like those are easy questions for the     powers that be to address during the process rather than let the answers dangle after the process is over.  I don’t know if the show has a result problem, I do know they have a public-facing process problem. Of course, that could fade quickly, so maybe they know better than us....

[Blakeston]

9 hours ago, Black Knight said:

Well, for one thing, Mike Richards himself gave that impression, way back in February.

Yeah, it benefited ratings to make the viewers believe that these guest-spots were auditions. So the makers of the show played up that idea.

I strongly suspect that they knew they wanted Richards as the permanent replacement all along. But they weren't going to announce him as the replacement from the get-go, because they knew more people would tune in if they believed the guest hosts were in the running.

[proserpina65]

2 minutes ago, Blakeston said:

Yeah, it benefited ratings to make the viewers believe that these guest-spots were auditions. So the makers of the show played up that idea.

I strongly suspect that they knew they wanted Richards as the permanent replacement all along. But they weren't going to announce him as the replacement from the get-go, because they knew more people would tune in if they believed the guest hosts were in the running.

Which seems massively disingenuous to me.  The optics are terrible.

I didn't think Richards or Bialik did all that great a job anyway.  So yeah, I'm quite disappointed.  It probably won't stop me from watching, but they really could have handled this much better.

[Lois Sandborne]

On 8/10/2021 at 9:39 AM, Trey said:

I am glad to see support for Mike Richards from the people who would really know what happened.

Well, from another producer and the host of the show he produced.

[ams1001]

1 hour ago, proserpina65 said:

I didn't think Richards or Bialik did all that great a job anyway

I thought Richards did fine (but now it feels so long ago so who knows if I'll find something that did bug me about his performance when the new season starts). But I knew nothing of him and had no expectations of how he might be.

I did not expect to love Mayim Bialik as host and I was right about that.

[possibilities]

9 hours ago, pennben said:

Feels like those are easy questions for the     powers that be to address during the process rather than let the answers dangle after the process is over.  I don’t know if the show has a result problem, I do know they have a public-facing process problem. Of course, that could fade quickly, so maybe they know better than us....

I think TPTB don't care. They know they have a built in viewership, and are figuring that the people who watched during the Trebek era will continue to do so. So they are just doing what they've always done, smugly. They will ultimately reap what they sow, but in the meanwhile they are laughing all the way to their status quo bank.

[Ohiopirate02]

2 hours ago, Blakeston said:

I strongly suspect that they knew they wanted Richards as the permanent replacement all along. But they weren't going to announce him as the replacement from the get-go, because they knew more people would tune in if they believed the guest hosts were in the running.

I got the impression that TPTB wanted Ken and the guest hosts were filler while they ironed out the contracts behind the scenes.  The guest hosts had to be a nightmare to schedule and prep while a pandemic is still raging.  If they always knew it was going to be Mike, why go through all of that mess?  I can't help but feel that Mike was the fallback option and not the first choice.  I also don't think that Mike will be the permanent host for an extended period of time.  

[Paula O.]

I was never under the impression that viewers had any say in the host choice.  I assumed it would be Ken, but no matter who, the producers made the choice in advance of the guest hosts.  I trust no one when it comes to job selection.  I also assume the long drawn out guest hosting was akin to sitting shiva.  

[Browncoat]

I would be quite surprised if TPTB didn't put together a short list of possible replacements when Alex first told them of his diagnosis.  I also would be quite surprised if Mike Richards weren't on that list from the beginning.  Kind of like how newspapers have certain obituaries ready to go -- they just have to add the correct date.

[eelpout]

14 hours ago, Carey said:

Jeopardy will be fine.  FWIW, Alex actually had gameshow experience prior to his run.  Several people that lack gameshow knowledge but think they have it did not know that.  Ditto with Mike Richards, and one could say his background exceeded Trebek.  As mentioned, no matter what the choice was, several people were going to be unhappy.

yeah, RIchards actually has a lot of industry experience. Beauty and the Geek, c'mon! ;)

I'm not sure he has the radio background though that Alex had. Which served him well.

14 hours ago, Black Knight said:

I think it's just sort of annoying that they didn't even give a guest host slot to the one Trebek himself suggested as his successor.

Trebek had mentioned Ben Mankiewicz, who, if you've ever seen or heard him outside of his rather stiff Turner Classic Movies job, I thought would have been a great choice. 

Edited August 12, 2021 by eelpout

[ProudMary]

In addition to the sexual harassment and age discrimination suits in his background 😠, I think people have forgotten over the months since we saw him host, that Mike Richards has a noticeable lisp. Call me shallow, but often here, people criticize contestants for a vocal fry, or Ken Jennings because his vocal timbre tends to be reedy. I found Richards' lisp to be annoying and that was only during a two-week appearance. If I continue to watch--and yes, it's an if for me right now--I think his lisp is going to drive me crazy.

[chessiegal]

I never noticed a lisp with Mike Richards.

[shapeshifter]

14 hours ago, ProudMary said:

In addition to the sexual harassment and age discrimination suits in his background 😠, I think people have forgotten over the months since we saw him host, that Mike Richards has a noticeable lisp. Call me shallow, but often here, people criticize contestants for a vocal fry, or Ken Jennings because his vocal timbre tends to be reedy. I found Richards' lisp to be annoying and that was only during a two-week appearance. If I continue to watch--and yes, it's an if for me right now--I think his lisp is going to drive me crazy.

Mike Richards' lisp bothered me too, but at the time, when I mentioned it, nobody else seemed to notice it.
So I guess it's just the 2 of us out of how many posting here? I dunno. 30 or so? 
Maybe that means that TPTB didn't notice the lisp, or only one did and got shouted down. 
But if 6 or 7 percent of viewers are bothered...? 🤷‍♀️

Edited August 13, 2021 by shapeshifter

[GrannySmith]

I noticed the lisp. 

[opus]

Watched Jeopardy, then the MLB Field of Dreams game, which Joe was calling and just ended. That’s almost four and a half hours of Joe Buck.

If your Joe Buck lasts longer than 4 hours, consult your physician immediately.

[Clanstarling]

11 hours ago, GrannySmith said:

I noticed the lisp. 

I didn't notice it even after it was mentioned. But hey, we all have things we're hyper-aware of that others aren't.

[proserpina65]

16 hours ago, chessiegal said:

I never noticed a lisp with Mike Richards.

I didn't notice a lisp, but I did think he needed to stop using his outside voice.

I can't believe I'm typing this, knowing how I felt about him during his run as champ, but I really wish they had gone with Buzzy.  He did a fantastic job with the Tournament of Champions.

[Clanstarling]

2 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

I can't believe I'm typing this, knowing how I felt about him during his run as champ, but I really wish they had gone with Buzzy.  He did a fantastic job with the Tournament of Champions.

I liked Buzzy as a champ, but I wasn't entirely sure he'd be a good host. I thought he knocked it out of the park. Just enough personality coupled with efficiency and experience from being on the other side of the game. But...what's done is done. Mike Richards was fine - I just thought he was unremarkable and Ken doll-ish. He might have a similar background to Alex, but Alex was never a Ken doll or bland.

Edited August 13, 2021 by Clanstarling

[3 is enough]

I liked Buzzy as host too.  Also David Faber.  They were my two favourites.  

At the time I thought Mike Richards did a decent job. I did not notice a lisp.

But honestly, all of the guest hosts did a decent job.  Sure, some had quirks which were slightly annoying, but nobody's perfect and we have to remember that their runs were taped in one or two days, so they didn't really have time to watch the end product and consciously make improvements.

I do feel like Mike Richards was going to be the choice all along. I did not like the way the whole process was handled, but what's done is done.  I will tune in in September and hopefully people will just focus on the game again.

[Moose135]

55 minutes ago, 3 is enough said:

At the time I thought Mike Richards did a decent job. I did not notice a lisp.

I didn't notice a lisp either. But then, I come to PTV, and hear people complain about "vocal fry" all the time, and I have no idea what they mean, because I can't say I've ever recognized it.

[Clanstarling]

34 minutes ago, Moose135 said:

I didn't notice a lisp either. But then, I come to PTV, and hear people complain about "vocal fry" all the time, and I have no idea what they mean, because I can't say I've ever recognized it.

I didn't notice his lisp, but when it comes to vocal fry, I hear that most of the time. It's mildly annoying, but so many people talk that way these days that I guess I'm getting used to it.

[Browncoat]

I don't remember noticing a lisp.

[DXD526]

This pretty much sums up my feelings on the matter - https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/12/media/jeopardy-host-debacle/index.html

[Dobian]

On 8/13/2021 at 11:10 AM, DXD526 said:

This pretty much sums up my feelings on the matter - https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/12/media/jeopardy-host-debacle/index.html

I would have been fine with Levar Burton.  Smart, unique style and personality, good differentiation from Alex, make his own mark on the show.  Instead it will be some bland producer who coveted the job for himself.  Uninspired failure.

[shapeshifter]

"‘Like Choosing a Pope’: How Succession Got Messy at ‘Jeopardy!’" by Michael M. Grynbaum and Nicole Sperling, nytimes.com/2021/08/14/business/media/jeopardy-mike-richards-ken-jennings.html 

Quote

When Ken Jennings arrived at the “Jeopardy!” studios in November for the first day of his audition to become the new host of the long-running quiz show, he found a gift waiting for him: a pair of Alex Trebek’s cuff links, along with a handwritten note from his widow, Jean....

...For some members of the “Jeopardy!” crew, the cuff links validated their assumption that Mr. Jennings, a genial Utahn who rose to fame in 2004 after winning a record 74 consecutive games, had been Mr. Trebek’s preferred successor. (“Jeopardy!” producers had arranged for a phone call between Mr. Jennings and Mr. Trebek two days before he died.) But “Jeopardy!,” while a beloved cultural icon, is also a lucrative asset of Sony Pictures Entertainment, and in the television industry, sentiment only goes so far....

...Sony said that while Mr. Richards initially led the hunt for Mr. Trebek’s replacement, he moved aside after he emerged as a candidate.
But as executive producer, Mr. Richards retained a key role in selecting which appearances by each prospective host would be screened for focus groups, whose reactions weighed heavily in Sony’s decision-making, according to three people familiar with the show’s internal deliberations. The other supervising “Jeopardy!” producers were excluded from that process, the people said....

 

 

[HelenBaby]

On 8/11/2021 at 11:26 PM, biakbiak said:

He suggested more than one person and is there any indication that any of them were even interested in guest hosting?

I’m pretty sure Ben Mankiewicz was interested in the job & Alex did mention him a some point as a replacement. But he’s the main host at TCM, has a podcast & does feature stories for CBS Sunday Morning. He probably wasn’t willing to give up any of those jobs at the moment. 

[shapeshifter]

I'm taking comfort in knowing that these hosting positions are not lifetime appointments.

[illdoc]

More about "the selection process": https://www.primetimer.com/item/Report-Mike-Richards-influenced-which-Jeopardy-guest-hosts-were-screened-for-focus-groups-plus-Ken-Jennings-speaks-out-for-the-first-time-XDS00r

 

Quote from the article:  Asked about Mr. Richards’s role, Sony referred to a memo from its TV chairman, Ravi Ahuja, who told staff that after the company began considering Mr. Richards as a potential host, 'he was not part of' the selection process. (bold-type mine)

Anyone actually believe that???

[secnarf]

11 hours ago, illdoc said:

More about "the selection process": https://www.primetimer.com/item/Report-Mike-Richards-influenced-which-Jeopardy-guest-hosts-were-screened-for-focus-groups-plus-Ken-Jennings-speaks-out-for-the-first-time-XDS00r

 

Quote from the article:  Asked about Mr. Richards’s role, Sony referred to a memo from its TV chairman, Ravi Ahuja, who told staff that after the company began considering Mr. Richards as a potential host, 'he was not part of' the selection process. (bold-type mine)

Anyone actually believe that???

Not for a second.
And even more convinced that that isn't the case after reading the article.

It essentially starts off talking about how he was indeed part of the process, allegedly "moved aside" once he "emerged as a candidate", and then continues to say how he was the only person doing the focus groups and other producers "were excluded from that process".

As I have said before, this entire process has left a bad taste in my mouth, and definitely had a negative impact on my opinion of TPTB at Jeopardy!, including Mike Richardson.

[Blakeston]

On 8/13/2021 at 12:19 PM, Moose135 said:

I didn't notice a lisp either. But then, I come to PTV, and hear people complain about "vocal fry" all the time, and I have no idea what they mean, because I can't say I've ever recognized it.

This clip has a good example of vocal fry: 

I didn't have a problem with Richards' voice, but I found his overall demeanor to be smarmy.

Has there been any explanation of who this alleged guest host was, who Richards supposedly had to replace?

[cambridgeguy]

Maybe Sony should have hired someone to do this sort of deep dive before they made their pick

[pennben]

Good god. I’ve gone from I’m glad they focused on game show host experience, to, well maybe the lawsuits can be explained, to oh my, slimy in controlling focus group presentations during auditions, to WTF on this podcast nonsense.  Now, another apology from him “this isn’t who I am” style.  
Jesus, what a scum of a person who now that he got what he wants wants to pretend like he is not who he was/is.  What an epic fuckup by Sony.  
 

ETA: here’s his latest “apology” after he deleted the podcasts. Scum. 

Edited August 19, 2021 by pennben

[Bastet]

11 hours ago, Blakeston said:

Has there been any explanation of who this alleged guest host was, who Richards supposedly had to replace?

From The Ringer:

Quote

Jennings taped six weeks of episodes before a minor conflict with an upcoming tape day emerged. As The Ringer previously reported, sources say the show’s production staff was able to accommodate the conflict, only for Richards to step in and insist on hosting instead. When the time came to tape the preamble to his first episode, Richards blamed COVID-19 for the change and exaggerated the nature of Jennings’s conflict. “We have some amazing guest hosts coming that I can’t wait for you to see, but with the COVID outbreak here in L.A., folks were understandably a little reticent to shoot,” Richards said. “Ken Jennings did a great job, but he’s unavailable due to obligations with his show The Chase.”  [The article ends the quote there, but he went on to say: "So, as the producer, my job is to quite literally live the mantra 'the show must go on'.  So, let's do what Alex did 8,244 times.  Let's play Jeopardy!, and prove that nothing can stop this show."]

Richards taped his first games on January 11. Days later, Jeopardy! formally announced its initial roster of post-Jennings guest hosts, which included the EP. In May, Richards insisted that he was “never meant to be a part of [the guest hosting] process.” Sony declined to comment on when Richards became an official candidate for the permanent host job.

After Jennings’s curtailed run, which posted the highest ratings of any guest host this season, Jeopardy! did not air any additional categories hosted by him. Previously, the categories had aired roughly once a month, about as often as those hosted by members of the Clue Crew. Categories featuring clues read by the Clue Crew, celebrities, and affiliate station news anchors continued to air.

When reached for comment, Jennings confirmed that his categories would return as part of this coming season. “Obviously I’m disappointed with how this process played out, but I’d rather look ahead,” Jennings says. “I plan to be with the show as long as they’ll have me, no matter who’s hosting.”

 

 

Edited August 19, 2021 by Bastet

[DXD526]

Was this guy vetted at all? Why is it that Sony had months and apparently found nothing, but the press dug up dirt in five minutes? 

[HyeChaps]

This is very upsetting.

[Bastet]

Holy hell, his podcast remarks about people receiving unemployment and food stamps (quoted in that Ringer article) are revolting, yet almost pale in comparison to how he speaks of helping those experiencing homelessness.

In response to his former assistant - who had received unemployment benefits after she, you know, lost her job - talking about giving a dollar - one dollar - to an unhoused person, Mr. "We’re trying to build a kinder and gentler society, and if we all pitch in just a little bit, we’re going to get there" responded:

Quote

Oh my god. You’re perpetuating the circle. … If you gave away money that was given to you by the government, that’s the circle of no life. ... That’s the sound of America going down the toilet.

I love The Ringer following the reporting of that exchange with:

Quote

But Richards himself has recently received government assistance. According to Small Business Administration data made available by government watchdog group Accountable.US, a consultancy that was incorporated in 2018 and lists Richards as the CEO and sole shareholder received a federal Paycheck Protection Program loan for $127,906 in May 2020, as well as a COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan for $150,000 later that year. Richards did not respond to The Ringer’s request for comment about these loans.

Then there's his enthusiasm for giving mediocre white guys prestigious jobs.  Handing himself this hosting gig was a given:

Quote

There are at least two occasions on The Randumb Show when Richards discusses how he sees himself in the showbiz sphere. In an episode from September 2013, he brings up Jeff Probst, whose eponymous talk show was canceled after a single season on CBS. “Jeff Probst had a daytime talk show, which I was cheering for because I like, you know, the average white-guy host,” Richards says. “I cheer for him to succeed because I feel like through his success I could have some success hosting.”

And in an episode from earlier that year he discusses Ryan Seacrest, whom Richards says he was passed over for to host American Idol. “Listen, again, my family—not huge Seacrest fans,” Richards says. “Me, I think it’s great what he’s done. And I think he’s actually made the world a safer place for what I like to call the ‘skinny white host,’ like George [Gray] and I. Which is, you’ll take a chance on someone that you don’t know.”

 

 

Edited August 19, 2021 by Bastet

[Browncoat]

Up until reading that article, I'd been willing to give Richards the benefit of the doubt.  Naive?  Maybe, but maybe just hopeful.  Now I'm not so sure I want to give him anything.  I wonder if they'd replace him if the ratings completely tank?

[shapeshifter]

29 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

Up until reading that article, I'd been willing to give Richards the benefit of the doubt.  Naive?  Maybe, but maybe just hopeful.  Now I'm not so sure I want to give him anything.  I wonder if they'd replace him if the ratings completely tank?

One can hope.
theringer.com/tv/2021/8/18/22631299/mike-richards-jeopardy-host-search-process-past-comments
😣

[secnarf]

The more I learn, the worse this becomes.

That Ringer article was again, not surprising, but was disappointing. I think it's also in some ways worse than the lawsuits because in a case like that, we (the general public) cannot know for sure what really happened. We can speculate and have opinions, but cannot know for certain. It's quite different to hear things in his own words, that he has been recorded as saying out loud.

Although not a widely known person before all of this hoopla, he certainly doesn't seem to be helping TPTB achieve their goal of having someone who flies under the radar and doesn't take over the show, so that the contestants can continue to be the stars.

[shapeshifter]

25 minutes ago, secnarf said:

Although not a widely known person before all of this hoopla, he certainly doesn't seem to be helping TPTB achieve their goal of having someone who flies under the radar and doesn't take over the show, so that the contestants can continue to be the stars.

The article also makes note of the retirement of the long-time producer before Alex died, so TPTB were not TPTB from Alex's time. And then the pandemic. Obviously they confused someone who is virtually unknown [because he didn't have the persona to attract a following] with someone who flies under the radar of being offensive on social media.
And TPTB included the fox in the hen house.
This is really sounding like the beginning of the end of Jeopardy!

Edited August 19, 2021 by shapeshifter

[ATS]

Mike "Eve Harrington" Richards 

The lawsuit and podcast aside (not that they aren't important) I want to talk about his manipulation to get a hosting gig and then control the selection process.

He creates an artificial reason that he has to step in and host the show (the minor Ken Jennings delay).  He then removed Ken's former position as a clue giver to minimize his exposure on the show, so that fans were more likely to forget about him.

He then schedules the most popular candidate to only one week instead of two (and in most cases the guest hosts improved in the second week as they got the rhythm of the show) and schedules him during the Olympics to make sure he has reduced ratings.  I also have some questions about how LeVar was edited, they go back and edit awkward things and they seem to leave those in with him.

He then controls the selection of episodes selected for the Sony review, excluding long-time supervising producers.  Not to mention he was the only candidate who could personally campaign, and I would assume he was boot-licking every boot he could find.

What a manipulative little twit.

[Bulldog]

I'm a fan of the show, but I don't really have a horse in this race.  I thought Richards did a perfectly fine job as a guest host and I had no objection to him being named as the permanent replacement.  Even when Alex was alive, I tuned in for the questions and the contestants.  That said, I do wonder what would happen if every one of the guest hosts underwent the scrutiny that Richards has been subjected to.  I feel fairly certain that something could be found in the past of every single one of them that the internet mob would find objectionable.  Richards might be the devil incarnate for all I know, but the lengths that some are going to in order to find ways to discredit him are truly amazing to watch. 

[Bastet]

12 minutes ago, ATS said:

 I also have some questions about how LeVar was edited, they go back and edit awkward things and they seem to leave those in with him.

So do I, as do all my friends who watch the show - that has been a primary topic of conversation.  It's probably the one thing I'd most like to get insider information on.

14 minutes ago, ATS said:

I would assume he was boot-licking every boot he could find.

He may have already done most of the necessary licking two years ago; the Sony honchos who signed him to the development and production deal and then promptly installed him as executive producer of Wheel and Jeopardy upon Harry Friedman's retirement announcement seemingly wanted something different than they'd had with Friedman.  Sure, Friedman had made the studio a few billion dollars in profits during his run as EP of the two shows, but they couldn't control him, and studio/network execs break out into hives if they can't meddle for the sake of meddling.  Richards seems to be more the type that appeals to those folks; he plays the game very well, but can also be played.

[M. Darcy]

AV Club Article on why Mike Richards should step down 

[pennben]

2 hours ago, Bulldog said:

....  That said, I do wonder what would happen if every one of the guest hosts underwent the scrutiny that Richards has been subjected to.  I feel fairly certain that something could be found in the past of every single one of them that the internet mob would find objectionable.... 

Sure, but honestly, given all that has come out about him &  about others, most who have been in public eye for awhile, I do believe an “I am a despicable ass contest” is maybe one of the few that Richards could legitimately win. 😬

Edited August 19, 2021 by pennben
all words in a sentence are important; it's not okay to leave one or two out here and there!