Who is...Today’s Guest Host?

[Prevailing Wind]

The only thing I know about a "Joe Buck" is that was the name of Jon Voight's character in "Midnight Cowboy."  There's another?

[illdoc]

https://www.primetimer.com/item/Joe-Buck-to-guest-host-Jeopardy-Why-does-the-show-keep-picking-quot-random-quot-people-whove-been-on-TV-5ZS3Pb

[PaulaO]

Apparently I’m in the minority.  I’m stoked for Buzzy to host the ToC. He is physically impressive, what with being tall and I think he’s good looking.  He will bring the right blend of gravitas and levity to his hosting duties.  No idea who Joe Buck is, probably a doofus athlete.  

[ProudMary]

I put up with Dr. Oz for two weeks but I may have to draw the line at Joe Buck. 😕

OTOH, I'm delighted to hear that Buzzy will host the TOC. I've liked him from the start and I think he'll do well.

[shapeshifter]

I know nothing of "Buck" or "Buzzy."

I plan to watch their episodes if they don't happen to be pre-empted on my local station. 

**************

ETA: My local station is pre-empting the Jeopardy morning rerun right now for "news" on the George Floyd case, even though they have zero new news right now, so that might pre-empt tonight's episode, especially if there is actual news.

Tuesday and Wednesday my fully-vaccinated, first-responder daughter will be visiting for the first time in over a year, so if she doesn't want to watch Jeopardy, we will not. 
Too bad she wasn't here last week. She's a Green Bay Packers fan. 

A brief flash of Gwyneth Paltrow just appeared in a commercial for a talk show. I guess we should be glad we had Oz instead of her?

Edited April 19, 2021 by shapeshifter

[PBnJay]

I get used to one host, then it changes again. I like Aaron Rodgers. I think I will like Anderson Cooper too. Add me to the group who has never heard of Joe Buck, except as played by Jon Voight. It would be interesting for a guest host to be a male prostitute though.

I don't understand the LeVar Burton buzz, I don't know why people want him to host over everyone else in the world. Nothing against him and I think he would be fine. I just don't know why the outcry.

[Irlandesa]

Joe Buck is a sports announcer and he calls both football and baseball games---and maybe more. I don't care enough to deep dive into his whole career.

He'll probably be good. He's very polished.  And that makes him kind of boring which really irritates people. 

Oh and naturally, he hates your team.  Because of course.

[catrice2]

7 hours ago, PBnJay said:

I get used to one host, then it changes again. I like Aaron Rodgers. I think I will like Anderson Cooper too. Add me to the group who has never heard of Joe Buck, except as played by Jon Voight. It would be interesting for a guest host to be a male prostitute though.

I don't understand the LeVar Burton buzz, I don't know why people want him to host over everyone else in the world. Nothing against him and I think he would be fine. I just don't know why the outcry.

Is there really an outcry?  It amazing me how these days a few tweets or a few articles or something on Instagram and people start acting as if MILLIONS of people are weighing in on a topic instead of the same number on social media, or that EVERYBODY feels a certain way. The reality is that millions of people are worried about real things in their lives and not in the least bit concerned about what is trending on social media..

[bankerchick]

19 hours ago, catrice2 said:

Is there really an outcry?  It amazing me how these days a few tweets or a few articles or something on Instagram and people start acting as if MILLIONS of people are weighing in on a topic instead of the same number on social media, or that EVERYBODY feels a certain way. The reality is that millions of people are worried about real things in their lives and not in the least bit concerned about what is trending on social media..

If I could like this a thousand times, I would.

I wouldn't watch Anderson Cooper's CNN show under any circumstances and I thought he was terrible.  It sounded like he was using a cartoon voice when reading some clues.  Does he always talk like that?  I will still watch because I love the show but if I'm busy I won't worry about it and I wouldn't be interested in watching him as a permanent host.

[M. Darcy]

Final Group of guest hosts. We got Levar! 

[zoey1996]

I’m not familiar with either Joe Buck or David Faber, but I’m looking forward to the rest of them.  So far I think they have all done all right as hosts, even the one I despise.

[3 is enough]

Wow.  The season is going long this year.  I don't remember ever going into August.  Guess they are making up for last year's abbreviated season.

Happy about Levar Burton.  Also David Faber from CNBC seems like a surprising but decent choice.  He could be better than expected,  although he probably wouldn't be in the running for permanent host given his regular job.

[Bastet]

Joe Buck irritates me, although not enough to keep me from enjoying football, so he won't ruin this for me, either; in fact, I suspect he'll be pretty good at it.  I think they all will; with the exception of Dr. Oz, they've had a nice selection of guest hosts to see us through the season.

[shapeshifter]

44 minutes ago, M. Darcy said:

Final Group of guest hosts. We got Levar! 

And Robin Roberts! 

[Scott]

Did we know that this last batch were only doing it for one week each, instead of two?

[secnarf]

I am so thrilled with LeVar Burton. I saw the news earlier on CBC.

I do hope expectations aren't so high that he fails to meet them, but I am looking forward to seeing him and glad he was given a chance.

[Kromm]

13 hours ago, M. Darcy said:

Final Group of guest hosts. We got Levar! 

Only for 4 episodes, apparently... (although to be fair, that's all anyone in Round 2 is getting). 

Edited April 22, 2021 by Kromm

[cambridgeguy]

On 4/19/2021 at 7:54 PM, catrice2 said:

Is there really an outcry?  It amazing me how these days a few tweets or a few articles or something on Instagram and people start acting as if MILLIONS of people are weighing in on a topic instead of the same number on social media, or that EVERYBODY feels a certain way. The reality is that millions of people are worried about real things in their lives and not in the least bit concerned about what is trending on social media..

He did get a 246k signatures on a change.org petition, for whatever that's worth.  Is that an outcry?  I suppose that depends on a person's definition.

[PBnJay]

On 4/22/2021 at 5:59 AM, cambridgeguy said:

He did get a 246k signatures on a change.org petition, for whatever that's worth.  Is that an outcry?  I suppose that depends on a person's definition.

He got a guest-hosting gig on the show just because of the "outcry," so I'd say yes, there definitely was an outcry. People were wanting LeVar to host. It was not only on SM but on every pop culture tv show I've seen, and certain newscasts. It was regular people who wanted LeVar, he didn't petition for it. Then after the "outcry" kept up, he did say he wanted the gig. While I don't know why people selected him out of millions of others who could guest host, I know he will do well and I'll enjoy watching him. I'm liking all the guest hosts, the change up is fun.

[30 Helens]

Despite my initial dislike of Aaron Rodgers, I agree that he did get better in the second week. Just takes a while to loosen up, I guess. Anderson Cooper is also doing well, but that’s not surprising considering his extensive hosting experience. 

From what I’ve read, LeVar is not just here for a guest gig, he’s angling for the permanent job. I doubt that will happen because if TPTB were seriously considering him, they wouldn’t have had to be persuaded by a fan lobby. He also gets only 1 week to prove himself. I think Ken Jennings has been a lock from the beginning, with the guests there just to soften the transition.

[cambridgeguy]

On 4/27/2021 at 6:59 PM, 30 Helens said:

From what I’ve read, LeVar is not just here for a guest gig, he’s angling for the permanent job. I doubt that will happen because if TPTB were seriously considering him, they wouldn’t have had to be persuaded by a fan lobby. He also gets only 1 week to prove himself. I think Ken Jennings has been a lock from the beginning, with the guests there just to soften the transition.

I agree that Jennings has the inside track but if any of the guests really wowed them they'd likely reconsider.  That being said, as mentioned above, unless they really whiff (we decided to go with Will Ferrell doing his Alex impression!) the final choice won't matter.  There's always going to be a subset who hate the choice and will loudly swear that Jeopardy died with Alex.  For almost everyone else they might not love it but will get used to it and keep watching.

[shapeshifter]

During Alex’s time, did he ever have “vacations” when others filled in?

Even if he didn’t, moving forward, Mike Richards et al. could make a literal executive decision to have guest hosts one or twice a year for a week or two to mollify the Ken Jennings (or other permanent host) naysayers.
And it might just add interest.
OTOH, it might disrupt the flow. IDK. 🤷🏻‍♀️  

[illdoc]

3 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

During Alex’s time, did he ever have “vacations” when others filled in?

As best as I can recall (and I've been there since the beginning), there's never been a time when someone filled in for Alex. The only time Alex was off was during those (originally 6, then grew to 8) weeks at the end of summer, just before the new season started, which they filled in with reruns instead of guest hosts.

[Bastet]

5 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

During Alex’s time, did he ever have “vacations” when others filled in?

No, just like actors, he went on vacations during times the show was on hiatus.

They shot five episodes a day (until very near the end, when that became too much for him), and usually produced 230 games per season, so he had plenty of time off each year (of course, the actual shooting days were not the only times he did J!-related work, but still -- only 46 taping days per season).

The only time anyone ever filled in for Alex was an April Fool's Day joke -- Pat Sajack hosted J! and Alex hosted Wheel of Fortune.

[opus]

One of our guest hosts is (allegedly) not happy in his other job

Aaron Rodgers doesn't want to return to Green Bay Packers, sources say

[saber5055]

5 minutes ago, opus said:

One of our guest hosts is (allegedly) not happy in his other job

Hey, I told you guys he wanted the J hosting gig full time! While he probably wouldn't be making Trebek's $10M annual salary, after being paid almost $70M/year with the Packers, what's money.

[Kromm]

9 hours ago, cambridgeguy said:

I agree that Jennings has the inside track but if any of the guests really wowed them they'd likely reconsider.  That being said, as mentioned above, unless they really whiff (we decided to go with Will Ferrell doing his Alex impression!) the final choice won't matter.  There's always going to be a subset who hate the choice and will loudly swear that Jeopardy died with Alex.  For almost everyone else they might not love it but will get used to it and keep watching.

I wonder if Alex had people swearing the show died with Art Fleming (although he was actually still alive when Alex started doing it, so just metaphorically died). 

[cambridgeguy]

2 hours ago, saber5055 said:

Hey, I told you guys he wanted the J hosting gig full time! While he probably wouldn't be making Trebek's $10M annual salary, after being paid almost $70M/year with the Packers, what's money.

That 70M was a one time thing thanks to a huge signing bonus.  Right now he's looking at low-mid 20s for an annual salary.  To be honest if he really cares about $$$ and his health he should retire - regardless of what happens with Jeopardy he'd be immediately hired as a talking head and will probably find a hosting job of some sort in the future given his well-received stint.

[Kromm]

14 hours ago, cambridgeguy said:

That 70M was a one time thing thanks to a huge signing bonus.  Right now he's looking at low-mid 20s for an annual salary.  To be honest if he really cares about $$$ and his health he should retire - regardless of what happens with Jeopardy he'd be immediately hired as a talking head and will probably find a hosting job of some sort in the future given his well-received stint.

I wonder if the days of the really high paid ex quarterback color commentator are over though. There's really only three employers for such a position, Fox Sports, CBS Sports, and ABC/ESPN.  Seems to me there are plenty of ex-ball tossers around filling those limited number of positions. 

Jeaopardy has the advantage of being new ground. 

[bankerchick]

22 hours ago, Kromm said:

I wonder if Alex had people swearing the show died with Art Fleming (although he was actually still alive when Alex started doing it, so just metaphorically died). 

In a way it did, though.  There were years between the end of Art Fleming's run and the beginning of Alex Trebek's as opposed to now where the show itself has been continuous, albeit with different hosts.

[Irlandesa]

On 4/29/2021 at 5:46 PM, cambridgeguy said:

To be honest if he really cares about $$$ and his health he should retire

If he retired this season, he'd have to pay back about $30 million of his signing bonus.

On 4/30/2021 at 8:30 AM, Kromm said:

I wonder if the days of the really high paid ex quarterback color commentator are over though.

Tony Romo makes 17 million dollars a year. Aikman only makes 7.5.  ESPN is apparently in the market for a QB color commentator if that's the route Rodgers wanted to go.  I do not think it is. 

[SoMuchTV]

On 5/5/2021 at 8:53 AM, MrAtoz said:

I hadn't heard about that.  Where can I find out more about it?

 

On 5/5/2021 at 1:25 PM, saber5055 said:

 

Andy mentioned it on TheJeopardyFan in his pre-game thoughts, then Emily Sands posted the details in the comments if you scroll to the bottom of this page.

Regarding Bill Whittaker’s 2-hour recording session - I’ve watched 60 Minutes off and on over the years, and my assumption has always been that anyone on there was baseline competent, but now I can’t help but seeing Ted Baxter. Not fair, I’m sure. 

[shapeshifter]

I am disappointed to see Mayim shilling vitamins for "brain performance" https://www.ispot.tv/ad/O6KI/neuriva-actual-neuroscientist-featuring-mayim-bialik

[rubaco]

Permanent host to be announced late July or early August.

I get that Aaron Rodgers is a favorite of many, but he nearly put me to sleep a few times. And honestly, 7pm is not when I should be nodding off. It's odd that an elite athlete came across as so low-energy.

I enjoyed Anderson Cooper, but then again, I've loved him for years. I don't imagine he's looking to leave his real gig. 

My heart is still with Ken. But yeah, let's get off this revolving door of hosts. It's wearing thin. 

[shapeshifter]

I realize this is a TV show and that Alex is not my parent, but Mom died last August after a decline that began when she was urged too quickly to move on from Dad’s death in 2015, so I appreciate the length of time before announcing Alex’s “replacement,” even if that length of time is only due to the timing of his death within the television season, and not thought out by compassionate producers. 

[Roaster]

2 hours ago, rubaco said:

I enjoyed Anderson Cooper, but then again, I've loved him for years. I don't imagine he's looking to leave his real gig. 

Cooper is probably the most logical choice among the guest hosts, but yes, I don't see him leaving his current job.  That's the problem with celebrity guest hosts - they generally have other options and careers.  Ken Jennings would be an exception, but I really don't want Ken Jennings to be the permanent host.  Let's have a new, fresh face!

[alias1]

On 5/7/2021 at 8:45 PM, shapeshifter said:

I am disappointed to see Mayim shilling vitamins for "brain performance" https://www.ispot.tv/ad/O6KI/neuriva-actual-neuroscientist-featuring-mayim-bialik

I agree.  I was really looking forward to her hosting until she started hawking this stuff (and had to explain to us that she is a real neuroscientist).  

[bankerchick]

21 hours ago, Roaster said:

Cooper is probably the most logical choice among the guest hosts,

Not sure why you would say this.  Because he's on TV already?  Because he hosts a show?  With the exception of Rodgers (and Dr. Oz,) I think they all host 'news' shows, don't they?  I didn't like Cooper before and nothing about his hosting made me change my mind.  He seems so smug, and I swear he used a cartoon voice a lot of the time.  Not sure if that's how he actually speaks, because it really turned me off.

I thought I was a Jeopardy lifer, having watched Art Fleming as a kid and Alex Trebek since the start of his run, but I am really having trouble getting into the shows with the guest hosts and honestly, I think the players are too.  There were a couple of trainwreck shows over the past weeks where I'm sure the players just couldn't get into a rhythm because there is no way 3 smart people would have missed that many questions.  Maybe the universe is telling me I am done with Jeopardy because with the exception of Aaron Rodgers, I wouldn't watch any of the other guest hosts (so far, including Ken Jennings) if they became permanent.

[Browncoat]

2 hours ago, bankerchick said:

There were a couple of trainwreck shows over the past weeks where I'm sure the players just couldn't get into a rhythm because there is no way 3 smart people would have missed that many questions.

I disagree.  There have been plenty of shows in the past, with Alex as host, wherein the contestants missed a lot of questions.  Or gave really bizarre answers.  Or didn't know a single answer in an entire category (hello, football!).  Sure, the players might not have been able to get into a rhythm, but that doesn't necessarily reflect on the hosts abilities (or lack thereof).

[saber5055]

1 hour ago, Browncoat said:

I disagree.  There have been plenty of shows in the past, with Alex as host, wherein the contestants missed a lot of questions.  Or gave really bizarre answers.  Or didn't know a single answer in an entire category (hello, football!).  Sure, the players might not have been able to get into a rhythm, but that doesn't necessarily reflect on the hosts abilities (or lack thereof).

So much WORD to this post. Anyone who has been watching Jeopardy for many years knows there have been tanked shows and "brain-dead" players throughout the years. Alex Trebek being host or some rando person being host has nothing to do with how well players do, or do not do. (Do do do doh!)

Everything depends on categories and buzzer skilz. But if the categories aren't in the players' wheelhouse, buzzer ability or not, they aren't going to answer. Host has nothing to do with that. If I ever got on the show, I'd be trying to play to win regardless of who is reading the clues. I'm guessing every player is there for that same reason.

I've never noticed a "rhythm" for anything in Jeopardy. What does that even mean? Clue is read, players try to buzz in first. What's rhythmic about that?

[Prevailing Wind]

Jennings has said he listened to Trebek's voice, cadence, etc., to be able to judge when he was done reading a clue. It was quicker than waiting for the light to come on.  Maybe that's what they mean by rhythm.

[Bastet]

3 hours ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

TV Ratings are slipping by the week with each new host.

(From the current season thread)

Ken Jennings averaged a 6.0 Nielsen rating, Mike Richards averaged 5.9, Aaron Rodgers and Katie Couric averaged 5.5, and Dr. Oz and Anderson Cooper averaged 5.1.

But, overall, the ratings are not out of line with a typical season average over the past five years or so (viewership had spiked for the episodes that aired after Alex's death).  We may see a leveling off back to the low end of typical rather than a continued decline, regardless of who guest hosts.

[catrice2]

On 4/22/2021 at 5:59 AM, cambridgeguy said:

He did get a 246k signatures on a change.org petition, for whatever that's worth.  Is that an outcry?  I suppose that depends on a person's definition.

Yep, and for me it's a no. Especially when a random influencer on social media can get that much attention or "likes" or whatever for posting a vapid open mouth air brushed picture or some other random thing.   In a country where over 74 million people voted then to me that number is not so great, when supposedly millions of people watch the show.  For someone else, maybe. I just don't pay attention to what the people call a big deal these days because people believe if a small fraction of people are outspoken about something then ALL of a group are up in arms about it. 

 

Additionally, according to Mike Richards and the actor he himself lobbied for the job. Now whether or not he had anything to do with the petition I don't know, but Richards said he was the first person who reached out after Alex died and he said he was thinking about the position a few years ago when it seemed as if Alex might now renew his contract.....so he was after the job without the petition.  

I personally think the majority of Jeopardy watchers are going to watch no matter who it is and some will just complain, like they do about contestants, and a small number will move on. 

[Irlandesa]

On 5/10/2021 at 2:55 PM, Prevailing Wind said:

Jennings has said he listened to Trebek's voice, cadence, etc., to be able to judge when he was done reading a clue. It was quicker than waiting for the light to come on.  Maybe that's what they mean by rhythm.

I believe Rodgers did that as well.

And I can believe, for contestants, it might throw off their buzzer rhythm to have a voice different than the one they were used to reading the clues but that shouldn't affect how many questions the contestants ultimately answer.  They're given a few seconds to hit the buzzer so even if they're slower, the opportunity is there.

[ProudMary]

On 5/11/2021 at 7:34 PM, catrice2 said:

Yep, and for me it's a no. Especially when a random influencer on social media can get that much attention or "likes" or whatever for posting a vapid open mouth air brushed picture or some other random thing.   In a country where over 74 million people voted then to me that number is not so great, when supposedly millions of people watch the show.  For someone else, maybe. I just don't pay attention to what the people call a big deal these days because people believe if a small fraction of people are outspoken about something then ALL of a group are up in arms about it. 

As info, over 159 million Americans voted in 2020.
 

[saber5055]

Looking forward to Buzztronics hosting the ToC next week. So much YEAY to the HEY!

[PBnJay]

I'm excited about the T of C and Buzzy hosting too. I'm expecting lots of energy on the Jeopardy! set today. I hope Buzzy does well, and the champion players, too.

[catrice2]

On 5/13/2021 at 11:23 PM, ProudMary said:

As info, over 159 million Americans voted in 2020.
 

I meant roughly for each candidate but thanks for the info. I believe you still get my point...and when we count the number of people who are in the country in total and possibly are functional enough and old enough to have access to social media there are millions more.  It baffles me why the media and some people place so much emphasis on what is really probably a small number of people think and act accordingly.  The majority of the country is busy living their own lives and worrying about their own problems.... 

[Trey]

I thought Buzzy did a great job as host, lots of energy.  Needs a little work on interviews - his responses were a bit lame for the stories, even resorting to Good for You once🙂 But I think they were just difficult stories to respond to.

But I would still put him at the top of the list.  I liked the idea of him as host even way back when he was a contestant and Alex was healthy but we were already discussing his replacement when he eventually retired.

[GrannySmith]

I didn’t care for Buzzy when he was a contestant, but he did a great job last night.