Jeopardy! gig is now Ken Jennings' "to lose".
So we're back to where we started, and where we probably should've been all along. I hope he gets it, if it's truly between him and all the others they've been letting guest host since spring.
He should've gotten it in the first place, honestly. He did a fine job during those 2-3 weeks he hosted earlier this year and it makes far more sense than anyone else (including Blossom, Geordi, the football guy, certainly Dr. Oz, Little Andy Cooper, Katie Couric, George Snuffleupagus and all the rest).
When you think of
Jeopardy!, the first person who crosses your mind is Alex Trebek. The second is Ken Jennings. That's just true. He was always my first choice, followed by Richards (oops), Cooper, Bialik and, as a wild card, that Buzzy Cohen/Buddy Holly time traveler (who was a former champion and, at the very least, is kinda telegenic/looks the part).
Many of those folks - Cooper, Oz, Robin Roberts, etc. - already have a regular job/gig so I'm guessing they were never a serious contender and just there to fill in for a week (but maybe with the way these shows are filmed, they could've managed to work it in somehow). But it was probably always down to Jennings, Richards and 1-2 more.
Only thing is, if they ditched Richards for his past remarks, then Ken Jennings has also been a bit of an asshole on Twitter and other places too (fat jokes, questioning someone's intelligence, being a bit of a socially-retarded twerp with some less-than-P.C. pronouncements...none of which is gonna fly with that same crowd who demanded Mike Richards walk the plank). So, depending on what he said (and who it was said to/about) he likely won't pass Twitter muster either.
This is such a 2021 thing...holding up production on a classic, beloved show that has run like clockwork for nearly four decades because the perfect person, who's never stepped in it (or has accidentally been a human on occasion) can't be found.
Just design a robot - a gay woman-of-color robot, if that'll help move things along by checking a few important boxes right upfront, who has never had a Twitter account (because that seems to be where everyone gets tripped up...that joke or opinion/comment you re-Tweeted or "liked" in 2009 has just been waiting to pop back up and create a problem) - and hire her/them/it/whatever-the-fuck-you-call-a-robot and let's get on with it already.
Because at this point, I'm thinking no human stands a shot.
I'll be honest...I assumed Alex made his wishes known 1-2 years ago (if not before, even before he got sick) about who should succeed him as host, and that it would be a known, done deal long before he died (or stepped down), and that the new host would already be many months in on the job. I can't believe it's still being worked on, and delaying production on the new season. Did nobody put any sort of "when the inevitable finally happens" plan in place, for a smooth, seamless and respectful transition, long before July/August 2021?! The man died 10+ months ago, and he went public with his illness way back in March of 2019, nearly two-and-a-half years ago. What have they been doing for ~30 months, other than choosing the wrong host who managed to lose the gig in less than two weeks?
Weird times. I would've never expected this drama/silliness from this show.
Real Housewives of Cedar Rapids? Sure.
Who Wants to Marry a Bank Teller? Absolutely.
Guy Fieri Presents: Three Sub-Literate Assholes in a Cake-Baking Contest? You bet. But not
Jeopardy! 