Alex Trebek left huge shoes to fill, but two years after his death, it looks like Sony has finally found a new Jeopardy! host — or, rather, hosts. Per Variety, interim hosts Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings will stay on the game show permanently.
Bialik and Jennings have been splitting hosting duties on Jeopardy! since last September, and according to a source familiar with the matter, the quiz show’s two-host format will help the program develop spinoffs. Bialik is also expected to host primetime editions of the show, as well as the new Celebrity Jeopardy! in the works at ABC.
“With all of our plans for Jeopardy! — which is more Jeopardy!, not less, more versions — we’re going to need multiple hosts to represent the entire audience, to represent the entire country, in order to take this franchise forward,” executive producer Michael Davies told Variety in June.
A number of stars, from LeVar Burton to Katie Couric, have taken a stab at hosting Jeopardy! in recent years. Last August, the series named executive producer Mike Richards as its official permanent host, but unearthed offensive comments he made on a 2013 podcast contributed to his ousting.
Outside of the game show sphere, Bialik also currently stars on the FOX sitcom Call Me Kat. Meanwhile, in more lighthearted Jeopardy! news, a contestant back in January confused Nickelback with Arcade Fire, subsequently conflating one of the 21st century’s most critically acclaimed acts with one of its most maligned.
