Ever since Alex Trebek’s death in 2020, who is going to take over as the permanent host of Jeopardy! has been the question everyone wants the answer to. There were a series of Jeopardy! guest hosts that auditioned for the job, a controversial decision involving former producer Mike Richards and what was described as a temporary solution in having Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings split hosting duties.
The latter duo has been holding the fort down on the popular game show, but now an official decision has been made on who is taking over as the new, permanent Jeopardy! host.
Who is the host of Jeopardy!?
Jeopardy! is going to remain a tag-team effort, as Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings have officially been named as the permanent hosts of the game show.
How is the two-host plan going to work? Jeopardy! executive producer Michael Davies outlined the hosting schedule for the new season of Jeopardy! that beings in September 2022.
Ken Jennings begins as the host for daily Jeopardy! starting in September, as well as hosting the Tournament of Champions and the new Second Chance competition. All of this should last through December 2022.
Mayim Bialik is the host of Celebrity Jeopardy! that airs Sundays in primetime on ABC. Bialik takes over as the daily Jeopardy! host in January, managing as many weeks as she can with her schedule on her sitcom, Call Me Kat (Jennings is expected to fill in with any absences). Bialik is also the host for the National College Championship tournament.
Who is Mayim Bialk?
Mayim Bialik is an actress and real-life neuroscientist with a degree from UCLA. Though she has been acting throughout her life, Bialik rose to prominence as one of the stars of The Big Bang Theory, where she played Amy Farrah Fowler. Some of her other credits include Blossom, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Beaches. As mentioned, in addition to hosting Jeopardy!, Bialik currently stars in the sitcom Call Me Kat.
Bialik got her start on Jeopardy! as one of the slew of guest hosts. She was then announced as the host of the Jeopardy! primetime specials in August 2021, followed by being given co-hosting duties with Ken Jennings for daily Jeopardy! in September 2021.
Who is Ken Jennings?
Ken Jennings was a Jeopardy! legend before he became host. Jennings set the record for longest win-streak on Jeopardy! in 2004 with 74, a record that still stands to this day. His winnings on Jeopardy!, along with four other US game shows make him the highest-earning American game show contest in TV history.
Jennings began working for Jeopardy! as a consulting producer in September 2020. Then, following the death of Alex Trebek, was the first guest host to do new episodes. He was named as the temporary co-host with Bialik in September 2021 following the exit of Mike Richards from the role.
When does Jeopardy! season 39 begin?
New episodes of Jeopardy!, the 39th season of the game show, begin on Monday, September 12.
Starting Monday, August 1, Jeopardy! is going to air repeat episodes from the past season, handpicked from the producing team.
In addition, Jeopardy! has announced some new content for fans. First, Jeopardy! Highlights provide three-minute highlights of daily episodes of Jeopardy! across the show’s website and social platforms. The new Inside Jeopardy! podcast, meanwhile, provides behind-the-scenes insight into the game show and official announcements.
