I'll take "People who will be missed" for $200, Alex

[Scooter]

I was plugging for LeVar Burton before his stint as host, but his performance went beyond "awkward". His energy was all over the place, and I would have expected someone with his experience to be more measured and composed. His reactions often seemed way out of proportion to the circumstances.

[TPFKA@W]

I vote for Jeremy Paxman. He hosts the UK University Challenge series, where every year teams of four students from UK colleges face off in a trivia contest. (Trivia is the wrong word - maybe general knowledge is a better expression.). The final was last night - it's always broadcast on Monday and some kind person puts it on YouTube within a few hours.

Obviously it's a bit Brit-centric but I reckon 90% of the questions are general - science, music, world geography, philosophy, ancient history - and many of the contestants are foreign students including one guy last night from Wichita.

He put me sleep.

[Big RR]

I thought the same thing Scooter; he wasn't horrible, but he was far from the bet. And although he had a big, vocal contingent of fans plugging for him, I saw nothing to indicate that he was a clear jeopardy fan favorite. He was a lot better than many of the guest hosts, but I would not rank his performance anywhere near the top.

But honestly, it does seem that Richards was destined to be the host from the outset, and that this was just a big publicity stunt.

[Joe Guy]

I think it's interesting that so many people here seem to be regular Jeopardy viewers. I stopped watching it regularly after Alex Trebek took over for Arthur Fleming.

That's a joke...I say that's a joke son! Now go away boy, you bother me....

Foghorn_Leghorn.jpg (19.48 KiB) Viewed 830 times

[Long Run]

but he was far from the bet.

That's a good typo for a Jeopardy post.

[Big RR]

I think it's interesting that so many people here seem to be regular Jeopardy viewers. I stopped watching it regularly after Alex Trebek took over for Arthur Fleming.

That's a joke...I say that's a joke son! Now go away boy, you bother me....



Foghorn_Leghorn.jpg

I was on the contestant list (after passing the test) the last year Fleming hosted--didn't get on before the show went off the air. Also on the list two years during the Trebek cycle, and also didn't get on (although they called me to take the test the second year (eligibility lasts a year after passing the test) so I guess I was considered as a potential contestant).

[Joe Guy]

What is "You Have to Be a Boring Person Who Has Never Said or Done Anything Politically Incorrect Ever in Your Entire Life to Be a Game Show Host"?

New 'Jeopardy' host Mike Richards apologizes for past sexist remarks

“Jeopardy” executive producer and incoming host Mike Richards has apologized for derogatory comments he made about women on a podcast he hosted while also serving as executive producer of “The Price Is Right” as backlash to his selection grows and Sony Pictures Television’s hopes for a smooth transition fade.

In response to detailed reporting by The Ringer about comments he made on “The Randumb Show,” including referring to his co-host a “booth ho,” Richards said “there is no excuse, of course, for the comments I made on this podcast and I am deeply sorry.” He called it “humbling to confront a terribly embarrassing moment of misjudgment, thoughtlessness and insensitivity from nearly a decade ago.”

It’s the latest chapter in ongoing backlash to the decision by Sony to name Richards as the successor to late “Jeopardy” host Alex Trebek. The Ringer found old episodes of “The Randumb Show,” a podcast he hosted from 2013 to 2014 and taped in his office as executive producer of “The Price Is Right.”

Details of litigation from the past decade during Richards’ time as executive producer of “The Price Is Right” and “Let’s Make a Deal” have recently resurfaced and contributed to the uproar surrounding the surprise decision to name him “Jeopardy” host. Richards was accused of pregnancy discrimination in two complaints filed by former “Price Is Right” models. He was accused of making insensitive statements and taking other questionable actions around models on the show who became pregnant.

The Ringer, which reviewed all 41 episodes of the podcast before they were deleted online, reported that Richards at one point asks his female assistant and his female co-host whether they had ever taken nude photos, or in his words, “booby pictures.” In one episode, he calls his co-host a “booth ho.”

Per The Ringer: “Women’s bodies and clothing are recurring subjects for Richards. On a 2013 episode, he says that women ‘dress like a hooker’ on Halloween; on another, he tells a story about a former Price employee who had taken up baking: ‘We said that we were going to have to saw her out of her room because she was going to be so giant that she wouldn’t be able to fit out the door.'”

In his statement to the Ringer, which Sony also supplied to Variety, Richards said that the podcast “was intended to be a series of irreverent conversations between longtime friends who had a history of joking around.” He said his attempts to be funny and provocative were not acceptable and that he has removed the episodes, pledging to live up to his obligations as a role model.

The podcast clips may add another wrinkle to Sony’s “Jeopardy” unveil, given ongoing concerns over Richards’ involvement in potentially tipping the host search to his favor. It also raises questions about Sony’s vetting process for his selection.

Here is the statement in full:

“It is humbling to confront a terribly embarrassing moment of misjudgment, thoughtlessness, and insensitivity from nearly a decade ago. Looking back now, there is no excuse, of course, for the comments I made on this podcast and I am deeply sorry. The podcast was intended to be a series of irreverent conversations between longtime friends who had a history of joking around. Even with the passage of time, it’s more than clear that my attempts to be funny and provocative were not acceptable, and I have removed the episodes. My responsibilities today as a father, husband, and a public personality who speaks to many people through my role on television means I have substantial and serious obligations as a role model, and I intend to live up to them.”

[Long Run]

People who talk a lot say a lot of stupid things, just look at the current POTUS greatest hits. That’s why you have to look beyond the gotcha “journalism” and place it all in the context of the person’s life.

[ex-khobar Andy]

Personally I found the 'answer in the form of a question' stick annoying: it added nothing to what was a fairly low level trivia show. I rarely watched it.

My daughter was invited to try out for the teen tournament when she was 13 or so. I'm not sure how it happened -- maybe she just filled in the right form on line but we went. It was an excuse to go to NYC for a long weekend. The event was at the Waldorf Astoria and we were not allowed in the try-out room with her, so we had to wait 2 hours or whatever. Like most of the other parents we retreated to the WA's restaurant, and many were staying there. There must have been about 50 kids. We had only come from Buffalo so we had driven there; many had flown. I guessed that the NYC economy was better off to the tune of around $100K just for that one event. Trebek wasn't there of course. She wasn't selected but one of the guys she talked to did appear when they ran the tournament.

If people really want to honor Alex Trebek, and by all accounts he was a decent man, let the format and the program die with him. It's easy enough to devise a new trivia show.

[MajGenl.Meade]

Instead we get the whitest of white guys with a documented history of sexist behavior on the set of a prior game show, and a woman with a history of antivaxxer commentary AND statements suggesting that if women dressed and behaved more modestly they’d face less sexual harassment. Oh joy! Are they only concerned with the Trump base who watch the show?

I'll take "Who called it?" for $200 please, Alex

[Bicycle Bill]

Instead we get the whitest of white guys with a documented history of sexist behavior on the set of a prior game show, and a woman with a history of antivaxxer commentary AND statements suggesting that if women dressed and behaved more modestly they’d face less sexual harassment. Oh joy! Are they only concerned with the Trump base who watch the show?

I sure won’t be watching anymore - the show died with Trebek as far as I’m concerned.

You should probably send a letter to the producers first.

I'm certain they will give your opinions all the consideration that they merit, and will reconsider and run any future candidates for host past you for your analysis, consideration, and ultimate approval once they see how flawless is your logic and how firm is your resolve.

-"BB"'-

[Gob]

[BoSoxGal]

Mike Richards has stepped down as host and a new search begun.

They should also get rid of anti-vaccine, sexist Bialik (she has made comments basically blaming victims of sexual harassment for dressing or acting provocatively), because the host of Jeopardy shouldn’t be hawking herbal remedies for dementia on TV. But that’s just my opinion.

Reading more about how Richards fixed the host search even before admitting he was a candidate himself has me wishing they would just can him altogether. He (and he alone) got to choose the programs that aired for audience evaluation, thus having the opportunity to pick the weakest performances from his competitors. He only gave Burton, a clear fan favorite, one week of shows which all taped on the same day - so no chance to ease into the role as other guest hosts had. Sounds like he hasn’t made many friends on the crew, so maybe he should just move on - he’s only been there a couple of years so not exactly an integral part of the show’s success.

I say bring back some of those guests and give them more time to shine. Obviously I’d like to believe LeVar Burton could grow into it nicely, given a fair chance.

[Bicycle Bill]

The fact that he would be a black man in what has pretty much been a white-man's world, of course, has nothing to do with it.
(quick, outside of Family Feud's Steve Harvey and whoever the dude is who's hosting "Catch 21", both on Game Show Network, name another POC game-show host, past or present ... I'll wait.)

Hey, how about this?  They find a black transgender female who now identifies as a gender-fluid pansexual, but with lesbian tendencies — bonus points if this person is handicapped in one form or another.  That should satisfy even YOUR level of 'woke-ness'.

-"BB"-

[Burning Petard]

But there is one more category you left out. They must be a military combat veteran who now actively marches in anti-war demonstrations.

snailgate.

[ex-khobar Andy]

BB, what part of "Burton, a clear fan favorite" did you not understand? I have no skin in this game and I didn't watch the auditions, but I've seen LeVar Burton on Reading Rainbow when my daughter was hooked on the program. That daughter got a summa cum laude English degree so obviously she profited from it, and by extension, from Mr Burton's contribution.

As I say, I didn't watch the tryouts so I don't know. My guess is that Mr Burton showed competence. Why in the word would you suggest that his race is a factor?

[Bicycle Bill]

Why in the word would you suggest that his race is a factor?

Because race and 'woke-ness' appears to be driving literally every and all decisions and actions in America these days.  I refer you to the thread in "Arts" about the needless changes to a thirty-year-old song because it refers to 'men', just as one example.

And I don't give one single shiny sterling-silver rat's hindquarter that the songwriter, Paul Shaffer, whose only other claim to fame is that he was the bandleader for David Letterman's stint on late-night TV — and being the first person (according to wikipedia) to say the word 'fuck' on SNL — was OK with it.  I mean, given today's climate, where someone can accuse someone else of abuse something like fifty-five years after the alleged incident (see the Bob Zimmerman thread, also in "Arts"), what else was he going to say?

-"BB"-

[ex-khobar Andy]

Why in the word would you suggest that his race is a factor?

Because race and 'woke-ness' appears to be driving literally every and all decisions and actions in America these days.  . No it isn't. And I'll quote your own words back at you. "(quick, outside of Family Feud's Steve Harvey and whoever the dude is who's hosting "Catch 21", both on Game Show Network, name another POC game-show host, past or present ... I'll wait.)" Doesn't that imply to you that race played a part in all those individual decisions - let's choose a host for this new program - for years and years and years. So why are you crying 'race' now? . I refer you to the thread in "Arts" about the needless changes to a thirty-year-old song because it refers to 'men', just as one example. Kris Kristofferson originally wrote Me and Bobby McGee and recorded it with Bobby being a young woman. Janis Joplin recorded it with Bobby being her man. Do you / did you object to that 'needless change'?

-"BB"-

[Joe Guy]

Seems to me that age is more of a determining factor than race in regards to hiring Geordi La Forge. At 64 yrs old, he is not a good long term investment so he's not a good choice, is he?

At his ancient age he should be spending most of his time on a holodeck.

[BoSoxGal]

Seems to me that age is more of a determining factor than race in regards to hiring Geordi La Forge. At 64 yrs old, he is not a good long term investment so he's not a good choice, is he?

At his ancient age he should be spending most of his time on a holodeck.

The average age of Jeopardy viewers is 65 - down from 70 in the year 2000.

Alex Trebek was 79 years old when he died of pancreatic cancer last year and left the host job open.

LeVar Burton is wildly popular with the fan base and brings a huge following from Reading Rainbow, STTNG, and his brilliant podcast. It’s reasonable to assume that given a fairer opportunity he’d do better than his first outing (I still haven’t seen those but will look them up online to see just how bad he was.)

Yes he’s black - that’s not the reason he should get the job, but it is a reason that giving him the job would create a lot of good will for the show. Sorry it bothers some of the folks posting here, but America is not staying white and a whole lot of Americans of all colors want to embrace and celebrate that reality, and to wholeheartedly reject the ugly vein of racism and xenophobia that has been bellowing the last few years. Having a beloved iconic game show hosted by a cultural BLACK icon like LeVar Burton would just be a really nice thing. It would be icing on the cake of having LeVar Burton without consideration for his race.