Mayim Bialik has played a wealth of different characters. But which one would do best on Jeopardy!?
Bialik, who begins her stint as Jeopardy! guest host on Monday, May 31, gave an interview on the show’s YouTube channel ahead of her first appearance. Producers asked her what her favorite Alex Trebek memory is or if she was nervous before her first time hosting. But they were also curious which one of her characters did she think would perform best on the game show.
“I think Amy (Farrah Fowler, Big Bang Theory) would be the best contestant on Jeopardy! really because of her broad knowledge and her attention to detail and meticulousness as a human,” Bialik said. “But it also might be hilarious if she was completely terrified in front of cameras, in which case, I’d probably give it to Kat (Call me Kat), my current character.”
It’s almost unfair to put this question to Bialik. She’s played so many smart and capable characters. And any of them would at least be competitive on Jeopardy!
But Bialik, who has a Ph.D. in neuroscience would likely also do very well on the show. In fact, she joked that she landed the guest-hosting role only after begging to play Jeopardy!.
“I can’t imagine not wanting to do anything involved with ‘Jeopardy!’,” Bialik said. “I offered to sweep the floors and they said, ‘No, you can guest host.’ This is such an iconic and unbelievable piece of our collective culture.
“To be considered to be part of it in any way is such an immense honor,” she said. “Especially for someone who’s dedicated so much of my life to academia, to knowing things, to be able to communicate things.”
Bialik Hopes to Honor Trebek While on ‘Jeopardy!’
Mayim Bialik said she wouldn’t have taken the guest hosting job if she didn’t believe she was honoring Alex Trebek, the longtime host who died last year.
“It is something I did with tremendous humility and respect for him and just, I mean, I had an unbelievable time,” she says.
Now that she’s shot her shows, Bialik said hosting Jeopardy! would be a “dream job.”
“I mean that’s like a, that’s a dream job,” Bialik said. “And I have to say, my experience just – I did ten episodes – was an absolute dream. My brain really works the way that show works, meaning I’m constantly thinking about things, saying things. You have to be very quick on your feet and have someone in your ear being like, ‘Cut to commercial! Do this!’”
“I loved it,” Bialik added. “I loved that pacing. So, I’m very excited for my episodes to air, because I hope that people will appreciate the kind of host that I was. And, you know, really trying to do honor to Alex Trebek, as well.”
