Mayim Bialik isn’t trying out anymore for Jeopardy! She’s over it. She asks for the questions on the show. It’s now up to studio executives to find the correct host.
Bialik explained her stance during a recent Q&A with the Associated Press. The AP reporter asked Bialik “do you feel as if you’re auditioning again?”
And Bialik replied: “As far as I’m concerned, I’m not auditioning for anything anymore. I’m doing the job that’s in front of me and letting the business executives do what they need to do.
“For me, I’m getting more and more comfortable with the language of Jeopardy!, as we call it, and making the crew and the staff feel like we have consistency and that I’m a person really interested in maintaining the integrity of the show.”
Bialik, long ago, impressed the folks at Sony who produce the popular quiz show. She guest-hosted Jeopardy! for two weeks’ worth of episodes earlier this year. Last month, Sony Pictures Television announced that Bialik would be the face of a new college Jeopardy! and its prime time specials. Mike Richards, who was then executive producer, was supposed to be the new host for season 38. However, Richards’ past controversial comments he made on a podcast continued to swirl around the show. Richards quit as host, then resigned as the show’s producer.
Bialik’s Episodes As Jeopardy! Host Started This Week
Richards hosted the first few episodes of the new season. But Sony tapped Bialik and Jeopardy! super champion Ken Jennings to host the show through the end of the calendar year. Jeopardy! fans are seeing Bialik this week.
“So excited to get to keep doing this Jeopardy! work which I love so much. And thank you, Ken Jennings, the living legend, who will be tackling hosting duties for the next few months as well!”
And yes, she wants the job full-time.
Does Bialik Believe She Has a Mandate?
A reporter also asked Bialik what her Jeopardy! mandate might be.
She responded: “If you want to do the math, I think I’m technically doing more than half (of the shows), so my mandate is to do basically as many episodes as I can given my schedule.
“To be honest, there’s been a lot unfolding over the last month, much of which the public knows about and a lot of which the public doesn’t necessarily need to know about. What I can say is that when Mike (Richards) stepped down as host, what I said was, “How can I help?” because I already had been welcomed into the Jeopardy! family.”
Bialik certainly is multi-tasking these days. She also stars in Fox sitcom Call Me Kat. As it heads into its second season, the show’s premiere likely will be in January.
