jeopardy-who-is-tournament-of-champions-guest-host-buzzy-cohen

‘Jeopardy’: Who Is Tournament of Champions Guest Host Buzzy Cohen?

A very special event is coming to “Jeopardy!” next month. And, it will be hosted by a popular – and infamous – former champion.

That special event is the Jeopardy Tournament of Champions. It will air from May 17 through May 28. The special host of the event will be Buzzy Cohen. He was the winner of a 2017 Tournament of Champions.

The 2021 event will include 15 former “Jeopardy!” victors. They will competing for the top prize of $250,000. The show shared details about the event via its Twitter page on Wednesday (April 14).

Here’s the tweet:

Buzzy Cohen’s ‘Final Jeopardy!’ Responses Drew Attention from Fans

So, who is future “Jeopardy!” host Buzzy Cohen.

According to USA Today, his given name is Austin David Cohen. When not winning on quiz shows – or hosting one – he works as a music executive in Los Angeles.

Cohen first appeared on the popular quiz show during 2016. He was a dominating force on the show, winning almost $165,000 during his nine episodes on the show.

One of the things about Cohen’s run on “Jeopardy!” was his clever responses to the final clue of some episodes. Because he usually had such a large lead over his two opponents, Cohen didn’t have to get the final clue correct to win.

So, he decided to use the opportunity to share humorous responses with the show’s now-deceased host Alex Trebek instead of actual answers. These included: “Who is, ‘You aren’t rid of me yet, Trebek?’” as well as “What is, ‘See you tomorrow, Trebek?’”

What reportedly inspired Cohen’s antics on “Jeopardy!” was a message from someone behind the scenes on the show. He shared details about this during a 2016 interview with The Wrap.

“The thing that people don’t realize is that, when I went into my audition, the one thing that the contestant coordinator said was, ‘It’s a game show — have fun.’ So that’s what I’m doing,” Cohen said. “It would be one thing if I was having fun and not playing well and making a joke of the game.”

However, USA Today reported that there were fans of the quiz show that found Cohen’s responses to be disrespectful. Even so, he returned to the show in 2017 for a Tournament of Champions. He won the whole thing – and $250,000. Cohen also played in the 2019 “Jeopardy! All-Star Games” relay event.

Buzzy Cohen joins a growing list of individuals who will serve as guest hosts of the show since the death of Alex Trebek last year. Other guest hosts have included Ken Jennings, Katie Couric, and Aaron Rodgers.

Fans Share Feelings About Buzzy Cohen Hosting Show

Some fans of “Jeopardy!” shared their feelings about Buzzy Cohen hosting the special tournament in response to the show’s tweet.

“YAYYAYYAY!! This will be such fun and @buzztronics is the perfect host,” one fan shared.

“Excited to see @buzztronics get a shot at hosting!!!!” another posted.

“In the end, there can be only one. And the one must be Buzzy,” still another shared.

However, as is the case with most tweets about “Jeopardy!” hosts these days, there were calls for LeVar Burton to get a chance to guest host – and even became the permanent host – of the show.