Double Jeopardy! Two To Host The TV Game Show

Mike Richards

After weeks of guest hosts on “Jeopardy!” that included celebrities from TV, sports and journalism, the daily syndicated quiz show chose its executive producer, Mike Richards, as the successor to beloved host Alex Trebek, reports The Associated Press.

Richards, who had been heavily rumored as the frontrunner since last week, will serve as the primary host for “Jeopardy!,” while Bialik will host the primetime and spin-off specials, including the just-announced “Jeopardy! National College Tournament” that will air on ABC in 2022.

In a nod to “Jeopardy!” devotees, longest winning-streak champion Ken Jennings will return as a consulting producer.

Richards will retain executive producing duties for “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune,” Sony Pictures Television said in a statement Wednesday. The studio also appeared to deflect the idea that it was bowing to the dismay that some fans expressed when word leaked last week that Richards would be the pick.

Bialik, who played a scientist on “The Big Bang Theory” sitcom and is one in real life, was among the fan favorites to succeed Trebek.

“We knew early on that we wanted to divide the hosting responsibilities and it became very clear that Mike and Mayim were the undeniable choices. They were both at the top of our research and analysis,” said Ravi Ahuja, Chairman of Global Television Studios for Sony Pictures. “We took this decision incredibly seriously.”

As a guest host, Ahuja said Richards was “at ease behind the podium and a double threat as producer and host. Mayim has a wonderful energy, an innate sense of the game, and an authentic curiosity that naturally represents the ‘Jeopardy!’ brand.”

Richards was the second of the temp hosts who filled the void left by Trebek’s death, with “Jeopardy!” champs Jennings and Buzzy Cohen, actors Bialik and LeVar Burton, NFL player Aaron Rodgers and TV journalists among the others.

Richards has an extensive, Emmy Award-winning game show resume. He was the executive producer of “The Price is Right” and “Let’s Make a Deal” for more than a decade and produced the 2020 revival of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.” His on-camera experience includes hosting “The Pyramid” and “Beauty and the Geek,” a reality show.

He joined “Jeopardy!” as the replacement for retiring executive producer Harry Friedman starting with the 2020-21 season, and was in the job for only a few months when Trebek, 80, died last November of pancreatic cancer. Trebek was host for 37 seasons.