Image Source: Jeopardy
On Wednesday, Variety reported that Jeopardy executive producer Mike Richards is in "advanced negotiations" to become the next host. Fans of the long running quiz show had some questions, such as "who?" and "why?"Alex Trebek hosted Jeopardy for nearly 40 years, until his death last year. Replacing the beloved host isn't easy, and when the show resumed after Trebek's death, Jeopardy had a selection of guest hosts including athletes like Aaron Rodgers, actors like Mayim Bialik and Levar Burton, and Jeopardy executive producer Mike Richards. Jeopardy fans, who have been rallying around Levar Burton as the potential next host of Jeopardy, were surprised, to say the least, when Richards was announced to be in the final running for permanent hosting duties Wednesday.
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The objection Jeopardy fans have to Richards isn't just that they think he is boring. It's also that he's executive producer of the show, which is a little bit like hiring yourself for a highly competitive job. The Daily Beast reported that Richards also has a history of harassment allegations, including complaints from two models on The Price Is Right who say Richards discriminated against them after they became pregnant. Former Jeopardy contestants have expressed their misgivings about Richards alongside fans. Popular contestant Austin Tyler Rogers lamented that this was a missed opportunity for making the show more diverse:
Former contestant Roey Hadar posted a short twitter thread on Richards' past, which included links to the allegations of discrimination on The Price Is Right as well as an article about factual issues with clues in Jeopardy during Richards' tenure.
But mostly, Jeopardy fans really wanted Levar Burton. Though Burton has tweeted that he is happy with whatever outcome and appreciative of his fans, that hasn't stopped his fans and friends from feeling like he's been a little fucked over. Brent Spiner, who played Data on Star Trek alongside Burton's Jeordie LaForge, cracked a joke at the weirdness of the executive producer of Jeopardy becoming the host:
Fans love Burton because he's been such a persistent figure in nerd media, as well as the lead actor in the acclaimed television miniseries Roots. Like so many other people in my generation, I've grown up with Burton on Reading Rainbow, and as Jeordie on Star Trek: The Next Generation, both shows that instilled me with a love of learning. People are eager to see him back on the air, as evidenced by a 2016 Reading Rainbow Kickstarter, which raised over $5 million. Unfortunately, just because you're a big fan and you want something really bad, it doesn't mean you're going to get it.