Posted in: ABC, Opinion, Preview, TV, TV | Tagged: ABC, Alex Trebek, game show, jeopardy, LeVar Burton, Mike Richards
Jeopardy! Closing in On Someone to Host Who Isn't LeVar Burton: Report
With the passing of legendary game show host Alex Trebek, Jeopardy! has been hosting a series of guests that have included LEVAR BURTON, Mayim Bialik, Anderson Cooper, Katie Couric, Bill Whitaker, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Ken Jennings, George Stephanopoulos, Robin Roberts, Savannah Guthrie, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Aaron Rodgers, and former contestant Buzzy Cohen. During that time, speculation grew over which of the guest hosts would possibly taking over the job full-time (with millions of folks throwing their weight behind a certain Star Trek: The Next Generation and Reading Rainbow icon, including BCTV). Well, it sounds like the long-running game show is close to making their decision, with Variety reporting that Jeopardy! executive producer Mike Richards (host: Divided, The Pyramid) was "in advanced negotiations" with Sony Pictures TV to be the permanent host.
While Variety reports that Bialik and Cohen "were among the standouts who have also been strongly considered for the permanent job", the bigwigs at Sony Pictures were apparently impressed with "his command of the fast-paced game and easy on-air manner." Of course, we're assuming that Variety ran out of space and forgot to include Burton's name on that list of those being strongly considered. On the record, a Sony Pictures rep says that discussions are still ongoing with "several potential candidates" and would not comment specifically on Richards' status. Another source confirmed that Richards is the front-runner, but added that there isn't a deal in place yet and "that other candidates" are still in the mix. So maybe it's time to let your voices be heard, folks…
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