There won't be any changes with the hosts for the next season of Jeopardy!, the long-running popular game show that formerly featured the late Alex Trebek as its host. Following the death of Trebek, a slew of guest hosts had filled in before executive producer Mike Richards announced he'd personally take the job. He soon after stepped down amid controversy, at which point it was announced that Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings would share hosting duties until a permanent host was named.
At this point, Jeopardy! producers seem to be satisfied with how things are going with Bialik and Jennings, as it's been reported that the two will continue to take turns hosting the game show. Per Deadline, it has been officially announced that the two will be the permanent hosts of Jeopardy! moving forward. The decision to ultimately go with two hosts has a lot to do with the expansion of the Jeopardy! franchise paired with the high ratings and positive response to Bialik and Jennings hosting.
"The fact is, we have so much Jeopardy! to make, and so many plans for the future, that we always knew we would need multiple hosts for the franchise and we are just so grateful that Mayim and Ken stepped in and stepped up to put the show in a position to succeed," executive producer Michael Davies said in a statement. "And succeed it has. With Mayim and Ken hosting, the show is considerably up in viewership year over year, with more than 27M viewers tuning in each week this season. When you consider that almost every other show in broadcast television and syndication is declining, this has been a quite remarkable season: we’re the most-watched entertainment show on all of television. Yes, all of television."
With both signed on, the plan is for Jennings to kick off season 39 with tapings scheduled to start next week and last through December 2022. Bialik will then return to pick her hosting duties back up in January for the rest of the season. Sharing hosting duties has also allowed for Bialik to maintain her commitment to her Fox sitcom Call Me Kat.
Mayim Bialik Will Host Celebrity Jeopardy!
Ken Jennings will host the inaugural Second Chance competition along with the upcoming Tournament of Champions featuring popular contestants like Amy Schneider, Matt Amodio, Mattea Roach, and Ryan Long. Bialik will also host a new take on the game show incorporating celebrities wiht a Celebrity Jeopardy! series in the works at ABC. She will also host a couple of new tournaments along with the Jeopardy! National College Championship.
"To conclude, I want to congratulate both Mayim and Ken," Davies also said in his statement. "They have both been a joy to work with. They have my commitment, my producer oath, that I will focus on nothing but improving the show around them so that they can do their best work and approach every day in the studio with excitement and energy. And speaking of, we’re back in the Alex Trebek Stage on Monday. I simply can’t wait."