LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: 'Jeopardy! Masters' 2023 has finally reached its conclusion. As expected, the self-proclaimed gameshow villain, James Holzhaeur took the massive sum of $500,000 and the Alex Trebek Trophy home with him. The three-week tournament was thoroughly enjoyed by the viewers and turned out to be extremely successful for its network ABC, owing to its format and the impeccable hosting skills of Ken Jennings. And now the news has finally begun to sink in that Ken will not be hosting the gameshow for the rest of the summer which has left fans distraught.
Mayim Bialik will continue as the sole host of ‘Jeopardy!’ until further notice but the news that Ken won't be on-screen for "almost the entire summer” has unsettled many fans who have problems with Mayim’s skills as a host. The fans have criticized Mayim’s long pauses, incredibly slow-paced conversations, and deadpan comments that evoke no excitement among the viewers and contestants alike. Mayim’s drab skills don’t seem to fit the show’s fast-paced theme especially after Ken propelled ‘Jeopardy! Masters' greater heights with his exhilarating skills as a host. At this hour, the fans have once again made their voices heard.
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'Ken is quick, Mayim is stilted'
Mayim hosted the Thursday, May 25, episode of ‘Jeopardy!’ where Megan Braught, a library assistant from Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania faced Jesse Chin, an accounting director from Bayside, New York, and Ed Petersen, a planning technician from Orlando, Florida. Jesse took a small lead over Ed with a correct response on the third Daily Double, getting it correct with “Kerry."
Mayim took her own sweet time to deem Jesse correct on the $4000 bet and the long pause irritated the fans once again. She concluded the show with a not-so-enthusiastic, “Well that’s Thursday, let’s see what happens Friday. We’ll see you tomorrow,” which was enough for fans to conclude that Ken’s jubilant persona will be sorely missed.
Expressing their concerns, fans took to Twitter and ranted about Mayim’s inefficiency to host ‘Jeopardy!’ One fan wrote, “I’m sure it’s been said a tremendous amount of times, but if Mayim Bialik doesn’t stop hesitating when answering the questions on Jeopardy, I’m going to stick my remote control right through my eye.” Another wrote, “If Mayim Bialik took any longer to say, "Yes, that's correct" on Jeopardy!, she'd be replying during Wheel of Fortune.” It dawned on many fans that Ken’s absence is a big issue for the show and Mayim may not be up for the job. “Well, it is a sad day that we won't be seeing Ken again until the last week of the 39th season.” A fan was quick to point out the glaring differences between Ken and Mayim’s hosting skills as well. “Ken is quick, has no hesitation, and seems genuine. Mayim is stilted, seems to pause for clarification on answers, and her banter seems forced. Make Ken the permanent and only host!” The argument continued as another fan mentioned, “With Ken, it is so smooth and there are no awkward pauses. He relates to the contestants. Mayim still struggles with the pauses and just seems uncomfortable.” Ken is adored by the fans and it will be a task for the producers to bring him on as a permanent host which is inherently the demand of almost every fan of the show.
Michael Davies calls for patience
Michael Davies, the executive producer of the show urged the fans to be patient with both (Mayim and Ken) hosts of the game show. “When Ken is hosting and Mayim is hosting, there’s zero difference [in ratings],” Michael told Vulture in an interview. He went on to explain that, “This show is so hard to host. I wish many of our fans were more patient in understanding that we’re dealing with two hosts. Mayim is a very experienced actress. Ken is a very experienced Jeopardy! player. They’re both at the beginning of their hosting careers. I back them both.” It looks like Mayim is here to stay whether the fans want it or not.
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