CULVER CITY, CALIFORNIA: 'Jeopardy!' has faced its fair share of a rocky road this year and it is set up for more with uncertainties surrounding its upcoming season. But the co-hosts Ken Jennings and Mayim Bialik were able to make it out with rather flying colors: an Emmy nomination!
The two have been nominated as the hosts of 'Jeopardy!' in the same category. They are the only hosts nominated from the same show in the category. Fans of the game show are quite divided over the Academy's decision to nominate both of them.
Double 'Jeopardy!' at the Emmys
It was quite surprising that 'Jeopardy!' was able to bag two nominations in the same category. Jennings and Bialik are nominated in the category Outstanding Host for a Game Show. 'Jeopardy!' also received another nomination in the category Outstanding Game Show.
Besides 'Jeopardy!', 'Family Feud' host Steve Harvey, 'Wheel of Fortune' host Pat Sajak and 'Password' host Keke Palmer have been nominated in the same category. Ken Jennings is nominated for an Emmy for the first time whereas Bialik has received a nomination for the fifth time, previously being recognized for her work as a mmber of 'The Big Bang Theory' cast.
Who will win the Emmy?
Jennings and Bialik have made equally significant contributions to 'Jeopardy!' ever since Alex Trebek passed over the game show's stage to them. But fans are quite divided over who should win the Emmy, if one of them were to win at all. Several viewers had issues with both of them getting nominated for the same category in a Reddit thread that discussed the announcement of the nominations. A fan clarified why the Academy would do so, saying, "Ken and Mayim don't do the job as a duo, which is likely why they were not nominated as a duo."
Many of them believe the Emmy will be given to Jennings. A user broke down why they thought so saying, "Out of those I’d have to assume Ken should win it. But I guess it’s still a popularity thing so who knows it’s 2023 so they might give it to Keke. Steve is cool but I mean it’s been the same old stuff for so long. Mayim no sorry, Pat Sajak no that shows been unwatchable for several years now Imo." Another user reasoned, "I think Mayim is fine, but Ken is clearly the better host. The difference between him and Mayim when it comes to contestant interviews is like night and day. I think it also just comes across really clearly that Ken knows the stuff and Mayim is just reading what’s in front of her; Ken is often able to chime in with interesting additions, and he even sometimes helps make sense of wrong answers by acknowledging their relationship to the question."
It comes without a surprise that many still seemed upset over Bialik's performance as a host and didn't appreciate her Emmy nomination with one of the fans saying, "Ah, such good sports nominating Mayim as well so she doesn't feel bad." Another fan of the game show wrote, "Mayim’s steadily getting better, more natural and less stiff, but her pregnant pauses before acknowledging correct answers is odd." A user also threw shade on the nominations by saying, "The amount of consideration to actual game show hosting skill the Emmy voters give in determining who they vote for is approximately zero. Many of them never even watch the shows."
Others also believe that Bialik might end up as the winner because of her position as a senior actor and her experience in the industry. A viewer said, "Mayim is one of the stars of the biggest sitcom of the past 20 years. Ken is a game show contestant. Emmy voters are not only more familiar with Mayim, some are her friends. Winning Emmys is mainly about showbiz politics. In that area, there's no comparison at all."
