Jeopardy! in jeopardy amid writers’ strike as Mayim Bialik exits final week of hosting
Mayim Bialik won't host the final episodes of the 39th season as scheduled in solidarity with the Writers Guild of America, per a new report
Aux News Mayim Bialik
We’ll take game shows impacted by the Writers Guild of America strike for 200, please. The answer (not presented in the form of a question, sorry!) is Jeopardy!. The long-running ABC trivia series will experience a little shake-up as regular host Mayim Bialik has reportedly declined her hosting duties for the final week of filming for the 39th season, according to Deadline.
Jeopardy! will nevertheless continue with Ken Jennings in the driver’s seat. (Bialik and Jennings have split the job since beloved host Alek Trebek died and the ensuing drama with one-time heir apparent Mike Richards.) Per Deadline, these episodes are being filmed at the Sony Pictures lot in Culver City between Tuesday, May 16 and Friday, May 19.
Jeopardy! writers have been marching on the WGA picket line, including Michele Loud, Jim Rhine and Billy Wisse. Speaking with Variety, Loud said, “Our words are on the screen every night. There is no Jeopardy! without writers. Without us it’s just an empty blue screen.” Though they expressed appreciation for the unusual stability of their year-round gig, the group decried the current state of the industry. “They never tried to make it a gig economy before,” Wisse told the outlet. “There was always some sense that writers were partners in it.”
Bialik’s abstaining from appearing on the iconic quiz show is a significant show of solidarity from the actor who once penned an essay entitled “I’d Give Up My First Child to Host Jeopardy! Forever.” This comes after her FOX sitcom Call Me Kat was canceled last week after three seasons. “It’s so hard to say goodbye to yesterday,” Bialik wrote on social media in wake of the news. “We made a lot of people laugh during COVID in ways that at first seemed impossible. But with this incredible cast—Cheyenne [Jackson], Swoosie [Kurtz], Julian [Gant] and Kyla [Pratt]—and, of course, with the late Leslie Jordan, all things that seemed impossible became possible.”
49 Comments
Bialik has also reportedly stated, “I’d Give Up My First Child’s Complete Vaccination Schedule to Host Jeopardy! Forever.”
Good for her
Shall try my hand at scabbing? “Something something Russian playwright something…CHEKHOV!” “Something Danish astronomer something…TYCHO BRAHE!”
At least one good thing has come out of the strike.
Jeopardy is produced by Sony Pictures Television and syndicated. It airs on ABC in many major markets but it has zero ownership in the show.
I think ABC might have ownership over the prime time versions hosted by Bialik. I don’t believe those are syndicated.
Those would still be owned and produced by Sony and just purchased by ABC — no different than Friends being produced by Warners and airing on NBC.
So I did some looking and that’s correct, but ABC has the sole license so it is the only affiliate it airs on apparently.
She can focus on the Blossom reboot now. Shouldn’t even need writers for that.
Six spin-off!!!
Woah!
That how many beers it took to come up with that idea?
This week on a very special episode, Blossom teaches Joey about the power of unions. “Whoa!” says Joey.
We made a lot of people laugh(Citation needed)
“We made a lot* of people laugh**”
If Jeopardy!’s writers are on strike, is Jennings just going to make up his own answers and questions? Or were these all finished before the strike? I imagine Jeopardy! doesn’t need the constant script re-touching that works of fiction get.“No, no, that’s way too out-of-character for Ken. Can we get a writer in here to touch this up?”I don’t know how much writing the host gets for the contestant Q&A, so this could be enlightening.
I certainly don’t know, but I imagine there’s just an enormous log of already written clues.
“I’ll take ‘Scabs’ for $200, Ken.”
“And you asked for European Cities for $1000, and that’s… well, we ran out of clues due to the strike, so why don’t you, uh, touch the tip of your nose with your tongue, or something like that…”
“Look, I’m gonna spin this globe around, and point to a place, and if you get it, you get the cash, okay?”
OMFG, IT’S FINALLY MY TIME!!!!!!My dad always thought it was the funniest thing that I could touch my nose with my tongue. He asked me to do it for people like it was a damn parlor trick.“I’d like to make that one a true Daily Double, Ken!”
When a contestant is about to be on, they write down 5 weird facts about themselves (just one sentence each) that they can talk about. Before they go on air, the host picks one they they think will be most interesting during the interview portion, and that’s what ends up on the little card. So, if there’s a 5 time champion, they need to write 5 new facts.I’ve often wondered about some of the champions with really long reigns, and how they must have to really search for new stuff to talk about.
I’ve often wondered about some of the champions with really long reigns, and how they must have to really search for new stuff to talk about.Well I guess Ken would know about that better than anyone.
https://www.theonion.com/jeopardy-contestant-on-long-winning-streak-only-has-1848964983
Jeopardy seems like one of those situations where you could have all the questions written nearly a year in advance at any given time. Speaking of writer jobs that might be vulnerable to AI . . .
I don’t think AI could even do Jeopardy questions. The clues aren’t just bits of trivia, there’s often wordplay or other hints in there that help you figure them out.
I’m pretty sure what’s going on is “the questions for the next Jennings run have been written, the questions for the next Bialik run have not.”
“We made a lot of people laugh during COVID in ways that at first seemed impossible…”I call bullshit.
“…and later proved it.”This is the first time I’ve ever heard of this show.
“It was impossible to make anyone laugh with this show, because it was terrible, except for Leslie Jordan, who was too good for us.”
“I’d Give Up My First Child to Host Jeopardy! Forever.”Yeah but it turns out this was less about the gig and more that her first born was awful and she just wanted someone to take themEdit: It occurred to me after writing this that I think one of her kids has medical issues and I just wanted to clarify this was a joke about some kids just being terrible monsters and not making fun of any specific real life kids with honest struggles
She has weird vaccine beliefs so it still works don’t worry.
She has a lot of weird beliefs.
This is that grade school joke of “hey, go tell Nilus that your dad could beat up his dad” then you get all tearful and yell “my dad has no arms!!!!!”
Nothing blunts a “Yo Mama” joke faster than telling the jokester that your mom is dead.
Good thing they don’t have 8,000 episodes available for re-run.
And the snoozing Silent Gens watching won’t even be able to tell it’s a rerun from 1994.
*Trebek gets a note from off-screen, reads it* “People, remain calm. The Falkland Islands have just been invaded. I repeat, the Falklands have just been invaded!”
What I love about that Krusty line is that the invasion of the Falklands (except presumably on the Falklands themselves) is something that wouldn’t actually interrupt TV in reality in the way that major assassinations or terrorist attacks would. If the writers had used, say, the JFK assassination or something it wouldn’t have been as funny even if the joke (a recycled episode revealed by reference to a then current event) was the same.
Also he had a map at the ready, implying he had been following the political situation between Argentina and Britain for a while.
It actually did break into regular programming on the big three back then. Briefly.
Just think if Prince Andrew had been shot down and killed in the “Falklands War”.He’d be one of the most beloved Royal ever.
Bialik had a TV show? I honestly didn’t know, and I say that as someone who regularly watched Big Bang Theory.
Punky Brewster >>>> Blossom
Damn, shouldn’t Ken decline too? I would have thought he would be more supportive and understanding of how important writers are to the show.
Of all the things AI could handle and we don’t know the difference, this might be it.
So beloved was Alex Trebek, he changed his name to Alek Trebek
Reminder: Mayim Bialik is a snakeoil salesperson who uses the clout of her degree to peddle bullshit brain pills.https://whyevolutionistrue.com/2021/11/28/harriet-hall-debunks-mayim-bialiks-claims-for-neuriva-brain-supplement-and-her-status-as-an-actual-neuroscientist/
This is a genuine question and I don’t know if there’s an answer out there, but Mayim Bialik is the host of the non-syndicated version of Jeopardy that airs on ABC during prime time and a SAG member – could that impact her ability to walk off? Is it possible that Ken can’t walk off under his contract? He might just be a crappy guy, but I can’t find anything referencing whether Trebek walked off during the last strike.