Richards best of Jeopardy hosts By Mathew Shanbom, Editor- in- Chief
The answer is: Ken Jennings, Mike Richards, Katie Couric, Mehmet Oz and Aaron Rodgers. The question is: Who were the first five guest hosts to replace Alex Trebek on Jeopardy? But the real question for fans is: Which one was the best? Jennings, who has served as consulting producer since the beginning of the season, hosted for the first six weeks of new shows after Trebek’s death. By the end of his run, he was coming into his own as a host. As an experienced contestant, Jennings knew how to read the context clues of when to interject and kept the game moving at a good speed. He was also intelligent enough to know pronunciations and many possible answers without the help of the judges, keeping the game moving so that the entire board could be finished. Richards, who has been a game show executive producer for over a decade, was next. He embodied a game show host perfectly. I could tell watching that one of his responsibilities as executive producer was to run rehearsals with sample questions. Additionally, a week into watching I discovered that he once hosted “The Pyramid” on Game Show Network. After the first day I was convinced he was the man for the job. He had the charisma of a gameshow host while still finishing nearly every board. I hope Richards is given the reins at some point. While some may not like not like that he is not a celebrity, I believe the fact that he is unknown is good because he is not established as one thing or another and can make the game what he wants it to be. Richards kept the game running well, finishing all but three of his boards all in his last two days which, respectfully, may have been as the result of the contestants those days. Couric, the third guest host, was the first from outside the Jeopardy show. All the outside hosts did so to raise donations to a charity of their choice following their two weeks. I thought this was a good way to get to know the guest hosts better. Couric, who has anchored TV and online news
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Mike Richards hosts his first show of 'Jeopardy', which aired on Feb. 22.
Katie Couric hosts a show of Jeopardy, after two weeks. Her last show aired on Mar. 15. PHOTOS COURTESY OF SONY MEDIA VENTURES programs, did a fine job hosting, but my only gripe with her was the amount of boards that were left incomplete at the end of the round (5/20). I love seeing the entire board played because if a question is not read, we at home never know what it was. Initially, like any guest host Couric had to get used to the position, but by the end she had gotten the hang of the attitude and responsibilities of a Jeopardy host. Oz, a celebrity-doctor who was the fourth, was my least favorite. This may be because I have prior bias against Oz for his promotion of alternative medicine, but I also did not appreciate his tone and mannerisms throughout the game. He did keep the game moving, leaving only 2/20 boards incomplete, but at the expense of any sort of charisma. I hope for all of our sakes Oz is not even considered
Ken Jennings hosts his last show of Jeopardy after six weeks. It aired on Feb. 19. for the host position. NFL quarterback Rodgers was fifth nd left little impressoin on me as a viewer. As somone inexperienced with television, he was monotone and lacked the charisma necessary to be host. Overall, Richards was the best of the first five guest hosts. His game show experience came in handy to deliver a smooth and coherent show. His relatively unknown background allowed him to represent the Jeopardy brand rather than an already established personal brand as the other guest hosts have.
