The Wheel of Jeopardy

My wife Andrea and I have been devoted drinkers of the tea spilling out of Jeopardy and the quest to find a new host to replace the late Alex Trebek. 

Yesterday, the tea in the kettle got particularly hot with the news that Mike Richards would no longer be the executive producer of Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune.

He was fired. Or as we say down south, "fard!" 

His reported bad conduct towards women on The Price Is Right coupled with his frequent sexist and racist comments made during his podcast created a firestorm of dissatisfaction that forced him to step down as Jeopardy host.

As if the bad optics of Jeopardy's executive producer getting the plum hosting gig wasn't bad enough.

So Mike Richards stepped down as host but only after hosting 5 episodes, the little prick.

I hope Matt Amodio kept winning through those 5 episodes. Andrea and I really relish the idea of Matt outlasting Mike Richards on Jeopardy.

But he got to keep the executive producer job.

Being sexist and racist can keep you from hosting a TV show.

Being sexist and racist apparently does not keep you from producing a TV show?

But the firestorm refused to settle down.

And so yesterday, Mike Richards got FARD!

Suzanne Prete, a senior vice president at Sony Pictures Television, had this to say:  “We had hoped that when Mike stepped down from the host position at Jeopardy! it would have minimized the disruption and internal difficulties we have all experienced these last few weeks. That clearly has not happened.”

I am intrigued by the phrase "internal difficulties". The scuttlebutt is that Mike Richards has been a pain in the ass to work for at Jeopardy, suggesting Richards' misdeeds are not all in the past.

Mike's 5 episodes as host will air. As much as it is reprehensible for Mike Richards to be on camera as host, the game and the show must go on.  Matt Amodio and the other players vying for 2nd place still deserve their moments.  

Mayim Bialik returns to the podium to guest host for 3 weeks after Mike's 5 episodes are done.  And damned if people aren't trying to pick apart every little thing Mayim has ever said and done.   

Apparently despite his remarkable turn as host, Ken Jennings' past Tweets have reportedly scuttled his chances at the getting the gig on the regular.  

There appears to be only one real choice: create an Alex Trebek hologram and shove everything he ever said into an artificial intelligence program.  Holographic AI Alex Trebek can host the show forever. 

And he will never get FARD!

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To celebrate Mike Richards getting FARD, here is Weird Al Yankovic with "I Lost On Jeopardy".