4 months ago
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Last week we got the news that Jeopardy was launching a spinoff dedicated entirely to pop culture categories. I called it an irrevocable blight on the Jeopardy franchise. I may have overreacted. Now that I’ve had the weekend to reflect, mull it over a bag of potato chips, and take a cold shower, I’m woman enough to admit I was wrong. Thank you, that was weighing on me. No premiere date has been announced for this show that will stream on Amazon Prime, but the obvious next question is… who’s gonna host? The producers have to play it just right, given their previous host shenanigans, no? So while we’re pondering the likely candidates, we’re also getting some details on changes they’re making to the format:
Jeopardy! has announced that it is launching a spinoff series on Amazon Prime and is on the hunt for a host. The Sun reports that neither current host Ken Jennings nor Mayim Bialik, who was fired from hosting duties, will be at the helm. The show, called Pop Culture Jeopardy! will keep the classic answer-and-question format, however, its categories will cover music, movies, sports and all elements of popular culture. The biggest change is that three-person teams will compete against one another rather than individual players. The Sun reports that the favorites to host the new series include Katie Nolan, who was runner-up in the Celebrity Jeopardy! tournament, Buzzy Cohen, who hosted some recent episodes in 2024, Sam Buttrey, who was a finalist in the 2022 Tournament of Champions and the 2023 Masters spinoff, and Lavar Burton, who was a fan favorite to replace Alex Trebek. A premiere date for Pop Culture Jeopardy! will be announced at a later date.
Three-person teams? I have to find friends to apply with?! What the– No, no Kismet, don’t go down this road again. Welcome innovation! Instead I’ll view it as refreshing to see how the new format changes the game. And I’m sure there will never, ever be friendships lost down to disputes over splitting the prize money. As for the host, no way do I see LeVar Burton entertaining the idea at all. Even after Mike Richards was booted, LeVar let it be known that he was done with the show. Again, I can’t imagine him backtracking on that now. We were big fans of Buzzy Cohen in my house, but CB mentioned Ike Barinholtz and I would totally get behind him for this spinoff. He won Celebrity Jeopardy last year and played a mean game in the Tournament of Champions earlier this year. Plus, I think his comedian/MADtv background would make him well-suited to hosting.
