I don't. Just genuinely friendly.
Levar Burton to be the next host of Jeopardy?
- Thread starter TheMadCloner
- Start date
I don't. Just genuinely friendly.
I've often got the feeling he'd rather be somewhere else
After almost four decades doing the same job, wouldn't you?
Depends on the job.
I just finished listening to The Takeaway on NPR. They interviewed Claire McNare (sp) from The Ringer and devoted two segments to Mike Richards and the Jeopardy hosting controversy.
After listening, I do think that Richards manipulated the permanent hosting gig in his favor by deliberately selecting guest hosts and episodes for focus groups to view that they might find unfavorable while boosting his own favorability ratings.
After listening, I do think that Richards manipulated the permanent hosting gig in his favor by deliberately selecting guest hosts and episodes for focus groups to view that they might find unfavorable while boosting his own favorability ratings.
...and yet he remains in the same position to continue to do that. He's already proven untrustworthy so can him already, Sony!
From what I hear, he would be a solid choice.
I too would to see him gone, but IMO, doing so right now would cause backstage chaos that most likely spill over to the search to the search for a permanent replacement host.
What they should do, but probably won't, is finish out the 2021-2022 season with a series of guest hosts and let the controversy die down a bit; then after the season ends, get rid of Richards, hire a new producer and new host and wipe the slate clean.
Well apparently, according to TMZ, (Take with a grain of salt?) Miyam was the ONLY choice, the only one who had negotiations with Sony, and the rest of the guest hosts were just there for show, including Levar. But with her schedule, they got Mikey to fill in, maybe till she was free. But then Mikey's past got exposed, and he was out.
So more than likely they'll use Miyam till she other commitments come up, hell there apparently bending over backwards to accomedate her scheduale. then the guest hosts will come back for a time. Then next year its her full time?? Maybe.
https://www.tmz.com/2021/08/25/jeopardy-levar-burton-not-considered-full-time-hosting-job/
https://www.tmz.com/2021/08/24/jeopardy-mayim-bialik-accommodating-schedule-want-her-full-time/
So more than likely they'll use Miyam till she other commitments come up, hell there apparently bending over backwards to accomedate her scheduale. then the guest hosts will come back for a time. Then next year its her full time?? Maybe.
https://www.tmz.com/2021/08/25/jeopardy-levar-burton-not-considered-full-time-hosting-job/
https://www.tmz.com/2021/08/24/jeopardy-mayim-bialik-accommodating-schedule-want-her-full-time/
Given the whole narrative that's come out about Mike Richards doing a Dick Cheney on us and conducting this big dog and pony show so he can select himself, you have to wonder how much of that new narrative TMZ is reporting is Sony trying to cover their asses. "Oh, we really wanted Mayim all along, but since she's so busy with Call Me Kat, we decided to settle for Mike." I'm sure the part about Sony bending over backwards to accommodate her filming schedule is true, though.
As I mentioned before, I think the reason they're keeping him on is due to not enough contenders being available due to Covid. I think it was either the NPR article or the one from The Ringer that mentioned the staff. But yeah, he's caused enough damage as is, and I can't imagine they would be very comfortable with having him still be there. From what I understand, some of the staff weren't even in the loop with what he was doing in selection process, and was a complete surprise to them.
And yeah, sorry, but I don't trust TMZ. Very definition of tabloid sensationalism. The fact that it's being spun off that way feels quite sad.
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After 'The Price is Right' was briefly touched upon during 'The Takeaway', I looked up his tenure on the show and I can't believe he wasn't fired for some of what he did.
A couple of examples - he wanted to fire the entire modeling staff, some of whom had been there during Barker's last few seasons, and replace them with younger more attractive models. The models and Drew put their foot down and only a couple were let go.
He fired one model for getting pregnant. She sued CBS and 'The Price is Right' and won an $8 million settlement.
But, the one that sticks out is the announcer position.
When Mike Richards was hired, the announcer was Rich Fields, who had replaced Rod Roddy.
Fields was let go, ostensibly because he was more of a 'heard not seen' announcer and wouldn't appear/participate in some of the showcases.
They had a whole season of guest announcers, including some of Drew's 'Whose Line' comedians.
At the end of the guest announcer gigs, the permanent announcer was named and it was George Gray; which left everyone going 'who'?
Turns out George was a 'buddy' of Mike and that's how he landed the announcer job.
Sound familiar?
A couple of examples - he wanted to fire the entire modeling staff, some of whom had been there during Barker's last few seasons, and replace them with younger more attractive models. The models and Drew put their foot down and only a couple were let go.
He fired one model for getting pregnant. She sued CBS and 'The Price is Right' and won an $8 million settlement.
But, the one that sticks out is the announcer position.
When Mike Richards was hired, the announcer was Rich Fields, who had replaced Rod Roddy.
Fields was let go, ostensibly because he was more of a 'heard not seen' announcer and wouldn't appear/participate in some of the showcases.
They had a whole season of guest announcers, including some of Drew's 'Whose Line' comedians.
At the end of the guest announcer gigs, the permanent announcer was named and it was George Gray; which left everyone going 'who'?
Turns out George was a 'buddy' of Mike and that's how he landed the announcer job.
Sound familiar?
Appears Mikey is staying on as Exec for now.. Undergoing "sensitivity" training.. 
This whole thing is kinda embarrassing and puts a bad vibe on the show. Why didn't they just hand pick a host instead of doing a seasons worth of guest hosts??? Audition them and than choose one. All this whole fiasco did was cause hurt feelings and the shows fanbase is divided and fighting amongst themselves. Some of the Twitter comments by supposedly fans of the show are ridiculous and harsh...
Not a good way to honor the legacy of the show and Trebek....
Not a good way to honor the legacy of the show and Trebek....
Well, the idea of guests-hosts being contenders in a search for permanent host was a generally good idea, as it also served to fill-in the rest of the season until they could find a new host. And the host-search was also the way it was marketed. And the end-result would have been fine, if not for Richards crowning himself over something he was overseeing and making it feel like the whole thing was a waste of time. It's obvious that they were scrambling and didn't have much of a plan in place for the inevitable even while they knew months, if not a year, ahead of time, given the severity of Alex's illness. I think maybe that they were trying to respect him by not starting a search too early.
If they would have been more honest and upfront about the whole thing, there would have been less fuss over it, and I agree that they should have had plan in place, and perhaps started auditions in the background while someone like Ken were in place to finish off the season as a temporary replacement. This whole sideshow has been unfortunate.
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It is sadly, painfully simple. They had 15 or so guest hosts. Some were good, some mediocre, some pathetic. We decide which one was best, which next, which third, etc. Let's assume whatshisname was #1 (he probably wasn't, but let's Ok), and the lady they picked was #2. If he's unsuitable and she's unavailable, pick #3. If #3 doesn't work, take #4. No need to prolong the agony.
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