'Jeopardy!' Ratings 2021 Suffer Greatly For The First Time Since Alex Trebek's Death: What Happened to the Show?
"Jeopardy!" might never experience the same glory again now that Alex Trebek is no longer around to host the show.
For the first time in history, Trebek's "Jeopardy!" experienced massive turbulence in its stint after the show's ratings dropped again.
"Jeopardy" Rating Declining
In a report published by The Wrap, it has been revealed that the ratings of the hit game show started to drop even more since Katie Couric's second week as a guest host.
With a 5.3 household rating in the week ending March 21, "Jeopardy!" lost the top spot title to "Family Feud." The rival show earned a 5.4 rating in the same period.
The dip is actually expected - although it seems to be too much - soon after the show began welcoming its guest hosts.
Trebek's final episodes in early January earned a massive rating. For what it's worth, Trebek's final appearance on "Jeopardy!" scored him a 6.6 rating.
The final episode on Jan. 8 also drew 14 million viewers: the largest number in any episode in over a year.
Ken Jennings then took over the show and managed to maintain a 6.2 rating in his first week. It was only a 0.4 difference compared to Trebek's final rating. His history with the game show during "Greatest of All Time" helped him gain viewers.
READ ALSO: Alex Trebek's Daughter NEVER Watched 'Jeopardy!' Again After Father's Death -- Reason Revealed
However, the rating dropped more in his second week with a 5.9 rating.
On Feb. 22, Richards took over Jennings and immediately suffered from a 3 percent week-over-week decline. Still, "Wheel of Fortune" and "Family Feud" remain in second and third spots with 5.8 and 5.7 ratings, respectively.
After Couric, Dr. Mehmet Oz currently continues the show. However, as a controversial man himself, he posed a great threat to the show's rating again.
Daniel D'Addario of Variety wrote an article with the headline "Dr. Oz Gives 'Jeopardy' a Black Eye."
"Two weeks of Oz is a black eye for "Jeopardy"; anything more would be outright destructive to a show that is a part of many millions of Americans' daily routines," he said.
Making Dr. Oz a host would reportedly result in a decrease in rating once again. It is worth noting that the physician has been subject to criticism after promoting the use of hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19.
Following him, NFL star Aaron Rodgers and CNN's Anderson Cooper will appear as guest hosts for two weeks each.
