Mike Richards Second Option? 'Jeopardy!' EP NOT Show's Choice To Become Host
Mike Richards was originally not tapped to become a host the recent decision was only because of Mayim Bialik.
"Jeopardy!" announced this week that Richards, its executive producer, will work alongside Bialik to be the permanent hosts. While there have been numerous guest hosts, it enraged people to learn how the controversial staff dominated the list.
However, that does not seem to be the case at all.
Sources recently revealed that Richards was never the company's first choice.
Who is Sony's First Choice?
According to a news source, insiders at Sony Studios revealed that Bialik was initially chosen to become "Jeopardy!" sole permanent host. The "Big Bang Theory" actress caught the executives' eyes after her guest-hosting stint in March.
In addition, the game show's staff reportedly loved working with her in a short period.
A second source disclosed that the Sony bosses wanted her to fully take over Alex Trebek's role. Unfortunately, she cannot work alone due to her other commitments.
As of the writing, Bialik also works as one of the cast members and executive producers of the FOX series "Call Me Kat." On top of this, she also hosts a podcast.
This led Sony to choose two hosts for "Jeopardy!" - one for the daily show and the series' primetime and spin-off specials. Bialik was assigned on the latter.
Before saying "yes" to the offer, Sony underwent six weeks of negotiations with her. To secure her approval, they offered her a multi-year and multimillion-dollar deal.
No To Mayim Bialik?
Though most hate comments are targeted to Richards, Bialik herself suffered from criticisms, as well.
Most viewers saw "Jeopardy!" move to choose her as something "terrific" as there are people who reportedly can do better than her.
One viewer said, "Mayim Bialik is a terrific choice. Mike Richards is an utter disappointment and an affront to Alex Trebek's brilliant legacy. Where is Ken Jennings?"
"The same Mayim Bialik who blamed victim blamed for dressing too sexy? The same who said vaccines were responsible for her brother's issues?" one questioned. "The one who picked on Ariana Grande out of the blue for not being a singer? That Mayim Bialik?"
She stirred the largest criticisms yet over her comments about vaccines in her book "Beyond the Sling: A Real-Life Guide to Raising Confident, Loving Children the Attachment Parenting Way."
In the material, she revealed that her two sons did not follow the usual schedule to receive vaccines, leading people to tag her as an anti-vaxxer. Only on Wednesday, the quote resurfaced again that caused her publicist to release a statement and debunk the claims.
While she feels sorry due to the claims, Bialik took her time to thank her fans for continuously supporting her.
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