Since the sad passing of long-time Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek, the game show has had a revolving door of hosts leading the popular quiz show game. Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings are currently splitting the hosting duties, though it’s expected that one of the two will be announced as permanent host, says USA Today.
While there are many things fans love about Bialik’s take on the show, she has made mistakes that relate to the core rules of the game that have fans angered. Granted, it’s a tough job that Trebek only made look so effortless. It should be noted that Trebek himself as well as Jennings have made mistakes, too. Nonetheless, there have been a few times when fans have been particularly frustrated with the actor and real-life Ph.D. and things she has done or said that goes against usual Jeopardy! rules and Trebek stylings.
Single Jeopardy
Most of the pushback began when Bialik began referring to the first round of the quiz show as “single Jeopardy,” which makes logical sense since it precedes the second round known as the Double Jeopardy round. However, fans believe the nomenclature should remain as it had always been under the tutelage of Trebek – one of the longest-running TV hosts - and didn’t take kindly to her developing her terminology.
According to CinemaBlend, Bialik defended the decision by saying that Trebek himself used the term from time to time. She did, however, appease viewers by saying now that she knows they dislike it, she would never use it again. She also told CinemaBlend she was “doing her best.”
Deeming An Answer Incorrect Too Quickly
Typically on Jeopardy!, players buzz in and must respond to the form of a question to the answer that was given. They have a few seconds until the buzzer goes to give their answer. This also means that if they say the wrong thing, forget to initially answer in the form of a question, or want to correct pronunciation or provide additional details as prompted by the host, they can do this. It just has to be done before the buzzer.
However, on a few occasions, Bialik reportedly said the person was wrong before they had time to correct themselves. For example, cites The New York Post, on a recent episode, a contestant answered “palliative care” to the question “From the Latin word for ‘to clock,’ it’s the type of care given to seriously ill patients to provide comfort without curing.” The contestant at first pronounced it incorrectly, then corrected herself before the time ran out. But Bialik had already said she was wrong. Bialik ended up stopping the game when producers stepped in to confirm that they were ruling in favor of the player and awarding her the money for the question.
Not Asking For More Specificity In Answers
A few times, Bialik has come under fire for not requiring that players give more specific answers when they should be required for a response to be deemed correct. Former player Josh Hill spoke out to The U.S. Sun about this.
He cited an example of when a player provided the answer “Who is Bush?” to a question about a 2018 photo that showed the president’s flag-draped casket with his service dog beside it. Bialik replied, “yes, George H.W. Bush” when the player should have been asked to specify the “H.W.” part to confirm they had the right answer since two George Bushes have served as president (and one remains very much alive). Fans believe Bialik should have said “be more specific” in response. It’s moves like this that have made fans name many other people who could host Jeopardy!
Pop Culture Specifics
In another example cited in Meaww.com, Bialik accepted the answer “what is 90210?” to a question relating to characters from the ‘90s show Beverly Hills, 90210. Again, she should have asked the player to be more specific, particularly since there was a spinoff series in the 2000s that aired on The CW and was called just 90210.
It is true that many fans of the original simply refer to it as “90210” but that is not the full and correct title of the show. And since there was indeed another show with the title the player gave, they should have been told to clarify before being awarded the money.
Another Early Cut-off
In another example of Bialik’s hasty “no” replies, before a player has had the chance to correct themselves before the buzzer, NewsNetDaily.com recalls the answer “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t do this.”
The player replied by saying “what’s drinking” then immediately followed that up with “what’s doing” and then “what’s make them drink.” But Bialik said no as soon as she gave the first answer when she technically still had time to correct herself. In the end, the producers intervened and ruled that the contestant should indeed receive the $400 since she gave the correct answer in time.
Toning It Down
Bialik told The Daily Beast during an interview for the drama As They Made Us, which she wrote, that she was told to tone down her excitement when she first started guest hosting the show.
“One of my biggest challenges,” she said, “is I’m so impressed that people know the answers that they’ve asked me to tone down how excited I am when people get them right.” Bialik, however, took this feedback in stride and said she thinks it’s “a great note to get.” Flipping the coin, however, it’s a positive thing that Bialik manages to get so excited, especially when considering one of the things fans didn’t know about Jeopardy! is that multiple segments are filmed daily. That means the long days can get exhausting for not only the players but also the host.
Mispronouncing Words
One of the most impressive things about Trebek and his hosting was his impeccable pronunciation. It would be tough to be as flawless as he was, but some fans have pointed out Bialik’s mispronunciation of words they believe should be simple enough not to mispronounce.
According to The U.S. Sun, one in particular that fans found irritating was her annunciation of the word “singer,” including a hard “g.” Indeed, according to the Cambridge Dictionary, “singer” is pronounced “sing-er” in both UK and US English.
Accepting Incorrectly Phrased Responses
Jeopardy! fans are serious about the rules and fair gameplay. While there have been some unintentionally hilarious Jeopardy answers, however, this isn’t what it’s all about. Fans were upset when Bialik permitted an answer that she should not have, as per the rules. When a player buzzed in for the answer “Baby, I’ve asked you not to ruin plot points for me unless you give me this seven-letter alert” and said “spoiler,” he was technically correct. However, he did not answer in the form of a question.
According to The U.S. Sun, the player was awarded the money when the rulebook states that if the phrasing to a response is not correct for Double Jeopardy!, Final Jeopardy!, or any Daily Double clue, it should be ruled incorrect.