In late July, Jeopardy! Ken Jennings will be the new host of the regular program. Mayim Bialik will host the specialty competitions. Jeopardy! National College ChampionshipWe saw it on Sunday. Celebrity Jeopardy!Likewise. Bialik’s run on the daily program caused quite the stir. Did her worst critics tune in to her new hosting gig? Let’s take a look at the ratings.
‘Jeopardy!’Boycott threatened by fans
Social media was experiencing a storm in July. After Jeopardy! Producers announced they were going to keep Ken Jennings, Mayim Bialik and Mayim on the show. Some fans responded. The many who favored Jennings expressed their dissatisfaction with the decision, vowing that they’d boycott the show until Bialik was completely dismissed.
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Plenty of Twitter users insisted that they wouldn’t watch unless Jennings was named the sole host of Jeopardy!And warned that the viewership was going to drop dramatically. However, there were supporters in Bialik’s camp as well. Some insisted that she was the better host overall and that the show’s announcement was just a testament to that.
Jennings hosted the usual event. Jeopardy! Competitions have remained the only focus, so things have remained quiet. Bialik returned to hosting the first-ever primetime episode of Celebrity Jeopardy!.
‘Celebrity Jeopardy!’ Makes A Big Splash
Bialik began the first primetime on September 25th Celebrity Jeopardy!. It introduced the first ever “full-hour” time slot to make the show more manageable. “Triple Jeopardy!”Round, but the format remained the same. Comedian Andy Richter, SNL star Ego Nwodim, and Marvel standout Simu Liu competed for large cash prizes—for charity, of course—in a neck-and-neck competition that was far more hair-raising than it should have been.
The stars were aligned for this show and it left a positive impression on viewers. The show landed in second place in ABC’s non-sports programsWith 4.03 million viewers. It seems like the boycott threats either weren’t genuine, or there weren’t enough boycotters to dampen the ratings. Whatever the cause, it’s clear Bialik is in her element on the specialty competition show.
However, it is a good indicator of success. Celebrity Wheel of Fortune leads the pack as ABC’s most-watched non-sports program. However, the program’s 4.302 million viewers are certainly within reach for Celebrity Jeopardy!. As fans watch these celebrities battle it out for charity, it looks like another competition is brewing between America’s favorite competition shows.