KEN Jennings has poked fun at his hiatus from hosting Jeopardy!.
He is set to return at the end of this week after Mayim Bialik hosted a new tournament.
GettyKen Jennings poked fun at what he does when he is not filming Jeopardy! in a new tweet[/caption]
ABCMayim Bialik has been hosting the High School Reunion Tournament for the past few weeks and fans are begging for Ken to come back[/caption]
Mayim has been leading the High School Reunion Tournament for the past few weeks.
This means that Ken is off and waiting to come back for regular Jeopardy!.
Fans have not been satisfied with the way Mayim has been hosting and have been begging for the former champion to come back.
They won’t have to wait long though, as he will be back on fans’ TV screens on March 10.
A Twitter user asked him last week what he does when he is not hosting, and Ken had the perfect response.
“@KenJennings just wondering how you spend your time when you’re not filming jeopardy,” they asked on Friday.
Ken quoted their tweet and joked: “I go into one of those freezer cases from the Alien movies when Mayim is hosting, and vice versa.”
He was joking, of course, but fans cracked up in the comments.
DOUBLE DUTY
However, Ken did give some hint as to what he has been up to when not on Jeopardy!.
The 48-year-old announced the date of his upcoming book on social media.
The former Jeopardy! champ tweeted: “My new book comes out in June!”
The star explained that 100 Places To See After You Die is “a travel guide to the afterlife, from ancient Egypt, all the way up to The Good Place.”
He concluded: “So you might want to order it soon, just in case.”
Fans were all about the new book as one person reacted: “What a clever idea. I had pretty much decided on a cornfield in Iowa, but it’s always nice to shop around.”
Another added: “How exciting! Congratulations,” while one said, “Congrats! On another note, don’t know what’s going on with Jeopardy! lately but you are the perfect replacement for Alex Trebek…”
THE HOSTING SCHEDULE
In the podcast episode of Inside Jeopardy!, the trivia show’s producer Sarah Foss confirmed the hosting schedule.
“Ken Jennings will be back on March 10th, and then he will continue the rest of his syndicated run, which will take us through April 28th,” Sarah explained.
“Then Mayim will take over on May 1st, and she’ll take us all the way through the summer.”
The producer also revealed: “Reigning champ Stephen Webb will return, along with Ken Jennings on March 10th in syndication.”
“We’re looking forward to seeing if Stephen’s streak can continue!” she concluded.
Ken will also be hosting the new Jeopardy! Masters spinoff, which is scheduled to air during the spring on ABC primetime.
The duo has been splitting hosting duties in the meantime.
Last year, Ken and Mayim became the permanent replacements for the late longtime host, Alex Trebek.
Alex tragically passed away from pancreatic cancer at the age of 80 in 2020.
PAUSE FOR CONCERN
Jeopardy! fans pointed out what they think the most “infuriating” thing might be about Mayim’s hosting style, compared to Ken’s.
Dozens of viewers accused the actress of an “annoying pause” before ruling a contestant correct that’s driving them up the wall.
On various social media platforms, fans put their collective fingers where the vitriol may be coming from.
Mayim takes her sweet time before saying “that is correct” – especially on a “Daily Double” like she did last night with student Avi Gupta and it’s impacting her cause, the contestants, and viewing enjoyment.
On Reddit, one fan earnestly asked: “Genuine serious question: why don’t people like Mayim as the host?”
Another user replied: “Her long pause after someone gives their Daily Double answer drives me insane.”
“‘………that’s correct,’” wrote a third immitating the TV presenter.
A fourth harshly accused: “With Mayim it sounds like I’m listening to a soundboard instead of an actual human being hosting a game show.”
And a fifth more gently put it: “Agreed, she can be rather stiff. It seems it took Ken some time to warm up and get comfortable, but she remains unnatural to me.”
Over on Twitter a fan wrote: “Mayim, no need to pause for dramatic effect before saying ‘That is correct.’”
A second penned: “Mayim hasn’t lost that annoying pause before saying yes or no.”
“Why does Mayim make those weird pauses when someone is right?” wondered a third.
And a fourth: “The pauses before she says yes/no are so bizarre. Makes me think I’ve accidentally hit the mute button over and over.”
“YES – that! Is she trying to infuse suspense? Big fail,” replied yet one more.
“Because she is not a natural all around knowledge aficionado like Ken & Alex,” claimed a fifth thinking that Mayim is taking time to check her clue sheet to confirm the correct response each time.
“So the questions just [don’t] flow. I can’t watch now. And the way Mayim corrects or expands contestants answers drives me nuts! The tone is just so condescending.”
Others agreed she’s doing a “servicable job” on Celebrity Jeopardy compared to the buzzer-fast regular show.
Twitter/ KenJenningsKen joked about what he does in his spare time[/caption]
YouTube/Jeopardy!Mayim and Ken became permanent co-hosts in 2022, after Alex Trebek’s passing in 2020[/caption]
Simon & SchusterKen did give an actual answer as to what he is doing in his spare time- releasing a new book[/caption]
