"Double Jeopardy" just took on a whole new meaning. In an unexpected move for Jeopardy!, Sony Pictures Television has announced two hosts for the first time in the game show's history. Both Mike Richards and Mayim Bialik have been named as the show's new hosts.
Richards, who was previously rumored to be a frontrunner for the host's podium, will take over duties hosting the daily syndicated program. He joined the show as an executive producer last year, and guest hosted in February, and has previously hosted shows including Divided, The Pyramid, and Beauty and the Geek. Bialik, best known as an actress on shows like Blossom and The Big Bang Theory, guest hosted the show in June, and will host the show's primetime and spin-off specials, beginning with the Jeopardy! National College Championship for ABC.
The quiz show has featured a number of guest hosts in the wake of longtime host Alex Trebek's death last year. Those guests have ranged from former Jeopardy! champions Ken Jennings and Buzzy Cohen to broadcasters including Katie Couric and Anderson Cooper. A protracted social media campaign to make Star Trek: The Next Generation star and Reading Rainbow host LeVar Burton the permanent host culminated in him guest hosting in July. Other guest hosts included broadcaster Dr. Oz, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, 60 Minutes correspondent Bill Whitaker, Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Good Morning America co-hosts George Stephanopoulos and Robin Roberts, broadcaster David Faber, and sportscaster Joe Buck.
The news arrives amid some controversy, as accusations of harassment and discrimination of the models on The Price is Right have reemerged against Richards, who served as executive producer on the game show from 2009 to 2018. The accusations were dismissed in court in 2012, and Richards was quick to distance himself from their portrayal of his actions in a memo to Jeopardy! staff, writing, "I want you all to know that the way in which my comments and actions have been characterized in these complaints does not reflect the reality of who I am or how we worked together on The Price is Right." Even so, the news is sure to disappoint many fans who may have been pulling for Burton or any of the other guest hosts.
Season 37 of Jeopardy! concludes this week with Buck as guest host.