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Jeopardy! fans rejoiced as co-host Ken Jennings returned to the podium after taking time out from the prime-time show to host Jeopardy! Masters.
Jennings took over from his colleague Mayim Bialik on Monday's episode after his most-recent block of pre-recorded shows came to an end in April.
He then spent May hosting the masters spin-off series, which sees the best players in the history of the quiz show come back to battle it out and be named the greatest Jeopardy! contestant.
But Jennings' appearance on Monday's show seemed to be sooner than had originally been planned after Bialik reportedly walked off the Los Angeles Jeopardy! set in May. Her walk-off was a gesture of solidarity with striking writers, protesting contracts and pay structures.
A Twitter account dedicated to when Jennings is hosting broke the news that he would be returning as soon as Monday July 3, which turned out to be correct and the show's fans couldn't be happier.
"I can't tell you how happy I am that I can finally watch Jeopardy again. So happy to see Ken Jennings back. He should be the ONLY host. Please lose the flipflop back & forth. Have ONE host. Give @missmayim the forever boot. So many DO NOT watch when she is on. Ken ONLY," tweeted one person.
Another added: "SO happy that @KenJennings is back on @Jeopardy !! The show was so much more enjoyable! 🥰 🎉"
And a third wrote: "OMG what a difference a host makes!! It's so nice to see @KenJennings back hosting this iconic show. He moves the show along seamlessly with such ease! Please, please, please DON'T bring @missmayim back!!"
Bialik and Jennings were named as the show's permanent co-hosts before the start of the current season 39 last year, following a revolving door of temporary replacements.
They stepped in to the top job after the death of popular longtime presenter Alex Trebek in November 2020 from pancreatic cancer.
But since returning to hosting duties in May, Bialik has faced criticism from fans, ranging from her presenting style to controversial decisions on contestants' responses to clues.
Both hosts opened up on how they deal with online backlash from Jeopardy! fans.
"We're still people, so I can't say that when you hear things that are constructive criticism that you don't start thinking a little bit too much about it," Bialik said on the Inside Jeopardy! podcast in August 2022. "But, I don't know, I kind of take everybody's opinion both with a grain of salt and also believe everybody has a right to their opinion."
Jennings added: "You know what? Jeopardy! has got such a big, diverse audience. You're not going to be able to please everybody every night. But I think that's the virtue of having a couple of hosts. You know, it's a big, diverse audience, and maybe that helps broaden the tent. It's a matter of taste, hosting style."
About the writer
Shannon Power is a Greek-Australian reporter, but now calls London home. They have worked as across three continents in print, ... Read more