CULVER CITY, CALIFORNIA: 'Jeopardy!' has been plagued by the case of favoritism ever since Ken Jennings and Mayim Bialik were appointed as the co-hosts of the trivia game show in 2022. Fans have consistently made comments on social media about who they prefer on the Alex Trebek stage, and most opinions are usually riddled with various biases.
Consequentially, Newsweek decided to once and for all unpack this battle of the hosts through a survey, and it seems like the cards are not in Bialik's favor. The deep dive into what the 'Jeopardy!' viewers preferred revealed several other interesting facts that might have been contributing to 'The Big Bang Theory' actress' struggle to be liked as a host.
Mayim Bialik's hosting may have faced the gender bias
When compared to the hate she has been receiving ever since scoring the 'Jeopardy!' gig, the numbers do not really justify why Bialik is constantly under fire as a co-host. The survey was conducted with 1,500 American TV viewers by Redfield & Wilton Strategies for the news publication over a couple of weeks. Bialik did lose out on the "favorite host" title as she scored 5% less than Jennings. Nevertheless, she was able to have 30% of the preference vote, which is quite impressive given that this is her first time ever as a host, and that too on a popular show like 'Jeopardy!'.
One of the fans said that her identity as a woman might be one of the reasons why people tend to discriminate between the two hosts. An academic of TV and popular culture, Robert Thompson, who happens to be a regular 'Jeopardy!' viewer, said, "[Don't] downplay the gender thing, though, because that's always humming loudly in the background." TV game shows and late-night talk shows have always been a predominantly male-dominated sector, with Bialik being among one of the first women to take the stage on a full-time basis. Hence, gender bias might be one of the reasons why Jennings is typically favored as a host over her.
Ken Jennings preferred as the closest to Alex Trebek
Another thing to note is that Jennings has been associated with 'Jeopardy!' for a long time as he was previously a reigning contestant. His history with the game show goes back almost 20 years, and his legendary gameplay can hardly ever be forgotten by any fan of 'Jeopardy!'. People are familiar with him standing before the blue background, and it's a short walk from behind the contestant podium to the one holding the clue cards.
Thompson shared in the interview, "Alex spoke very highly of him and he almost did everything he could to pass the baton to him, so there is this a real sense that Ken Jennings is Alex Trebek 2.0." Regardless of all this, both Bialik and Jennings were able to score individual Emmy nominations for their work on 'Jeopardy!' as hosts. While fans' opinions matter a lot, it doesn't seem to affect the TV industry as both are up for the 'Outstanding Host for a Game Show' title in the Emmys besides Steve Harvey, Pat Sajak, and Keke Palmer.
