JEOPARDY! fans have questioned whether one contestant would host the show's upcoming spinoff after spotting a potential loophole.
With the new Pop Culture edition of the longtime game show coming to Amazon Prime, viewers have been wondering who its host will be.
6
6
6
One name previously thrown into the mix was Sam Buttrey, the 63-year-old fan-favorite contestant who coined the phrase, "Bring it!"
The professor was a finalist in the 2022 Tournament of Champions and the 2023 Masters spinoff.
While discussing the probability of leading the new series on Reddit, some fans thought Sam may decline the offer due to a possible conflict of interest.
They claimed Ken Jennings was no longer able to compete after becoming the show's host, which could possibly discourage Sam from accepting the gig.
Read More on Jeopardy!
"When Ken accepted the hosting job, he had to agree that he could never compete again as a contestant to avoid any possible conflicts of interest," the user wrote.
"Assuming the host of Pop Culture Jeopardy would have to make the same agreement, then I would guess Sam may be hesitant to accept those terms simply because he seems to be still in the 'mix' for possible tournaments," they added.
"Good point. I forgot that Sam couldn't compete again if he took the job. I wonder what he would prefer? If it were me, I would take the hosting job over possibly appearing a few more times," a second replied.
"I would imagine hosting Jeopardy pays a bit more than playing Jeopardy, so that's an easy choice," a third chimed in.
Most read in Game shows
'QUEEN' Jeopardy! Masters champ crowned as fans celebrate game show legend's rare defeat
DREW'S DISBELIEF Price is Right host Drew begs for commercial after contestant's confession
DOUBLE TAKE Steve Harvey left speechless after Family Feud player's answer appears on board
FEELS RIGHT The Price is Right player falls to the floor and rolls around over prize reveal
Others thought Sam didn't quite fit the persona for the new spinoff, as it's angle is to appeal to a younger demographic.
"Sam Buttrey is an aging academic. I don’t see that as a fit for the pop culture demographic," one person thought.
Jeopardy! Host Buzzy Cohen says he has ‘no words’ as he temporarily fills legend Alex Trebek’s spot
"Maybe, if he could pull off the 'cool grandpa' vibe, but I’d expect them to go with someone a lot younger," another agreed.
HOST SPECULATION
Since the new spinoff was announced last week, Jeopardy! fans have been guessing who could lead the series.
The show will be calledPop Culture Jeopardy! and feature questions related to topics such asmusic,movies,TV, and more.
It will also be streamed on Amazon Prime, rather than on broadcast television like the nightly show.
Jeopardy! guest hosts
Since Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek died in November 2020, the beloved game show has continued with various guest hosts in 2021 to present day:
- Ken Jennings (Jan. 4 to Feb. 19)
- Katie Couric (Mar. 8 to Mar. 19)
- Dr. Mehmet Oz (Mar. 22 to April 2)
- Aaron Rodgers (April 5 to April 16)
- Anderson Cooper (April 19 to April 30)
- Bill Whitaker (May 3 to May 14)
- Buzzy Cohen (May 17 to May 28)
- Savannah Guthrie (June 14 to June 25)
- Dr. Sanjay Gupta (June 28 to July 9)
- George Stephanopoulos (July 12 to July 16)
- Robin Roberts (July 19 to July 23)
- LeVar Burton (July 26 to July 30)
- David Faber (Aug. 2 to Aug. 6)
- Joe Buck (Aug. 9 to Aug. 13)
- Mayim Balik (Aug. to Dec. 2023)
- Ken Jennings (Aug. to present day)
The fresh take on the beloved game show will not seemingly be led by current Jeopardy! hostKen Jennings,nor the firedMayim Bialik.
Mayim evenannouncedthat she was "told I am no longer hosting Jeopardy!"at the end of 2023.
Fans have been speculating that a few contestants could be set to lead the series, with one being Katie Nolan.
Katie, 37,was the runner-up in Celebrity Jeopardy! last year and is a former ESPN host.
The contestant retweeted the Pop Culture Jeopardy! announcement, leading some fans to believe she was secretly hinting at being its host.
Another frontrunner for the hosting gig is Buzzy Cohen, 38.
After Mayim was let go from Jeopardy!, the former championstepped in to hostnew episodes during the 2024 tournament season.
I would imagine hosting Jeopardy pays a bit more than playing Jeopardy, so that's an easy choice."
u/GeekboxingReddit
He was the first person to host outside of Ken and Mayim after they had taken over the reins.
Another person on fans' radars is Star Trek: The Next Generation alum LeVar Burton, 67, who many penned to take over for Alex Trebek following his death in 2020.
He has landed his own game show, Trivial Pursuit, however, possibly taking him out of the running.
FAN FEARS
Last week, some fans showed concern that the new series would lose one of its most entertaining elements.
On X, some fans believed the best part of the game show was seeing incredibly smart contestantsstruggle with pop culturequestions.
"I don’t think they should do a pop culture version of Jeopardy. One of the best things about Jeopardy is seeing poindexters who know way too much about quantum physics not know who Michael Jordan is," one fan tweeted.
"Yeah it ruins it ngl," another agreed.
"I would die on the hill that Jeopardy is a perfect product which does not ever need to change," someone else added.
Ahead of Pop Culture's release, the show alreadymade a mistakewhen looking for upcoming contestants.
Read More on The US Sun
On Wednesday, Jeopardy! shared a post to encourage followers to sign up, prompting them to follow a link and take a test.
In the comments section, however, fans made it clear the link to the website was broken.
6
6
6
