This is a matter of casting. It's not just who can read the clues without stumbling; there are a lot of elements to it. This host will be replacing a beloved icon in Alex Trebek. The JEOPARDY franchise is huge and a wrong choice could "jeopardize" that. The new permanent host probably won't be announced until the early summer. Still time for Ozzie to apply.
So here are m thought so far (not that they matter one iota):
Katie Couric -- A solid pro with great warmth. Part of the job is making the contestants feel comfortable. Katie was great at that. There's also a comfort level for the viewer. They can sense if a host is struggling and JEOPARDY is a particularly difficult show to do. Lots of moving parts, reading clues, controlling the pace, reacting to unusual occurrences. The viewer is in good hands with Katie. However, I never felt like she really wanted the job full-time. It was a bucket list thing. And she did raise money for cancer research. I doubt if Katie will be the new permanent host.
Mike Richards -- He's the Executive Producer of JEOPARDY. When I heard he was going to host for two weeks I thought this was a vanity call. But I was very pleasantly surprised. He's obviously hosted game shows before. He was incredibly polished, really kept the pace moving, and came off extremely likeable. My only concern was that he might've been too polished. He was the central casting "game show host" option. But very impressive.
Ken Jennings -- Considered he had no prior hosting experience I thought he did an incredible job. He was warm, good with the contestants, has a sly sense of humor, and can pronounce all those foreign words. The only drawback is that he does not have a commanding voice and that's important because you hear his voice a lot. However, I'd be willing to overlook that for his strengths. And the one big strength he has over all the other candidates is his association with the show. As the GOAT and 74 time champ Ken Jennings is part of the JEOPARDY family. Every other guest host is an outsider. To me that's an almost insurmountable obstacle the others have to face.
So it's early yet. Ozzie would have to learn what JEOPARDY is. But for my money, still the one to beat is Ken Jennings. What do you all think?
from By Ken Levine
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