Honorable Mention
Matt Amodio
One of the greatest aspects of Jeopardy! is how a contestant can become an unexpected hit, cementing themselves as a favorite among fans. That is what has turned the likes of Ken Jennings and Buzzy Cohen into stars almost overnight and made them viable choices to take over the quiz show institution. The major question that spawned from this past summer wasn’t just who would be the best choice for host, but if there was anyone to root for, to have any desire to see succeed through unprecedented streaks. Given that most winners are in and out in only two games, it’s exciting to see them complete even five games at the top of the heap.
For most of this season’s last month, Matt Amodio is arguably the biggest star on the program. Alongside a rotating group of hosts (he performed opposite four so far), he went on to win 18 games, becoming the third-highest earnings winner in the show’s history behind Jennings and James Holzhauer. Given that he’s showing no signs of slowing, there’s a good chance that he may even go higher, possibly breaking 30 days and immortality among Jeopardy! royalty that hasn’t been achieved in The Post-Trebek Era yet.
He has everything in place to do it, too. At times he seems surprised and even enthused to know that he got a question right. While some may take offense to him answering every question with a non-specific “What’s,” he has a laidback charisma that makes him relatable, whose only intimidating factor is how he casually can throw out the correct answer and make it seem effortless. While there are hopefully more big winners in the show’s history, Amodio is one of the first in 2021 to remind audiences why the show still matters. Even when the hosts weren’t necessarily at the top of their game, he was, and he had a whole lot of fun pulling it off.
5. Robin Roberts
Time Frame: July 19-July 23
Best Known For: Good Morning America
Even among the various journalists who have hosted, none felt as charming to watch as Robin Roberts. With years of experience interviewing people, she brought a warmth to the role that helped emphasize the contestants. Whenever there was a gaff in the show, she knew how to brush it off, encouraging players to keep moving forward. She may have a strictness when reading questions, but there was a reverence for the position, eager to keep the competition alive and bringing to life the random trivia on display. Most of all, she managed to bring out the best in contestants throughout with spontaneous banter.
What puts her above the rest is the natural charisma that she brings to every one of her assignments. There is professionalism, but also an ability to find small connections that bring the questions to life, making it all feel familiar. There was a joy when she hosted, a desire to keep tuning in and watch her keep the show in order. When she interviewed contestants, she made them seem like the most important people in the world. She didn’t brush off their accomplishments and instead emphasized their strengths, allowing comical moments to be better punctuated. Even in a fast-paced environment, she knew how not to rush.
While the whole idea of hiring journalists is arguable, maybe even sacrificing the organic nature of Jeopardy!, there was something right about Roberts taking the job. She has a spring in her step, a need to keep the competition alive. Even with a humble demeanor, she had a way to draw focus on the show’s best features. There was a desire to keep watching, and that is what’s most important. Not only did she make the show feel important when it was during a midsummer lull, but she also made the contestants shine, able to stand out and not feel too pressured in the high-stakes situation. Everything was balanced, and as this list shows it’s much more difficult to pull off than one thinks.
4. Mike Richards
Time Frame: February 22-March 5
Best Known For: Executive Producer of Jeopardy!
This one is a bit difficult to talk about for a handful of reasons. Even between writing this list and publishing it, information surrounding Mike Richards’ hosting job has greatly changed. He’s sprouted infamy that caused him to step down after only nine days. There’s no denying that aspects of his past are unprofessional and warranted in discussing. To some extent, I am fine with him stepping down amid allegations, even with the fact that it seemed suspicious that the Jeopardy! producer got the job instead of any of the other 15 options they had – or some wild card that wasn’t even in the mix.
With that said, there was something to him being the second Jeopardy! host in The Post-Trebek era. Following an impressive run by Ken Jennings, he had the thankless job of keeping everything afloat, doing enough amid shooting during a pandemic that likely handicapped availability. With the rushed nature of his moment hosting, he had an impeccable charm that allowed him to work. Whereas everyone else came with an established outside reputation, he managed to show how enthusiastic the crew at Jeopardy! were by putting on a show that may have been a bit too regimented at times, but was Jeopardy! doing Jeopardy! as efficiently as possible.
The best way that I can put it is that Richards hosted like he was working for public relations. He was doing everything to make the contestants feel comfortable, able to laugh, and have a good time. He knew the show inside and out, and as a result, allowed everything to move along smoothly. While his personal career has a lot of unprofessional decisions, his time on the show was far from a failure, doing what was necessary in an uncertain time. Maybe he never would’ve been the best pick for the show given his role in producing the show, but as a temporary fix, he was good enough.
3. Mayim Bialik
Time Frame: Actress and Neuroscientist
Best Known For: May 31-June 11
Moving into the Top 3, these are the ones that I would confidently hand over the keys to and let them make every decision. They represented a side of hosting that I’d argue not only understood the ethos of Jeopardy!, but found ways to make it their own. As one of the heirs to the series, Mayim Bialik brought something organic and exciting to the show with exuberant fashion and a connection with the contestants that was unmatched. While some of her anecdotes at times felt poorly paced, they were often helpful in setting up the show and making her interest in the series feel reflective of the contestants. Everyone was there to have a good time, and Bialik knew that so well.
It shines through in her offhand remarks in-between questions, or when she would draw herself into contestants, letting them expand on their stories. As a part-neuroscientist, she had an authenticity for the series that made some of the more quixotic questions easier to handle. She understood how to emphasize everyone’s strengths and had ways of deescalating moments that could’ve been seen as awkward. Overall, she just had a charm that is necessary for the job.
While she is only hosting primetime episodes, I am eager to see what she brings to the show with a little more polish. I’m sure that with some time she will have her own style and ability to navigate a game with ease. For now, she has a natural gift for reading questions and interacting with contestants in a way that keeps the show lively and memorable. She knows how to make everyone feel comfortable, eager to keep the game lively and competitive. If this is truly who the future of the show’s hands are in, then it will be one of the better decisions they’ve made this year.
2. Ken Jennings
Time Frame: January 4-February 19
Best Known For: Jeopardy! GOAT and Consulting Producer
He was the first and arguably the best host that Jeopardy! could’ve gone with. Next to Trebek, nobody has symbolized the appeal of the series quite like Ken Jennings for the past 15 years. In fact, Jennings is largely a celebrity because of the show, having book deals and his own quiz show in the wake of his incredible run. His status as the all-time champion remains unsurpassed, and as a result, has set a bar that everyone would love to pass. Given that he’s had years of experience dealing with the public, it makes sense that he felt ready to go and make the most of it.
Maybe it was why he had the longest tenure of any host, allowing him to take more risks and find his own groove. As someone who was synonymous with Trebek’s charisma, he had an ability to make it his own without complaints of altering too much. He understood the show inside and out, having the ability to make the series what it could’ve been. Maybe he wasn’t the most successful interviewer, but because he understood the pressure that contestants were under, he knew how to pace himself and give lenience when things were getting too heavy.
While everything that followed was hit and miss, Jennings reflected someone who the show should’ve been focusing on during those months. They should’ve been people who had familiarity with the show as a contestant, who knew what to expect and thus had an instinct on how to host. There was an exciting diversity in the show’s many hosts, but none were as focused and realized as Jennings, who set a high bar that was rarely matched. He made the show exciting and full of humor while paying tribute to where the show came from. He was like all of us, first and foremost a fan. Of everyone who hosted, he was the one who made the most sense.
1. Aaron Rodgers
Time Frame: April 5-April 16
Best Known For: Green Bay Packers Quarterback
Listen, I am by no means a football fan. I think it’s a dumb sport and couldn’t have told you who Aaron Rodgers was from a line-up. Based on early episodes, he was no different from anyone else: a bit stodgy but doing enough to keep the show moving. It looked like things weren’t going to work out. But after the third episode, things began to click. He clearly got script notes that he took to heart, finding these small ways to improve his skill and quickly becoming someone who I felt not only did a great job but arguably the best. He evolved with the show over his two weeks, and it was incredible to watch.
One of my marks against the other 15 hosts is that they never felt like they improved enough. Sure they found a groove, but I was looking for a host who showed signs of adapting to the changes, finding small ways to make the show their own. As a former contestant, it made sense that Rodgers would want to do his best to make the show as lively as he could while highlighting what made the show worthwhile. He had witty banter, able to do interviews with a rich personality that kept things light. He knew how to control the show without overpowering it. To me, he didn’t start off the best but slowly became the perfect host.
Looking through the list, I could imagine that others would’ve gotten to be as endearing as Rodgers with time (LeVar Burton being the obvious pick), but in the short run, he impressed me a lot. As the only host during this run that I saw every episode of, I was eager to see the small ways he improved, where he got closer to an ideal host. The big difference is that where most journalists stuck to their tried and true, Rodgers wasn’t afraid to experiment, occasionally even failing, to find what could make the show better. Given that any new official host would need to roll with the punches, I would want someone not afraid to mix things up and find ways to make Jeopardy! more complementary to their style. Rodgers is one of the few that felt like he was close to figuring that out.
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