For years, “Jeopardy!” has been the ultimate foundation for a drinking game among know-it-all friends who want to learn fun facts along the way to getting wasted.
With 41 Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award, it is the most award-winning game show in the U.S. after its 57 years on air, according to the “Jeopardy!” Awards webpage.
Naturally, finding a host to replace the legendary Alex Trebek, who died last November, isn’t an easy decision.
Fans like myself know one thing for sure: Mike Richards, the show’s executive producer, wasn’t the right replacement.
The show has cycled through many celebrities and public figures since Trebek’s death to test who could take the place as the show’s helmsman.
While many guest hosts gained support from fans, such as Aaron Rodgers and Anderson Cooper, none received as much love from fans as LeVar Burton.
Sony Pictures Television, the show’s producer, eventually decided to choose Richards as its new host.
Richards announced Friday he would be stepping down from the position after insensitive remarks he made during his 2013 podcast “The Randumb Show” resurfaced in an Aug. 18 article by The Ringer.
The Ringer scoured through all 41 episodes of the podcast to find Richards making inappropriate comments, often toward his co-host and assistant.
The Ringer article detailed one example of his remarks, in which Richards threatened to fire a model on his other show, “The Price is Right,” after she got pregnant.
Clearly, these are not remarks that should be expected from the new host of “Jeopardy!”
Now that Richards has dropped out, who can fill Trebek’s giant shoes?
The apparent choice is American actor, director and children’s television host, LeVar Burton.
Burton is known for his 23-year role as the host of the award-winning PBS kids’ television show “Reading Rainbow,” which encouraged young children to read.
He also played Kunta Kinte in the 1977 ABC miniseries, “Roots,” which portrayed the life of a young Black boy forced into slavery in the Antebellum South.
The show informed many viewers about the lives of slaves and won nine Primetime Emmy Awards for its work, according to the IMDb “Roots” webpage.
His role as Geordi La Forge on “Star Trek: The Next Generation” may also pull in the countless number of “Trekkies,” and turn them into devoted “Trebekkies.”
These roles reflect Burton’s respect for inspiring learning in others. Characteristics like this, along with his friendly presenting style, are what would make him a perfect “Jeopardy!” host.
Burton has even expressed interest in hosting the show since 2013 when he tweeted, “My dream job…? The new Host of #Jeapordy” and created a petition the next day nominating himself to be the host, which gathered 3,153 signatures.
Although Burton hilariously misspelled the game show’s name, he’s clearly passionate for the role.
“I’ve been preparing for this my whole life,” Burton said in a 2013 Serial Optimist interview.
Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Serial Optimist is a magazine that predominantly interviews actors, artists, comedians, musicians, photographers and other “interesting people,” according to its website.
After Richards’ departure, Burton’s name began to trend on Twitter as viewers and lifelong fans championed for him to get the host role.
Fans voted for Burton to host the show more than any other guest host. He received 16% of the votes, while Richards only received 3%, according to an August poll from the Morning Consult.
The Morning Consult is a North American marketing company, according to its website.
But it’s not just fans who want Burton. Well-known Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds chimed in to voice his support for Burton as well.
“Pretty consistently from 2013 to 2015, Deadpool would explode on Twitter with fans wanting me to play him. It was awkward because I agreed with them, but the studio didn’t see it. Ultimately the fans won and the rest is glorious history. I’m forever grateful. Hi @levarburton,” Reynolds said in an Aug. 20 tweet.
Reynolds’ anecdote describes how, with persistence, dedicated fans will often get their way. Hopefully, in this case, he’s right.
While Sony Pictures Television hasn’t named the show’s next host, the obvious choice is Burton.
