Update to yesterday’s diary
My Mea Culpa —
While HuffPost did use what I think is a too cutesy and over-the-top clever title for their main page article considering the societal and cultural significance of this, it turns out that Jeopardy and who hosts it is a far bigger deal than I realized.
Consider the coverage today as Richards “stepped down” claiming he did this because what he refers to merely as his “scandals” created “too much of a distraction for our fans and not the right move for the show.” I have little doubt that he was basically fired as reports that he was a sexist pig and a bigot surfaced and were given wide media coverage.
Richards’ Mea Culpa:
"I want to apologize to each of you for the unwanted negative attention that has come to Jeopardy! over the last few weeks and for the confusion and delays this is now causing. I know I have a lot of work to do to regain your trust and confidence."
This made the list of top stories on Google News (enlarge image):
Again, obviously this is a far bigger news story than I originally thought it was.
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As for my poll, I sometimes watched Jeopardy but didn’t realize it was even still on let alone such an enduring part of our entertainment culture. Considering there were 8000 episodes in one form or another I have to wipe the egg off my face as I admit my ignorance. This is hot off the presses from Wikipedia with the most recent developments:
Jeopardy! is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin. The show features a quiz competition in which contestants are presented with general knowledgeclues in the form of answers, and must phrase their responses in the form of questions. The original daytime version debuted on NBC on March 30, 1964, and aired until January 3, 1975. A weekly nighttime syndicated edition aired from September 1974 to September 1975, and a revival, The All-New Jeopardy!, ran on NBC from October 1978 to March 1979. The version airing as of 2021, a daily syndicated show produced by Sony Pictures Television, premiered on September 10, 1984.
Both NBC versions and the weekly syndicated version were hosted by Art Fleming. Don Pardo served as announcer until 1975, and John Harlan announced for the 1978–1979 season. The daily syndicated version featured Alex Trebek as host from 1984 until his death in 2020, with his last episode as host having aired January 8, 2021. Following Trebek's death, guest hosts moderated the show to complete the 2020–2021 season.[2] Beginning in September 2021, Mayim Bialik will host primetime specials on ABC and future spinoffs. Executive producer Mike Richards was initially announced as the permanent host of the syndicated version, but he stepped down after offensive comments from his past overshadowed the announcement. Johnny Gilbert has been the announcer since 1984.
Over time, the show has enjoyed a wide viewership and received many accolades from professional television critics. With over 8,000 episodes aired,[1] the daily syndicated version of Jeopardy! has won a record 39 Daytime Emmy Awards as well as a Peabody Award. In 2013, the program was ranked No. 45 on TV Guide's list of the 60 greatest shows in American television history. Jeopardy! has also gained a worldwide following with regional adaptations in many other countries. (WIKIPEDIA)
I found it an enjoyable show to watch and see how many questions I could (rarely) answer before the contestant, or knew the answer to if the contestant got it out before I could say it out loud. It was humbling to be reminded that I wasn’t nearly as knowledgeable as most of the contestants.
