Those who have kept up with the “Jeopardy!” scandal would know by now that “Reading Rainbow’s” LeVar Burton was the person that many of the game show’s watchers wanted as the new permanent host. Not only was Burton not chosen, but fans went into an uproar after seeing who was: Mike Richards, who was “Jeopardy’s” executive producer, and “Blossom’s” Mayim Bialik.
Now more evidence has surfaced proving that fans preferred Burton over the other guest hosts. Morning Consult released a new poll that shows Burton beat out Richards as the most favorable person to succeed Alex Trebek. Burton reeled in 14 percent of the votes while Richards only got 3 percent. As for Bialik, it seems she did have quite a few people rooting for her as well. She came second to Burton for being the most favorable, reeling in 13 percent of the votes.
Burton, Bialik, and Richards were among a list of other celebrity guests host who filled in for a few shows for the past few months while the long-running game show was looking for their new host to fill the shoes of the beloved Trebek. “Good Morning America’s” Robin Roberts and George Stephanopoulos, CNN’s Anderson Cooper, and NBC News anchor Savannah Guthrie, were just a few of the celebrities that stepped in as guest hosts.
It all comes mere days after it was reported by Nielsen Media Research that Burton’s hosting days brought in the lowest views at just 4.4 audience share. But there’s also the consideration that Burton had lower viewership because he was competing with the highly anticipated 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which was already delayed because of the pandemic.
Although the announcement of the new permanent host was disappointing to many, it seems the chaos from fans put a positive spotlight on Burton. He may not be hosting the “Jeopardy!” but it looks like he got a new gig for next month. The actor will host the “Open a Book, Open the World: The Library of Congress National Book Festival” on Sept. 12 at 6 pm on PBS. The show will offer an in-depth discussion surrounding books and will feature 20 authors who will talk about their recent work.
A few authors that will make an appearance on Lupita Nyong’o, Roxane Gay, Angie Thomas, Micheal J. Fox, Bill Gates, and more.
