Mayim Bialik has reportedly bailed on “Celebrity Jeopardy” season two.
ABC issued a press release Monday stating that Ken Jennings would be back to host the second season, as rumors swirl that Bialik bailed over the ongoing Writers Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild strikes, Variety reported. The new season starts on September 27, which is actually pretty surprising given the strikes.
In May, “Jeopardy!” writers Michele Loud, Jim Rhine, and Billy Wisse were standing tall on the picket line, claiming that “There is no ‘Jeopardy’ without writers. Without us, it’s just an empty blue screen.” But Showrunner Michael Davies was already prepared to move ahead without the writers, Variety noted.
NBC Goes Viral For Highly Unfortunate Choice Of Words About ‘Jeopardy!’ Winner | @DailyCaller
I. Can’t. Stop. Laughing. Why. https://t.co/vKu8gWYdns
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“We’re going to open the season with a second chance tournament for players from Season 37 who lost their initial game. Winners from that will advance to a Season 37 and Season 38 Champions Wildcard,” he explained, saying that questions on these episodes would be “a combination of material that our WGA writers wrote before the strike, which is still in the database, and material that has been re-deployed from multiple multiple seasons of the show.” (RELATED: The Last Time Hollywood Writers Went On Strike, Trump Got Elected President. Yes, Really)
Bialik and Jenning were meant to be splitting their time hosting the show, but it now appears Jennings will take the helm. It’s unclear whether this is a permanent change. But it could well become one should the WGA and SAG members continue demanding more money for their already massively-overpaid jobs.