Mayim Bialik Makes Big Jeopardy! Mistake And Producers Intervene
Mayim Bialik keeps the bizarrely controversial recent history of Jeopardy! going with a new on-screen gaffe.
Ever since long-time host Alex Trebek passed away in 2020 from pancreatic cancer, Jeopardy! has seemed to create controversy left and right. From the disastrous presence of Mike Richards who appointed himself the host of the television series to succeed Trebek only to be fired days later, to the decision to split hosting duties between Ken Jennings and Mayim Bialik, fans of Jeopardy! have been put through the wringer for the past couple of years. It appears that the game show has made the news once again, this time for an unbelievable mistake that Bialik made during a recent broadcast.
According to a report by iHeart Radio’s Q104.3, primetime Jeopardy! host Mayim Bialik interrupted a contestant trying to answer a question, causing confusion behind the podium. At one point during the first round of Jeopardy!, contestant and current champion Megan Wachspress was answering a question that Bialik asked of the three competitors concerning the old proverb about leading a horse to water. Wachspress was attempting to complete the line with “What is make them drink,” but she fumbled her words a bit by saying, “What is drink…what is make…” As she was editing herself before her time ran out, Bialik cut Wachspress off and deemed the answer incorrect. Then, a different contestant buzzed with the correct response, and $400 was added to that contestant’s bank instead.
The producers of Jeopardy! decided to intervene on behalf of Mayim Bialik and Megan Wachspress, which made the situation a bit better in the end. During the commercial break, producers discussed giving Wachspress the $400 due to Bialik’s interruption and the fact that Wachspress did have more time to answer correctly. Before Double Jeopardy started, Bialik announced the correction and ended up giving the contestant her justified winnings. Not to fret though as Wachspress was the eventual winner of that game, per the US Sun.
If all of that wasn’t enough to put Jeopardy! in the spotlight this week, Mayim Bialik has also announced some troubling health news. The Big Bang Theory actor has tested positive for COVID-19, according to Deadline. Bialik is said to be feeling fine except for extreme exhaustion, something she pointed out in her announcement that makes COVID-19 different feeling from the standard flu. Fortunately for fans of Jeopardy! this news doesn’t affect the show as all episodes for this season have already been filmed and Bialik has concluded her hosting duties.
The current season of Jeopardy! will air until July 2022 with Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings continuing to split hosting duties. Around the end of the season, producers are set to announce a permanent host to replace Bialik and Jennings. Longtime viewers of the game show have speculated several different possible hosts on social media, but the one that most are assuming will take the podium next season is Buzzy Cohen. According to the New York Post, Cohen is a well-known Tournament of Champions winner who recently sent a cryptic message on Twitter that many believe is his announcement to host Jeopardy!, but Sony has yet to confirm this news.
