Mayim Bialik Allegedly Causing Problems Behind The Scenes Of Jeopardy!

Could there be some issues happening behind the scenes with Mayim Bialik on the set of Jeopardy!? A recent report hints at problems. Could her time there be shorter than expected?

By Doug Norrie | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

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Jeopardy! has had more than a few problems in the show’s transition from the iconic Alex Trebek following his tragic passing last year. After, a high-profile search for a new host that included celebrities, former guests, and even the show’s employees they landed on Mike Richards. That lasted about 30 controversy-filled seconds. At that point, they brought in Mayim Bialik who had a good run when the show was testing out new folks. Well, it might not all be great behind the scenes of the show right now, with word that there continue to be problems with the production. OK Magazine is reporting that Bialik has been at odds with some others in the production staff over the last couple of months. 

As part of the OK Magazine reporting, some of the alleged issues behind the scenes of Jeopardy! seem to stem from Mayim Bialik not adhering to aspects of the fashion elements on the show, bringing an eccentricity to it that hadn’t been the case with Trebek. Whether this is an actual “problem” or not isn’t totally clear. She obviously isn’t Trebek, but that was kind of the point with the hire. With the show possibly rebranding a bit for the future with a totally new host, especially in the wake of the Mike Richards controversy, bringing a different look to the program doesn’t seem like it should be a point of contention. But that might not be the case. 

These “sources” from OK Magazine apparently come from people on the production staff for Jeopardy! They said that Mayim Bialik wouldn’t be the permanent replacement as the host in the future. But for the time being, even though there might be moderate discord around how things run, it wasn’t a dealbreaker for the short-term. The source told Ok Magazine, “the feeling onset is that the show needs a more polished pro, not a celebrity…Until they find one, they’re just going to have to live with her eccentricities!”

mayim Bialik, Jeopardy

Mayim Bialik was not the original choice to host Jeopardy! after the passing of Alex Trebek. Following a celebrity-filled “test” period around the hosting duties that included ex-champion Ken Jennings, NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and others, show producer Mike Richards was chosen as the permanent replacement. But when a Ringer article was published detailing some of Richards’ behind-the-scenes behavior, especially regarding women, the show quickly moved on from that decision. He was replaced quickly and Bialik, who had been popular during her test run, came back for interim duties. 

While Jeopardy! continues to look for a permanent host to helm the long-running game show, the question might become who actually wants the gig? With problems now brewing over the first two choices, could it be that filling the shoes of the great Alex Trebek is just too difficult? Considering Trebek had become something of an American institution in his 37 years hosting the show, anyone coming along now will only be compared to his greatness. It’s tough sledding in this respect with anyone stepping in having to suffer the comparisons right from the outset. It will be interesting to see what comes of this latest news around Mayim Bialik and who ends up taking the full-time gig.