After over six months of interim guest hosts, it looks like Jeopardy! has finally settled on a replacement for the late Alex Trebek.
According to Variety, the show’s very own executive producer Mike Richards is in final negotiations to become the show’s permanent host.
While most might not be familiar with Richards, he is a television personality in his own right. He’s probably most known for hosting shows such as Divided and The Pyramid for the Game Show Network, and executive producing a slew of other game shows such as Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? and The Price Is Right.
At one point, he was the host of the hit series Beauty and the Geek back when the CW was known as WB.
After Trebek’s passing, Richards was the first in a long series of guest hosts whose appearance acted as auditions for the gig.
Even though it seems all but finalized, this news is sure to upset fans who rooted for and “fancasted” LeVar Burton to be the next host. On paper, the former host of Reading Rainbow seemed like the perfect candidate.
In addition to Burton, Richards beat the likes of Anderson Cooper, Dr. Oz, Robin Roberts, and even Ken Jennings. Jennings, whose claim to fame is having the longest run on the show was previously thought to be another front-runner for the gig.
An official announcement from ABC is imminent.
Source: Variety
