“Jeopardy!” fans rooting for Ken Jennings to become the permanent host of the beloved quiz show now have another reason to get excited.
The trivia game show “The Chase” — which for two seasons has featured “Jeopardy!” greats Jennings, James Holzhauer and Brad Rutter — recently announced that Jennings will not be returning to his role for the show’s third season on ABC, Deadline reported.
Last year, Jennings’ obligations with “The Chase” interfered with his hosting schedule on “Jeopardy!,” the Deseret News reported. Jennings was the first person to guest host the show following Alex Trebek’s death, hosting for six weeks until he had to step down because of “The Chase.”
Now that Jennings is no longer on the show, fans are wondering if this frees up his schedule to officially become Trebek’s successor. When Jennings shared the news on Twitter, many “Jeopardy!” fans began to speculate.
- “Ken, please let this mean that you’re going to be the permanent host of regular season game play @Jeopardy!” one fan wrote. “As much as I enjoy you on @thechaseabc you have done an excellent job hosting Jeopardy!, and I would be thrilled to see you hosting it each weekday permanently.”
- “From what others are saying...I will miss you on The Chase...,” another fan added. “Loved your interaction with the contestants...hopefully this means you got the Jeopardy job full time!”
- “Permanent J hosting announcement incoming?” wrote another fan.
The news comes just a few days after Jennings hit the milestone of hosting 100 games, the Deseret News reported. But Mayim Bialik, who has also been hosting “Jeopardy!” this season, recently told Entertainment Tonight she was interested in the full-time gig.
- “I would love that,” Bialik said. “I like to say, I’ve lived season to season, since I was about 13 years old. So, what I know is I’m hosting until May 6, and beyond that, hopefully.”
The current season of “Jeopardy!” runs through July 29.
Who will be on ‘The Chase’?
Holzhauer and Rutter return to their roles as chasers on “The Chase,” a show where contestants compete against the trivia pros.
Joining the show is “Jeopardy!” champion Buzzy Cohen — who hosted the show’s “Tournament of Champions” last year — Victoria Groce, who finished third in the 2020 World Quizzing Championship, and quizmaster Brandon Blackwell, Deadline reported.
The new season of “The Chase” premieres May 3.