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LeVar Burton embraces calls to make him next Jeopardy host

Stevicus

Veteran Member
Staff member
Premium Member
LeVar Burton embraces calls to make him the next 'Jeopardy!' host

On Monday, the former “Reading Rainbow" host tweeted a Change.org petition to give him the reins at the popular game show following the death of longtime host Alex Trebek last year.

"Leaving this here in the event the powers that be are listening," Burton said, linking to the petition, which as of Wednesday afternoon had nearly 175,000 signatures out of a 200,000 goal.

“Between hosting 21 seasons of the educational Reading Rainbow, playing the brainiac engineer Geordi La Forge on Star Trek: the Next Generation, and filling the roll of Kunta Kinte in the ever important mini-series Roots, LeVar Burton has inspired and shaped the minds of several generations of trivia-loving nerds,” the petition reads.

“This petition is to show Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. and producers Mike Richards and Harry Friedman just how much love the public has for Burton, and how much we'd all love to see him as the next host of Jeopardy!” it continues

Since Trebek's death in November from pancreatic cancer, “Jeopardy!” has enlisted rotating bevy of guest hosts to fill his shoes, including Katie Couric, Aaron Rodgers, Mehmet Oz and Sanjay Gupta.

I guess many fans don't like Dr. Oz as the host.

Some 500 former contestants wrote an open letter criticizing the show for having Oz, popularly known as Dr. Oz, as host, saying the move is contrary to everything the knowledge-based program stands for.

“Jeopardy! Is a show that values facts and knowledge. Throughout his nearly two decades on television he has used his authority as a doctor to push harmful ideas onto the American public, in stark contrast with his oath to first do no harm,” the letter said.

“These ideas include promoting supplements that do nothing, legitimizing gay conversion therapy (which is banned in California, as well as 19 other states), dangerous ‘cures’ for autism, and, most recently, the use of hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID-19,” it added.

Well, I'm in favor of it. Commander LaForge as the host on Jeopardy. Make it so.
 

Subduction Zone

Veteran Member
When even the New York Post gets it right one wonders what the producers of Jeopardy were thinking:

Dr. Oz is a ratings loser for 'Jeopardy!' after controversy

While it’s no surprise that the current slate of guest hosts don’t hold a candle to the show’s beloved late questionmaster, a cohort of demoralized former contestants and fans have come for Dr. Oz, in particular, for besmirching the show’s good name — given his alleged reputation for touting pseudo-science on his daytime health talk show.

I like Levar Burton. And there is no way at all that he could be worse than Oz.
 
When even the New York Post gets it right one wonders what the producers of Jeopardy were thinking:

Dr. Oz is a ratings loser for 'Jeopardy!' after controversy

While it’s no surprise that the current slate of guest hosts don’t hold a candle to the show’s beloved late questionmaster, a cohort of demoralized former contestants and fans have come for Dr. Oz, in particular, for besmirching the show’s good name — given his alleged reputation for touting pseudo-science on his daytime health talk show.

I like Levar Burton. And there is no way at all that he could be worse than Oz.

Oz of all people...truth is stranger than fiction. They must have been secret lovers.
 

Shadow Wolf

Certified People sTabber
When even the New York Post gets it right one wonders what the producers of Jeopardy were thinking:

Dr. Oz is a ratings loser for 'Jeopardy!' after controversy

While it’s no surprise that the current slate of guest hosts don’t hold a candle to the show’s beloved late questionmaster, a cohort of demoralized former contestants and fans have come for Dr. Oz, in particular, for besmirching the show’s good name — given his alleged reputation for touting pseudo-science on his daytime health talk show.

I like Levar Burton. And there is no way at all that he could be worse than Oz.
Dr. Oz is a disgrace to Trebek's image and legacy. Burton, having done Reading Rainbow and many other projects, is a great fit for the roll.
He just has to at least sometimes wear Geordi's visor.:tearsofjoy:
 

Twilight Hue

Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
I have no reservations. LeVar would make an excellent host. He has a friendly approachable personality like Alex had, and I think it would make the game show as popular as it ever was.

Will people recognise him without visor? He'd certainly add an "industrial" quality to hosting.
Alex also had an ever-changing coiffe over the years...
 

Subduction Zone

Veteran Member
Will people recognise him without visor? He'd certainly add an "industrial" quality to hosting.
Alex also had an ever-changing coiffe over the years...
He had quite a few stints on The Big Bang Theory. That is a nerd friendly show. And of course if one is old enough his performance in Roots was truly masterful.

I am rather excited about the possibility.
 

Twilight Hue

Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
Will people recognise him without visor? He'd certainly add an "industrial" quality to hosting.
Alex also had an ever-changing coiffe over the years...
I seen him hosting reading rainbow and have to say his abilities and approachable personality makes a nice fit.

A lot of kids who remember the program I'm sure will be well acquainted seeing him without the star trek visor since growing up.

Like the death of Richard Dawson replaced by Steve Harvey in Family Fued , it's no replacement for a former host, but rather bringing ones own unique special charm and flavor to the show to a level that many can find very appealing in its own way.
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
They should let Jessie Ventura host an episode.
He & Alex Trebek were quite a hoot together on
an episode of The X-Files.
 

Stevicus

Veteran Member
Staff member
Premium Member
Looks like they didn't pick LeVar Burton for the job to host Jeopardy.

For A Show Full Of Answers, 'Jeopardy!' Host Selection Raises A Lot Of Questions | NCPR News (northcountrypublicradio.org)

After all the discussion and the pretense of running guest hosts as "try outs," in the end, the boss picked himself for the job.

It's the same guy who ran The Price Is Right and was accused of fostering a toxic work environment by some of the models on that show.

When you run a bunch of guest hosts through what you imply are tryouts and then you pick the boss who oversaw their auditions, it can make it seem like the whole thing was kind of a joke. Again, this has nothing to do with whether Richards is a good host or not — from what I've heard from people who followed more closely than I did, he got a good response, even though some people certainly found him, for lack of a better term, game-show-host-y.

But if you think there's any chance you're going to pick the guy who's in charge of the show, making it seem like you're doing a kind of open call just gives people more time to develop preferences for other people you will seem to have rejected. It also gives them more time to get frustrated that you auditioned at least some hosts of color, at least some women, but then you pick one of the lowest-profile people involved, who happens to be the white guy in charge.
 
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