Summary
- Mayim Bialik has declined hosting duties for Celebrity Jeopardy season 2 as she stands in solidarity with the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikers. Ken Jennings will replace her for the season.
- Jeopardy season 40 has been affected by the strikes, with the show forced to use a combination of new and recycled material. Some previous winners have also refused to return, showing their for the WGA.
- Celebrity Jeopardy season 2 will have all original clues since the material was written before the WGA strike.
Celebrity Jeopardy! season 2 found a new host, with former host Mayim Bialik having declined to reappear on the Jeopardy! spinoff. Serving as a spinoff of the popular and long-running quiz show, Celebrity Jeopardy season 1 premiered in 2022, featuring guests including Simu Liu, Andy Richter, Constance Wu, and Michael Cera, among others. While the original Celebrity Jeopardy! was originally only a special edition episode of Jeopardy! this new variation is a separate show altogether. Mayim Bialik was tapped as Jeopardy!'s host in spring 2023 but the writers' and actors' strike in Hollywood led to some changes for season 2.
On the first season of Celebrity Jeopardy!, Mayim Bialik hosted a tournament that ended with Will Wheaton, Patton Oswalt, and Ike Barinholtz as the final three, with Barinholtz winning the competition. Her performance was roundly celebrated and her experience in game shows certainly helped her, as Bialik had guest-hosted Jeopardy! in seasons 37 and 38. Those unfamiliar with Biliak's Jeopardy! career may instead know her for playing Amy Farrah Fowler in The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon. But despite her success in season 1 of Celebrity Jeopardy! Bialik did not return for season 2.
Why Some Actors Are Still Working During The SAG-AFTRA Strike
Despite the of SAG-AFTRA going on strike starting on July 14, 2023, some actors are still able to work on movie and television show sets.
Mayim Bialik Refused To Host Celebrity Jeopardy! In Solidarity With The WGA & SAG-AFTRA
In August 2023, Mayim Bialik rejected hosting duties for Celebrity Jeopardy! as she stood in solidarity with the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikers (via Variety). While Bialik has not publicly commented on her departure from the show, a source told The Messenger, "Mayim is choosing to stand with the actors like she did the writers and won't cross the picket lines..." Immediately, a press release was issued by ABC stating that Ken Jennings would be hosting Celebrity Jeopardy! season 2 in the fall of 2023, which premiered on September 27.
This did not come as a major surprise considering that Mayim Biliak left Jeopardy! season 39 in May 2023, before the season ended and at the beginning of the strike. Her for the WGA strike extended into the SAG-AFTRA strike. While the WGA strike ended on September 27, 2023, the SAG-AFTRA strike remains ongoing. However, recent promotional pictures show Biliak and Jennings together in a YouTube series that will show clips of the pair hosting "spooky" categories from past shows. While this doesn't mean Biliak is back hosting, it does indicate Jeopardy! still considers her a part of their team and she could very well return.
How The Strikes Affected Jeopardy!
The combined WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes brought Hollywood to a standstill as writers and actors campaigned for fair pay and contracts. Jeopardy! was not immune to the effects of the strikes, with the quiz show reliant on writers to generate the question clues. As the show continued, showrunner Michael Davies revealed that material for the season was generated by writers before the strike, in addition to some recycled material from older seasons.
Although the show did have season 40 questions at the ready, it was revealed in August 2023 that some previous Jeopardy! winners were refusing to return to the show in an effort to the striking WGA writers. Season 40 features only returning champions from seasons 37 and 38 participating in a Second Chance Tournament. The show has Jennings as the sole host, as Bialik was still standing in solidarity with the WGA at the time, their strike still ongoing when Jeopardy! season 40 premiered.
As for Celebrity Jeopardy!, Davies revealed that all material for season 2 was written before the WGA went on strike in May. This means that, unlike the material in the main series, the spinoff has all original clues. The fact that Celebrity Jeopardy! and its predecessor continued during the WGA strike was the subject of some controversy, but now that at least that strike is over, things should be settling down in the Jeopardy! world.
