“Jeopardy!” champion James Holzhauer is never one to shy away from sharing his feelings, and that holds true with his thoughts on the new host of “Wheel of Fortune.”
Earlier this week, it was announced that Ryan Seacrest was officially taking over hosting duties on the popular game show after Pat Sajak finishes filming the upcoming season, and Holzhauer joked that they should have taken notes from “Jeopardy!”.
“Wheel of Fortune went about this all wrong,” he wrote on Twitter.
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James Holzhauer jokes that “Wheel of Fortune” should have taken a cue from “Jeopardy!” when choosing Pat Sajak’s replacement. (Eric McCandless/Ricky Middlesworth/ABC)
“First you subject the contestants and viewers to an endless parade of temps who don’t prepare before hosting,” he continued. “Then the producer in charge of the search says ‘Actually, *I* would be the perfect host.’ Then ‘jk we have two hosts now.’”
Holzhauer is referring to the somewhat chaotic chain of events that took place during the process of finding a new host for “Jeopardy!” after Alex Trebek passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2020.
Alex Trebek hosted “Jeopardy!” for 36 years. (Jeopardy! via AP)
While producers worked on the impossible task of replacing Trebek, they invited a long list of guest hosts to try their hand at the job.
People like LeVar Burton, Katie Couric, Savannah Guthrie, Dr. Oz and Aaron Rodgers all hosted shows – and those are just a few examples.
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As Holzhauer suggested, there were some issues during this period. Several fans were not happy with the delivery of many, if not most of the guest hosts. They were looking for the easy wittiness and wide range of knowledge that Trebek brought to the show, and it was difficult to find.
Executive producer Mike Richards was originally named as permanent host of “Jeopardy!.” (Photo by Daytime Emmy Awards 2021 via Getty Images)
After the array of guests hosted, “Jeopardy!,” executive producer Mike Richards – a man who has experience in hosting game shows and had also taken his turn vying for Trebek’s role – was named as the new permanent host.
There was a lot of controversy surrounding this decision, as it appeared to fans that Richards had simply given himself the coveted job. After a few days of outrage, he made the decision to step down as host, and a few weeks later he cut ties with “Jeopardy!” entirely.
Finally, Ken Jennings and Mayim Bialik were both named as hosts with plans to switch out for various tournaments or after a certain length of time.
Ken Jennings and Mayim Bialik take turns hosting “Jeopardy!.” (Photo by FOX via Getty Images)
Holzhauer’s comment was clearly a joke, but that did nOt stop his followers from expressing disappointment over Seacrest taking over Sajak’s job.
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“I think I’d rather they did it like Jeopardy because I’m tired of seeing Ryan EVERYWHERE! Pick someone else!” one person replied.
Another wrote, “I feel very strongly that Wheel of Fortune made the wrong choice. Vanna White should have been Chosen hands down..and Maggie Sajak second choice. Wheel of Fortune really blew the show.. I’m a lifelong viewer but not now..”
Pat Sajak will retire after the upcoming season finishes filming, and Ryan Seacret will take his place. (Getty Images)
Sajak’s plan is to film the 41st season of “Wheel of Fortune,” which is set to start airing in September, then retire. For the 42nd season, Seacrest will take his place.
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Vanna White, meanwhile, is reportedly fighting for a higher salary after not receiving a pay raise in 18 years. It is unclear if she will remain on the show as co-host if she is not offered more compensation.