Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings have officially been signed on to continue hosting “Jeopardy!” moving forward, executive producer Michael Davies announced today. On top of that, Davies announced a slew of new programming for the long-running series that was expand the “Jeopardy!” franchise.
“They have both been a joy to work with,” Davies said of Bialik and Jennings. “They have my commitment, my producer oath, that I will focus on nothing but improving the show around them so that they can do their best work and approach every day in the studio with excitement and energy.”
Jennings will kick off the season in September, host the inaugural Second Chance competition and the heavily anticipated Tournament of Champions featuring Amy Schneider, Matt Amodio, Mattea Roach, Ryan Long and more. The former champ’s initial hosting run will take the show through December.
In the meantime, Bialik will host “Celebrity Jeopardy!” on ABC in primetime. When she takes over from Jennings in January, the current plan is to have her host a couple of new tournaments as well as the “Jeopardy! National College Championship” – and as many weeks as she can manage with her other primetime commitment to “Call Me Kat.”
On Monday, Aug. 1, a handpicked roster of the producers’ favorite episodes of the season, closest contests and super-champions will kick off a six-week run of repeat episodes. Also starting Monday will be “Jeopardy! Highlights,” which will include a daily, three-minute highlight recap of the day’s episode; that’s shared across the show’s website and social media channels.
Davies said he is also developing an “Inside Jeopardy!” podcast, which will be a topical weekly podcast hosted by “Jeopardy!” producers. “Inside Jeopardy!” will provide an inside look into everything going on behind the scenes of the classic series, from gameplay analysis and never-before-told stories, to official announcements and special interviews.
“Jeopardy!” producers are also scheduled to announce the contestants who will be returning for a Second Chance to become champion on Monday.
