The October 9 episode of Jeopardy! created a frenzy among the fans, not just because of the game night, but also due to the fine-drawn mention of the former host, Mayim Bialik in a clue.
The Wednesday episode had Mark Fitzpatrick, Colleen Kelly, and Robert Franke, as the three competitors. The game night was thrilling as Mark Fitzpatrick was back as the returning winner to take the stakes up.
However, other than Fitzpatrick registering his hat trick as the winner, the night also garnered fans' reaction to Mayim Balik. It has been a year since Mayim Bialik announced her departure from the show. The fans gathered in the comment section of X after Fox News posted about the incident.
The post got mixed reactions. Some fans lauded her while others justified her being fired from the show. One of the fans posted a blunt opinion about Mayim Bialik being the worst host:
"She was the absolute worst!"
Another fan took to the comment section and criticized her hosting capabilities by posting:
"She must have been that bad at her Job."
Another fan commented:
"Eventually, someone's gotta give this girl a job that works."
One fan mentioned that Ken Jennings was simply the better host:
"She is still doing specials with them! Any true Jeopardy fan could tell you Ken Jennings was just the much stronger host. Having alternating hosts was annoying."
However, some fans lauded Mayim for being a great host and posted positive views in the comment section:
"Interesting twist! Mayim has always been a great host. It's intriguing to see how the show references past events like this."
Some lamented that she deserved better, and should not have been fired:
"At least, she don't deserve this"
Another fan wrote:
"I really liked her. I don't watch it anymore."
Surprisingly, some fans were unaware that Mayim Bialik was fired from the show and expressed that in the comment section:
"She was fired? For what"
Another fan claimed that it was a piece of fake news and commented:
"Lies again, she wasn't fired... fake noise from FOX as usual."
Mayim Bialik announced her departure from Jeopardy! last December
On December 16, 2023, the former co-host of Jeopardy! took to her Instagram and announced her departure from the show.
She was referenced in this week's episode in the following manner:
Colleen Kelly chose the 'TV Coupling' category, and got the clue,' Sheldon & Amy, pure genius'.
The answer to the clue was, 'What is ‘The Big Bang Theory?', as rightly guessed by Colleen. Mayim featured in the popular show, The Big Bang Theory, playing Dr. Amy Fowler, a neuroscientist, and Sheldon Cooper's eventual wife. She joined Jeopardy! as the co-host in 2021. She hosted the show on a rotatiional basis with Ken Jennings from 2021 to 2023.
Mayim did not host the show in May 2023 in support of the Writers' Guild protest. Ken Jennings had to go solo for seasons 39 and 40 of the show. After this brief departure, she announced that her journey with Jeopardy! had come to an end. Michael Davies, the showrunner later revealed that they needed consistency in hosting duties which was why they let her go.
Fans can watch Jeopardy! on Weeknights on ABC, and their local TV channels.