'Jeopardy!' Starts Anew With Ousted Mike Richards As Host; Fans React To Premiere
The new season of "Jeopardy!" is finally here, but not everyone feels happy to see Mike Richards again.
Richards spearheaded the premiere of "Jeopardy!" 38th season on Monday. His appearance surprised the viewers as the supposed host had been axed from the team both as a game master and an executive producer.
During the premiere episode, announcer Johnny Gilbert introduced him but did not mention his name as Alex Trebek's permanent replacement.
"For the first time on the Alex Trebek stage, let's play 'Jeopardy!," Richards said.
Richards infamously left the show after his past scandals reemerged and went viral. He also lost his executive producer position following the news.
Although he only appeared for several episodes, the game show still set his recording as the show's premiere. As a result, "Jeopardy!" garnered negative reviews on the first day of the new season.
Not a Good Start For 'Jeopardy!'
On Twitter, fans of the show flocked and threw ill-comments toward Richards.
One said, "Not looking forward to seeing Mike Richards host tonight's Jeopardy. But ya know what would make up for it? An announcement before the show that they hired #buzztronics. Also, go @AmodioMatt, looking forward to seeing you again! @Jeopardy @SPTV."
"Jeopardy is back tonight and I wonder if Mike Richards made a speech about how honored he was to be permanent host and if they cut of kept it," another added.
Meanwhile, another viewer asked fans not to boycott the premiere just because of Richards. He reasoned out that the contestants were not at fault.
"As #Jeopardy returns today, remember, Mike Richards has already been completely fired. Still, watch his week of shows to support the contestants who had probably long dreamed of competing. Don't punish them because Richards is garbage. This wasn't their fault," one Twitter user explained.
The premiere of the new season came after the show announced Richards as its new permanent host. But not long after the announcement was made, he stepped down as host but remained the executive producer.
Unfortunately, the continuous backlash led to Sony cutting off ties with him completely. As a result, the show also lost its executive producer.
It remains unknown whether another host will replace him or if the show will make Bialik its sole host.
