Amy Schneider Makes A Recommendation For Permanent Jeopardy! Host
The search for a new host to replace the late Alex Trebek on "Jeopardy!" has been complicated. Everyone from Katie Couric and Aaron Rodgers to LeVar Burton and former champ Ken Jennings auditioned for the job, which was eventually given to the show's executive producer Mike Richards. But soon after news broke that during Richards' time as executive producer of "The Price Is Right," his production company was sued by two former models for discrimination and sexual harassment, forcing him to step down from his new gig, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Since then, Jennings and "Big Bang Theory" star Mayim Bialik have shared hosting duties, with Jennings getting to witness Amy Schneider's 40-day winning streak — a run that was the second longest in the show's history, behind Jennings'. And that's not the only history that Schneider made while on the show. She also broke the record for the longest winning streak by any female player and became the first transgender contestant to qualify for the Tournament of Champions. "I think that the best part for me has been being on TV, you know, as my true self, expressing myself and representing the entire community of trans people," she told "Good Morning America" (via the New York Post). "Just being, you know, a smart, confident woman and doing something super normal like being on 'Jeopardy!'"
And now that her winning streak has cone to an end, Schneider is speaking up about who should be the permanent "Jeopardy!" host.
Amy Schneider thinks Ken Jennings is the perfect choice
For Amy Schneider, the decision on who should be the permanent host of "Jeopardy!" is obvious. "I think Ken Jennings should be the host. I really, I can't say enough about him," Schneider said Sunday on CNN's Reliable Sources. "I didn't necessarily think that before going into this, you know, because, like, yes, he was a great champion, but this is a different skill set. But you could see the work that he put into it, and I just thought he did a really great job, so as far as I'm concerned, that's my endorsement."
As for Jennings, he has talked about how difficult it is to try to fill late host Alex Trebek's shoes. "It's a very tricky job. The mechanics of hosting 'Jeopardy!' are daunting. There's a lot going on at once, and Alex made it all look so easy. But I can tell you firsthand, it's not easy," said Jennings, adding (per the New York Post), "You can't stand on that stage and say those things without thinking about him. Every time I'm up there, I'm doing Alex. Not just because he perfected it, but because that's the only way I've ever seen it done."