'Jeopardy!' contestant says he wasn't sent the photo he took with Mike Richards
Mike Richards no longer holds the positions of host and executive producer at Jeopardy!, but the show will be dealing with the fallout from his reign for a while.
In one example, contestant Samit Sarkar, whose game is scheduled to air Friday, wrote on social media last week that contestants were not sent a souvenir photo with the host, as is usually the case. Sarkar's game is scheduled to air Friday, the final day in what was supposed to be Richards's first week as permanent host. It's also the very first week of the TV staple's 38th season.
Btw, @Jeopardy! contestants usually get 2 photos — one with the host + a headshot. We each took a photo with Mike, but were only sent the headshot! ??
I'll have more to say later. For now: The show airs in most markets at 7 or 7:30 PM — check https://t.co/Gm7Fi1VZzX to confirm!— Samit Sarkar (@SamitSarkar) September 7, 2021
Sony Pictures Entertainment, which produces Jeopardy!, did not return Yahoo Entertainment's request for comment about Sarkar's statement.
Richards parted ways with the show last month after racist and misogynistic comments that he's made, as well as workplace discrimination lawsuits implicating him, came to light. Still, the pre-recorded episodes were set to air as planned so that game play would not be disrupted. Going into Tuesday's game, contestant Matt Amodio was on a 19-game winning streak.
Behind the scenes, a search for a replacement host is supposedly underway. Richards was selected from a field of candidates that included Mayim Bialik, who was previously chosen to host primetime Jeopardy! specials in the time she has free from starring in the Fox sitcom Call Me Kat, journalist Robin Roberts, actor LeVar Burton, NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers and many others.
All of this, of course, is an effort to replace former host Alex Trebek, who died of pancreatic cancer in November. Before his death, the beloved host had welcomed contestants — and, yes, posed for photos with them — since 1984.
The show continues to honor Trebek in myriad ways. On Monday, producers announced they had renamed the Culver City, Calif., soundstage where Jeopardy! films from Stage 10 to the Alex Trebek Stage.
