Jeopardy! co-host Mayim Bialik has been opening up about working on the iconic game show, including how she prepares and her surprise at how much social media attention the show receives.
In a new interview with The Wall Street Journal, the Call Me Kat star said that she is given the clues to prepare on the day of filming. “So I have to review all those clues, practice pronunciations, look things up that I don’t know,” she said. “And honestly try to get as much rest as I can the night before because they are long days and I’m on my feet and talking all day.”
Getting clues right is crucial as hardcore Jeopardy! fans deeply analyze the show and will not let inaccurate information or mispronunciation slip by. This was evidenced during the recent Tournament of Champions when a controversial Biblical clue saw professor Sam Buttrey robbed of a victory, and viewers were not happy.
The hyper-aware social media attention is what surprised Bialik the most since she started working on the show. “There’s a tremendous amount of attention to everything, from the transition after Alex [Trebek] passed to me, and then me and Ken [Jennings], and then the clothing I wear,” she stated.
Bialik and former Jeopardy! champion Jennings were officially announced as the show’s new permanent hosts back in July 2022. “It’s been really nice to get to know him,” the Big Bang Theory alum said of Jennings. “He’s a cultural icon. He’s incredibly smart. He knows so many things, in a way that Jeopardy! champions do. Pick anything and he likely knows about it.”
As for what categories Bialik would be good at? She explained, “My degrees are in neuroscience, and in Hebrew and Jewish studies, so those are the categories that I pretty much feel okay about.”
While hosting Jeopardy! comes with a lot of stress and pressure, Bialik said she makes sure to focus on self-care, revealing she goes to therapy twice a week via Zoom and tries to nap and meditate every day, “even if it’s only 20 minutes on my lunch break.”
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