Ken Jennings is noticeably absent from the announcement of new episodes of The Chase, and the hole in his schedule has Jeopardy! fans wondering if this means Jennings has finally locked down the permanent hosting gig. After a Deadline report left out Jennings name from the upcoming cast for The Chase, fellow “Chaser” James Holzhauer confirmed the news with an on-brand dig at his buddy, Jennings.
By popular demand, The Chase is now 100% @KenJennings-free https://t.co/wFZriplgEF
— James Holzhauer (@James_Holzhauer) March 15, 2022
“By popular demand, The Chase is now 100% @KenJennings-free,” Holzhauer tweeted. Jennings, naturally, responded with a back-handed compliment. “I’m already missing all the lovely folks at @thechaseabc, and the great trivia minds, and James.”
With Jennings officially confirming the news himself, Jeopardy! fans jumped into reply if this meant what they think it means.
“Ken, please let this mean that you’re going to be the permanent host of regular season game play @Jeopardy!” a fan tweeted at Jennings. “As much as I enjoy you on @thechaseabc, you have done an excellent job hosting Jeopardy!, and I would be thrilled to see you hosting it each weekday permanently!”
Ken, please let this mean that you’re going to be the permanent host of regular season game play @Jeopardy! As much as I enjoy you on @thechaseabc, you have done an excellent job hosting Jeopardy!, and I would be thrilled to see you hosting it each weekday permanently! 💗💗💗
— Courtney Rogers (@CourtneyMRogers) March 15, 2022
He must be! He's the best!
— Shelli Block (@BlockShelli) March 16, 2022
You MUST be Jeop's permanent host. Watching you makes us remember Alex and how seamlessly he integrated all aspects of the show – warmly interacting with players, knowledge of subject matter, timing, humor, grace. You are that complete package, Ken.
— Coreen Steinbach (@coreensteinbach) March 15, 2022
Interestingly, news of Jennings not returning to The Chase arrived just a few days after the Jeopardy! champ revealed that he’s now hosted 100 episodes of the hit game show.
“Apparently tonight is my 100th time hosting Jeopardy!” Jennings tweeted on Friday March 11, Which means (a) I have now hosted more games than I played, and (b) I’m just 9,950 hours away from achieving Malcolm Gladwell-style mastery.”
Apparently tonight is my 100th time hosting Jeopardy!, which means (a) I have now hosted more games than I played, and (b) I’m just 9,950 hours away from achieving Malcolm Gladwell-style mastery.
— Ken Jennings (@KenJennings) March 12, 2022
After the Mike Richards scandal, Jeopardy! producers have been understandably cautious about picking a full-time host to replace the show’s long-time legendary host, Alex Trebek. However, Jennings has been a top contender, and he recently received a ringing endorsement from Jeopardy! champ Amy Schneider who was a major hit with fans. Could this finally be Jennings’ big moment? After the Richards fiasco, we’re not calling anything until Jeopardy! producers make an official announcement.
(Via Deadline)
