Anderson Cooper’s debut as a Jeopardy! guest host is off to a rough start. On his first day at the podium, the CNN Silver Fox pulled in the lowest ratings yet for a guest host, just narrowly losing to Dr. Oz’s controversial debut. In Cooper’s defense, he had to follow football star Aaron Rodgers, who brought in a ratings spike for the game show that’s still in the middle of choosing a permanent host to replace Alex Trebek. Via The Wrap:
The 5.1 rating for Cooper’s first week dropped “Jeopardy!” out of the top game show spot, falling behind “Family Feud” which pulled in a 5.5 rating. Cooper’s 5.1 was just below Dr. Oz’s 5.2 rating for his debut week, which had been the previous low for a “Jeopardy!” guest host. Rodgers, the (for now) Green Bay Packers quarterback, began his run with a 5.6; his second week drew a 5.5 rating.
While that’s not the most auspicious start for Cooper, The Wrap notes that Oz averaged a 5.1 rating for his run that caused over 600 former Jeopardy! contestants to sign an open letter urging producers to nix the “miracle cure” purveyor from the show. So there’s still plenty of time for Cooper to pull ahead, and at the very least, best the guy who caused a revolt from former contestants.
In the meantime, fans are eagerly anticipating LeVar Burton finally getting a crack at the Jeopardy! podium as an outpouring of support has pushed the beloved Reading Rainbow host near the top of the list of potential replacements for Trebek.
(Via The Wrap)
