Instead of hiring a permanent host to replace Alex Trebek following his death last November, Jeopardy! is trying out guest hosts to see if anyone will stick. Ken Jennings was given the inaugural duties from early-January to mid-February, followed by Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune executive producer Mike Richards and journalist Katie Couric. It’s now Dr. Oz’s turn, but everyone is ready for his two-week stint to be over.
The not-good doctor is a Fox News regular who advocated for hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 patients (something the FDA cautioned against doing); he also said that the idea of reopening schools during the pandemic was “an appetizing opportunity” as it would “only cost us 2 to 3 percent in terms of total mortality,” a “trade-off some folks would consider.” As Answers in the Form of Questions author Claire McNear wrote for The Ringer, Mehmet Oz has “consistently distanced himself from science and the world of fact generally, openly admitting to courting nonsense on his show for the simple reason that it’s ‘very entertaining.'” Oz’s unscientific and potentially dangerous baseless medical claims are plentiful, so it’s no wonder Donald Trump is a fan:
Dr. Oz has a connection with President Trump, who appeared on the Sept. 15, 2016 edition of his syndicated talk show — as a candidate — to exclusively share his medical records. Perhaps to return the favor, the president appointed Dr. Oz to a two-year term as a member of the President’s Council on Sport, Fitness, and Nutrition in May 2018… Henry I. Miller, a senior fellow at the Pacific Research Institute in San Francisco, sent a letter to Columbia University in 2015, signed by 10 physicians, that criticized Dr. Oz and asked the institution to remove him from its faculty.
Hm. Maybe we shouldn’t let the guy who doesn’t believe in facts host the fact-based game show? Just a thought. Another thought: let Frank Oz guest host instead. Everyone could get behind that, unlike the reaction to Dr. Oz’s introductory tweet:
Here's a letter signed by over 500 former contestants (myself included) opposed to Dr. Oz hosting the show because of his rampant promotion of pseudoscience.https://t.co/mA8JW9iZTM https://t.co/ahHLJ2PSMp
— Hemant Mehta (@hemantmehta) March 22, 2021
I will never watch @Jeopardy if a grifter like @DrOz is hosting. Really bad choice. https://t.co/pcYY0BSLZ0
— Kimberley Johnson (@AuthorKimberley) March 22, 2021
https://twitter.com/MohanadElshieky/status/1374037239659892742
This show is about facts and accuracy. Dr. Oz is a peddler of falsehoods & snake oil. As a longtime fan of your show, I refuse to watch anytime he's hosting. It's an insult to the memory of Alex Trebek. #TruthMatters #bringbackkenjennings
— Michael Burgi (@michaelburgi) March 22, 2021
Which disgrace to the practice of medicine was recently selected as a guest host of Jeopardy? https://t.co/Js6sGXXXIl
— Yoni Freedhoff🎗️ (@YoniFreedhoff) March 22, 2021
https://twitter.com/KT_So_It_Goes/status/1374034131915538435
https://twitter.com/heavenrants/status/1374040465608212488
Jeopardy was my favorite show. I took the test four times. I was on my high school quiz team. The great Alex Trebek was a tireless champion of knowledge. Putting a snake oil fraud like Oz who has harmed others with his lies at the podium is an affront to Alex's memory. https://t.co/eL0JNCqaj9
— Carl (@thebuckeyegamer) March 22, 2021
He makes his money by selling contestants Brain Pills before the show. https://t.co/xYZNI8qAK2
— pourmecoffee (@pourmecoffee) March 22, 2021
Alex Trebek's final episodes gave us a moving, frank look at a real-life health crisis, endured with grace and no little difficulty. These were challenging and honest. Dr. Oz, by contrast, has suggested that drinking green tea with turmeric can prevent pancreatic cancer. https://t.co/3mIQ7JaDDc
— Daniel D'Addario (@DPD_) March 22, 2021
WTF? An insult to Jeopardy. Unless these are some special avant garde episodes where even responses that aren’t based in fact are considered to be correct, in which case that’s perfect stunt casting. https://t.co/3YKHC9vrvj
— David Friedman (@ironicsans) March 22, 2021
How dare y’all desecrate the memory of Alex Trebek by letting this troglodyte stand where he stood. https://t.co/gnXp4mPZcp
— (Sham) (@Shamsdale) March 22, 2021
Does this mean he’ll make up the answers like on his show? https://t.co/Ybf8YQ2thV
— Jeremy Taggart (@Taggart7) March 22, 2021
I love Jeopardy but I absolutely hate this. Oz promotes pseudoscience. He has no place on a show that celebrates intellectual curiosity by testing fact-based knowledge. https://t.co/YaesUDJtZI
— Brian Klaas (@brianklaas) March 22, 2021
I know this sounds awful but if everyone tunes in there should only be a 2-3% mortality rate. https://t.co/bl6Xgx8nJ4
— Louis Virtel (@louisvirtel) March 22, 2021
https://twitter.com/awmccall/status/1374041601895493636
The question for every answer is: “What causes autism?” https://t.co/DwgT4zmQdZ
— David Weigel (@daveweigel) March 22, 2021
answers in the form of a just asking questions https://t.co/rzruCoJlcn
— Tim Murphy (@timothypmurphy) March 22, 2021
My working theory is that the producers know there are big shoes to fill with near impossible expectations, so instead Dr Oz is supposed to make everyone mad enough that any guy after him will be considered a massive improvement and relief https://t.co/xINSIaw77M
— Mecca Allahzilla (@TheEpicDept) March 22, 2021
If that last tweet is true, congrats to the new Jeopardy! host, Aaron Rodgers.
