‘Jeopardy!’: Mayim Bialik Had to Keep This Secret Under Wraps
Mayim Bialik is taking over the Jeopardy! lectern once again after a stint by game show GOAT Ken Jennings. The Big Bang Theory alum missed the record-breaking winning streak by Oakland resident Amy Schneider, who knocked former champs Matt Amodio and James Holzhauer down a ranking for most consecutive wins. Though Bialik wasn’t hosting through Schneider’s epic run, she knew when the quiz whiz was going to lose her place at the podium but had to keep it a quiet.
Mayim Bialik hosted during the ‘Amodio Rodeo’ on ‘Jeopardy!’
Bialik was at the helm of the quiz board when Yale student Matt Amodio had his 38-game winning streak. Amodio was defeated by Jonathan Fisher, who went on to win 11 straight games. Fisher lost to Tyler Rhode, who had four straight victories, followed by Andre He with five wins. He lost to Schneider, who made history on the show. Bialik shared her thoughts on the string of winning streaks in Jeopardy’s 38th season.
“I think it’s kind of like the stock market,” Bialik told The Wrap. “Like, if you look at it over a period of five years, 10 years, I think there’s probably more of these kinds of trends. Do I think people are smarter now? No. Is there more information available that never was before? Absolutely.”
The Call Me Kat star relishes the unpredictability of the game show and noted how there are a myriad of factors that can affect a player’s performance.
“I think it’s been a really fun and special time,” she remarked. “But you know, that’s also the fun of Jeopardy! You never know what’s going to happen. Someone can seem like they’re winning, winning, winning, and anything can happen — they can have a tummy ache. And that kind of changes the course of their day.”
Amy Schneider and Mayim Bialik never crossed paths on ‘Jeopardy!’
Since Jennings hosted all of the episodes during Schneider’s streak, Bialik never got personally introduced to the Jeopardy! champ. Bialik was scheduled to return to the legendary lectern on Jan. 31, so she had to keep the fact that they never crossed paths a secret or viewers would be able to estimate the end of Schneider’s run.
“I couldn’t tell anyone that I didn’t meet Amy,” Bialik explained. “Like, it’s finally Monday night [last week], and I was able to post in support for her.”
Bialik was happy when the news of Schneider’s exit was announced so she didn’t have to keep any details under wraps any longer.
“[I] was a little bit relieved that it was finally public,” she commented. “Then I didn’t have to go back to work and be like, ‘I can’t say anything.’ That’s kind of what my life is like.”
Mayim Bialik set to host ‘Jeopardy!’ National College Championship
Starting on Feb. 8, Bialik will be hosting the Jeopardy! National College Championship tournament in prime time. With each tournament episode 60-minutes long, the shows will air Tuesdays through Fridays until Feb. 22.
“I love my Jeopardy! work all the time, but these days with these college students, this is our Jeopardy! version of March Madness,” Bialik said, as reported by ABC7. “With these 36 students, it was just a fun energy.”
Bialik added, “This tournament, there’s representation from public schools, private schools, historically Black colleges, small schools big schools. It really is a beautiful representation of really exceptional young people.”
