Mayim Bialik's 'Distracting' Pauses on 'Jeopardy!' Slammed

Some Jeopardy! fans have taken shots at Mayim Bialik, criticizing the distinctive way she has hosted the quiz show.

All-time Jeopardy! champ Ken Jennings has hosted the syndicated quiz show since its 38th season, while Bialik has presented the tournaments. On occasion, they have switched places on the main show and specials.

They were officially announced as the show's permanent hosts before the start of the current season, No. 39, last year, following the death of popular long-time presenter Alex Trebek in November 2020.

Jennings' most recent block of prerecorded shows came to an end in April, with Bialik stepping up to the lectern from early May onward. It has since been reported that while Bialik had intended to host the remainder of Season 39, she has been replaced by Jennings after exiting the set in support of the ongoing writers' strike.

With Bialik's prerecorded episodes still airing, some Jeopardy! viewers have complained on Twitter about the pacing of her responses to contestants.

"Mayim's tendency to pause when confirming the correct answer drives me nuts," wrote one viewer after watching the Call Me Kat star host the show.

"Mayim is so awkward and robotic," another complained. "Why does she pause so long before every weird '.....that's it!' or '...yes!' Waiting for producers to give the thumbs up? Especially bad after watching Ken host Jeopardy Masters for the last three weeks. Please just make him the full time host."

"I think Mayim's pauses/hesitation makes the contestants feel insecure or like their response is wrong so they try to quickly add onto it," tweeted another. "Someone really needs to talk w/her about it. It's distracting for audience & contestants alike."

"I wish I could understand WHY she does those awkward pauses," said another viewer. "Is she looking to judges for confirmation? Is she waiting to hear from producers? WHAT? We can't see her face, so it's hard to know. As much as I LOVE J!, I dread seeing her host. It's going to be a long summer..."

Tagging the Jeopardy! Twitter account, another asked: "@Jeopardy Is it just me but does it bother anyone else how long it takes Mayim Bialik to tell contestants if they are correct?"

Another tweeted that Bialik "needs to say if it's correct faster! Good lord, giving these contestants heart attacks."

Meanwhile, one commenter recommended that Bialik host another quiz show. "I think Mayim would be a great host for Wheel of Fortune," the person said. "I think her personality would be a better fit for Wheel than Jeopardy!"

But other viewers defended Bialik, saying they were enjoying her style of hosting.

"Mayim is doing a great job," tweeted one fan. "If the contestants have a problem with her the [powers that be] will get word and find another. I find her just fine. She is one intelligent & educated woman."

"Love Mayim. She's sweet and does a great job," said one viewer, while another wrote that she "is the only choice for permanent host of Jeopardy!"

"I think Mayim is improving," said another. "Been watching her TikToks and truly appreciate her. If there were one host only I would pick Ken on pedigree alone, but I can fully accept Mayim as cohost now."

During an appearance on the Inside Jeopardy! podcast in August, Bialik and Jennings spoke with fellow host Sarah Whitcomb Foss about how they deal with online backlash from fans of the quiz show.

"We're still people, so I can't say that when you hear things that are constructive criticism that you don't start thinking a little bit too much about it," Bialik said. "But, I don't know, I kind of take everybody's opinion both with a grain of salt and also believe everybody has a right to their opinion."

For Jennings, the negative reaction came early, when he saw some people were "sick of him" in the earlier stages of his run as a Jeopardy! contestant in 2004. Jennings holds the record for the show's longest win streak, with 74 games.

"Even as a contestant, I remember being shocked at how free—it was the early days of the internet, but people were still very much like, 'Oh, I'm sick of this guy already.' And I'm like, 'Oh, there's like three more months [of me].... This guy's gonna have a bad summer!' I just kind of had to dissociate."

He continued: "You know what? Jeopardy! has got such a big, diverse audience. You're not going to be able to please everybody every night. But I think that's the virtue of having a couple hosts. You know, it's a big, diverse audience, and maybe that helps broaden the tent. It's a matter of taste hosting style."