Earlier this week, Dr. Mehmet Oz took on the role of Jeopardy! guest host, and hundreds of past contestants were quick to try to cut his time in Trebek's reputable shoes short. Following the passing of Alex Trebek, it was announced that celebrities such as Aaron Rodgers, Katie Couric and Mayim Bialik would take turns guest hosting Jeopardy! But when Dr. Oz was added to this worthy list, there was certainly a large uproar from fans of the show and past contestants as Oz is known for sharing questionable medical advice on his own daytime talk show.
The first guest host to step in after Trebek's passing was past Jeopardy! champion, Ken Jennings, who currently holds the record for the longest winning streak on the show in the U.S. Jennings guest hosted the show for six weeks before Jeopardy! executive producer, Mike Richards stepped in to take on the hosting duties. Now, the show has set a rotating schedule of new guests hosts, every two weeks. Katie Couric finished up her gig on the show last week, and Oz began his this week.
However, 500+ former Jeopardy! contestants took it upon themselves to get Oz down from Trebek's stage. They conducted a letter on Medium (courtesy of the New York Post) addressed to the executive producer, Richards, to explain why they thought Oz's appearance on the show would be controversial and how it would impact the show's long-standing reputation. Read an excerpt from their letter below:
Jeopardy! is a show that values facts and knowledge. Throughout his nearly two decades on television [Dr. Oz] has used his authority as a doctor to push harmful ideas onto the American public.
The letter continues to express how it is in Richards' and the rest of the producers' best interest to replace Oz, as he has made statements approving gay conversion therapy and promoted "dangerous 'cures' for autism." Read what they wrote regarding those past statements from Oz below:
None of these things is backed by any scientific fact and by promoting them he is actively putting his viewers in danger... And what kind of message does this send to the LGBTQ+ and autistic contestants and viewers of Jeopardy!?
But the protest continues beyond this concise and polite letter as Jeopardy! fans wreak havoc online, many supposing Trebek's utter disappointment with this decision if he were still alive. Amongst the funny quips which poke fun at Oz, it seems that for some fans this decision is the be-all and end-all. Reddit user u/whalebacon stated:
Sure, it's just for two weeks and yes, of course 'the players are the stars' of the show, but I argue that THE SHOW is the star of the show and that the corporate decision to exploit [Dr. Oz] for some cynical ratings ploy is wildly against that very same spirit of this legendary quiz show."
So, no, I won't watch any of these shows, because they aren't really in the spirit of the game anymore.
The irony is that Oz's presence was supposed to entice more people to watch, yet Jeopardy! fans online seem to be boycotting the show for the two weeks he is host and others understand the decision to reflect the newly adopted mindset of the producers, which prioritizes viewing figures over the integrity of the show. So, this stunt is certain to cost them a few viewers, but only time will tell how many.
Source: Medium (via NYP), u/whalebacon (Reddit)
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