JEOPARDY! fans loved watching Ryan Long win his 8th straight game in a WILD way Tuesday, but not all loved a joke from its host.
Mayim Bialik ad-libbed off an NSFW clue as many stunned viewers begged her to “be considerate of kids.”
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Mayim, 46, is hosting Jeopardy! for a third week in a row, returning after Ken Jennings’ prior three weeks at the helm and announcement he’d be out for “months.”
The permanent hosting slot, however, is still up for grabs and will be decided by the end of Season 38 in July 2022.
Tonight, returning champ Ryan, a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania rideshare driver, drove his way to his eighth win with $160K in total earnings.
He did so in a wild Final Jeopardy finish, but it came at the price of an NSFW riff from Mayim.
Ryan did not get the Final Jeopardy clue, about the Middle Ages, correct.
But center podium’s Eric Perez, did, and suddenly the two were neck-and-neck in the five digits.
Ryan was last to reveal his response, and his wager – a strategic $0.
“That was smart to wager zero!,” one fan gushed online as the choice shielded his streak, as another tweeted: “Close game!”
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Earlier, however, host Mayim made a quip during the regular Jeopardy! round that was left fans wondering what the late Alex Trebek would think.
‘THAT WAS PAINFUL’
The slightly leading clue read: “Marijuana issue sent to this ‘committee’ generally composed of both houses of houses of the legislature.”
Champ Ryan buzzed in with: “What is: bipartisan committee?”
Mayim said, “No” and after no other contestant responded, she broke the silence with:
“Joint committee, get it?”
The contestants nervously laughed, but not everyone on Twitter was doing so.
“Won’t the #Jeopardy writers PLEASE think of the children watching, and their delicate ears that were just exposed to a cannabis reference?” one user fumed.
Another replied, “Hopefully they didn’t get it.”
A third bashed on Mayim’s add-on, “Marijuana? Joint? Har de har har….”
As another wrote, “That physically hurt.”
Last week, an equally hazy category during the regular Jeopardy! round was titled “The Drugs of Humanity.”
Ryan chimed in to answer one, and seemingly took the bait that time: “Let’s do drugs for $1000,” he told Mayim, who laughed.
PUFF OF PERSONALITY
Regardless, Ryan – now the highest-earning regular gameplay champ from Philadelphia – has made great TV with his big personality, big bets and quizzical Q&A stories.
Tonight, he shared he grew up watching the storied show with his mom, who thought “Alex Trebek was so handsome.”
Last week, he shared he worked on an “Amish farm” in high school, then noting, “People are gonna think I’m weird with all these stories.”
The broad-shouldered bet-maker also sweetly shared he once fostered “four baby kittens” and “bottle-fed them” before his mom adopted them.
And during his first Q&A, the contestant pumped out an Arnold Schwarzenegger impression, as one fan applauded, “Ryan’s stories make me <3 him even more.”
Ryan is also, as mentioned, a bold better when needed; he’s bet a huge $8000 on Daily Doubles multiple games as one fan on Twitter praised his gameplay, “8k Daily Double again. Nice bet Ryan.”
Ryan also sweetly shared in a bonus clip his bead necklace was made by his 8-year-old son – Mayim teared up in the moment of kid-friendly empathy for all involved.
The rising star has also been keeping it real on his Twitter, sharing that he forgot his glasses in Philly last week.
“In case anybody’s wondering why I’m constantly squinting and adjusting during the game…it’s because my glasses are 3000 miles away, where they will do the most good,” he posted.
Though thankfully – the specs appeared to have been flown into Culver City as the wins keep doing the same.
He also revealed on Twitter that he only owned two dress shirts and that the “magicians” in the show’s wardrobe department “mixed and matched my gear like I was in a RPG,” hinting there may be more games to button up for.
BIALIK’S RATINGS SPEED BUMP
As TV News Check reported, ratings slid 10% to a seven-week low of 5.2 under Mayim last week.
While many fans have found her to be a perfectly palatable presence, she has had some “painful” games since returning, others felt.
She’s had a few noticeable banter blunders including replying to a story about autism research with a joke about “spitting in a tube.”
And multiple games before Ryan’s impressive streak went unfinished with Double Jeopardy clues left on the board but no time left.
“That’s multiple shows now where they’ve run out of time with clues left on the board,” one viewer lamented on her literally slow start mid-May.
Another concluded on Twitter tonight, “Love Mayim but @KenJennings brings a Trebek vibe to #Jeopardy that is comforting and genuinely entertaining. Mayim brings performance, which feels inauthentic. Bring back Ken.”
Ken – the show’s Greatest of All Time winner – and the Big Bang Theory actress started filling in for the legendary Alex Trebek after his tragic passing and a fleet of Season 37 celebrity guest hosts.
Rideshare driver Ryan will attempt his ninth win tomorrow night, as he speeds towards Canadian tutor Mattea Roach whose huge 23-game tear ended earlier this month when she lost by $1.
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