‘Jeopardy!’ Poll Reveals if Fans Prefer Ken Jennings or Mayim Bialik

Martin Holmes July 21, 2023

Jeopardy! Ken Jennings and Mayim Bialik — Jeopardy!, Inc; ABC

The debate over who’s better, Ken Jennings or Mayim Bialik, has been ongoing ever since the duo took over Jeopardy! hosting duties in July 2022. But a new poll shows the argument isn’t as one-sided as one might assume based on social media.

Judging by Twitter and Facebook comments, Jennings seems to be the clear audience favorite, with many people calling for him to be named the one and only permanent host. On the other hand, Bialik faces constant criticism, with several people pointing out her flubs or awkward pauses.

“I can’t tell you how happy I am that I can finally watch Jeopardy again. So happy to see Ken Jennings back. He should be the ONLY host,” tweeted one fan earlier this month when Jennings returned to host the remainder of Season 39. “Please lose the flipflop back & forth. Have ONE host. Give @missmayim the forever boot. So many DO NOT watch when she is on. Ken ONLY.”

However, a new poll posted by Newsweek shows that Jennings and Bialik are almost equally popular, proving that social media is somewhat of an echo chamber.

In a survey of 1,500 representative Americans conducted on July 6 by Redfield & Wilton Strategies, respondents were asked, “Which of the following individuals would you prefer to see host Jeopardy!?”

Jennings topped the poll with a score of 35 percent, but Bialik wasn’t far behind, scoring 30 percent. Another 21 percent said they didn’t know, while 14 percent said they didn’t care.

“Mayim is a very strong host of the show; she’s certainly as strong as Alex Trebek was when he first started. And Alex was subject to innumerable comparisons to Art Fleming [original host from 1964 to 1979] in the fall of 1984 and the spring of 1985,” The Jeopardy! Fan website owner Andy Saunders told Newsweek.

‘Jeopardy!’ Hosts Ken Jennings & Mayim Bialik Competing For Emmy

“The fact that both Ken and Mayim have received Emmy nominations for [outstanding host for a game show] speaks volumes about how strong of a job both are doing,” he added.

In further proof that most viewers don’t prefer one host over the other, the show’s ratings remain the same regardless of who is hosting.

“We read data from everywhere… when Ken is hosting and Mayim is hosting, there’s zero difference. It’s exactly the same and that’s the broadest part of the audience,” executive producer Michael Davies told Vulture back in May.

Jeopardy!, Weekdays, check local listings