alt=Lottie Elizabeth Johnson“Jeopardy!” co-host Mayim Bialik opened up about the rigors of hosting the beloved quiz show in an interview with WSJ. Magazine, sharing how she attends therapy twice a week via Zoom and tries to nap and meditate every day.
“We do five episodes in a day and I’m given the clues to prepare the day of filming,” Bialik told WSJ. Magazine. “So I have to review all those clues, practice pronunciations, look things up that I don’t know, and honestly try to get as much rest as I can the night before because they are long days and I’m on my feet and talking all day.”
Bialik said her therapy sessions over Zoom play a major part in “regulating” her week. Amid the stress of her high-profile job, she also makes it a priority to nap on a regular basis — she noted that even a 7-minute slumber once helped rejuvenate her.
Bialik — along with “Jeopardy!” great Ken Jennings — was named an official host of “Jeopardy!” in July 2022. Since then, the “Jeopardy!” co-hosts have gotten to know each other a little better — the pair even starred together in the Season 3 premiere of Bialik’s sitcom “Call Me Kat,” the Deseret News reported.
“It’s been really nice to get to know him,” Bialik told WSJ. Magazine. “He’s a cultural icon. He’s incredibly smart. He knows so many things, in a way that ‘Jeopardy!’ champions do. Pick anything and he likely knows about it.”
On her end, Bialik, who holds a doctorate in neuroscience, said she would likely succeed in “Jeopardy!” categories about neuroscience and Hebrew and Jewish studies.
“The Big Bang Theory” actress also shared what has been the most surprising part of hosting “Jeopardy!”: the constant attention the show generates on social media.
“There’s a tremendous amount of attention to everything, from the transition after Alex (Trebek) passed to me, and then me and Ken, and then the clothing I wear,” she said.
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The ‘Jeopardy!’ hosting schedule
Bialik has previously opened up about “Jeopardy!” and social media, sharing how fans like to debate the strengths and weaknesses of her hosting style compared to Jennings.
“I mean, we’re still people. I can’t say that when you hear things that are constructive criticisms that you don’t start thinking a little too much about it,” Bialik said on an episode of the podcast “Inside Jeopardy!” earlier this year, per Deseret News. “But I don’t know, I kind of take everybody’s opinion both with a grain of salt but also believe everybody has a right to their opinion.”
In the fall, the actress hosted “Celebrity Jeopardy!” which will return in early January and conclude on Feb. 2, according to the “Jeopardy!” website.
Bialik is also scheduled to begin hosting “Jeopardy!” in January, the Deseret News reported. Jennings has been hosting since the season premiere in September and will host through December.
“The fact is, we have so much ‘Jeopardy!’ to make, and so many plans for the future, that we always knew we would need multiple hosts for the franchise and we are just so grateful that Mayim and Ken stepped in and stepped up to put the show in a position to succeed,” “Jeopardy!” executive producer Michael Davies previously said in a statement.