Mayim Bialik is letting fans in on what it’s like filming one of television’s most iconic game shows.
In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, Bialik detailed how she prepares to host each episode of “Jeopardy!,” and what the biggest surprise has been since taking on the job.
“We do five episodes in a day, and I’m given the clues to prepare the day of filming,” she told the Wall Street Journal. “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 began co-hosting the trivia game show, along with Ken Jennings, in 2021 after the show’s longtime host Alex Trebek passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2020. The two were initially tapped to host the show through the end of season 38 while executives searched for a permanent new host, however it was announced in July 2022 the two would in fact become the permanent hosts.
Mayim Bialik was named co-host of “Jeopardy!” after Alex Trebek passed away.
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As co-hosts, Bialik and Jennings have developed a close relationship, one Bialik says she is thankful for. She admits to being impressed by Jennings’ wide range of knowledge.
“It’s been really nice to get to know him. 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.”
Bialik isn’t so sure she would do as well as Jennings if she were to compete on the popular game show, but says she would “feel okay about” answering questions on the subjects she has degrees in, which “are in neuroscience, and in Hebrew and Jewish studies.”
Aside from learning a bunch of new facts from filming the show each day, she also learned just how popular the show actually is, and what a loyal fan base it has.
“How much the social media world pays attention to a lot of things about “Jeopardy!,” Bialik said about the popularity of the show. “There’s a tremendous amount of attention to everything, from the transition after Alex passed to me, and then me and Ken, and then the clothing I wear.”
Bialik called Ken Jennings a cultural icon, saying she was very happy to get to know him.
(Getty Images)
In addition to hosting “Jeopardy!” Bialik is also starring in the new FOX show “Call Me Kat,” as Kat, a woman who wants to prove to her mom she can make it on her own by opening a cat caf? in Louisville, Kentucky. The show follows her as she deals with the challenges that come her way.
In real-life, Bialik describes herself as “an introvert who lives my life as an extrovert.” When there are very social days on set, Bialik says she has a routine in place to help her ensure self-care, noting she goes to “therapy twice a week, by Zoom” which plays “a huge part of regulating (her) entire week.”
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“I try and nap and meditate every day, even if it’s only 20 minutes on my lunch break,” Bialik explained. “Cheyenne Jackson, my co-star [on “Call Me Kat”], got me this amazing blanket that’s really cozy, and I have a pillow that I got from a group of fans online. I just lay on my couch and turn off the lights. The shortest nap I’ve done and been able to feel refreshed was seven minutes.”
Bialik got her start on the 90s sitcom, “Blossom,” playing the titular character. Taking place in the 90s, the fashion on the show was pretty out there, something Bialik isn’t too excited to bring back.
Bialik got her big break starring as Blossom on the Fox show with the same name.
(Photo by Alice S. Hall/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)
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“My general rule in terms of ’90s fashion is: If I wore it the first time, I’m not obligated to wear it again, and that pretty much goes for floral dresses,” she said. “A thing that I really don’t want to have come back is that silly little suspender people used to wear at the back of jackets or vests to create an illusion of waist. No one needs a tiny little double suspender on their back.”
