Former “Jeopardy!” Contestants Tried To Stop Dr. Oz From Being A Guest Host
Since Alex Trebek left us for the big board in the sky (I like to picture him up there with an ambrosia-tini in his hand, leaning over St. Peter’s shoulder at the podium trying to see who all else is on the list) Jeopardy! has enlisted a string of guest hosts including Bean Dad apologizer Ken Jennings, hairy armpit licker Aaron Rodgers, semi-professional complainer Mayim Bialik, and Katie Couric, who knows what she did. But when the producers of Jeopardy! announced charlatan quack Dr. Oz would be taking a turn at Alex’s podium, the people put their foot down and said HELL TO THE NO. In a post on Medium, over 500 past contestants signed an open letter to producers calling the move “a slap in the face to all involved.” That’s gotta sting. Maybe Dr. Oz should try some of that hydroxychloroquine he was touting on Fox & Friends for that burn.
According to The New York Post, a letter addressed to Jeopardy! executive producer Mike Richards, who took a turn hosting himself back in February, was posted on Medium last month urging the show to “rethink the decision, alleging that casting the ‘dubious’ doc in the role would celebrate ‘the elevation of … talking head[s] at the expense of academic rigor and consensus.’” Here’s an excerpt of the letter — a glorious example of righteous, incandescent nerd rage.
We understand that first and foremost, Jeopardy! is a television show, and ratings are important. However, Dr. Oz stands in opposition to everything that Jeopardy! stands for. Jeopardy! is a show that values facts and knowledge. Throughout his nearly two decades on television he has used his authority as a doctor to push harmful ideas onto the American public, in stark contrast with his oath to first do no harm. These ideas include promoting supplements that do nothing, legitimizing gay conversion therapy (which is banned in California, as well as 19 other states), dangerous “cures” for autism, and, most recently, the use of hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID-19. None of these things is backed by any scientific fact and by promoting them he is actively putting his viewers in danger. In fact, his ideas are so dangerous that thousands of his colleagues have petitioned to have him fired from his position at Columbia Medical School. And what kind of message does this send to the LGBTQ+ and autistic contestants and viewers of Jeopardy!?
Unfortunately, regular viewers of Jeopardy! already know that Mike was unmoved and went ahead and let a man who, almost a year ago, was practically salivating at the thought of sending kids back to school so America could “get its mojo back,” when looking around at where we are today proves we can’t yet be trusted with even a hint of mojo. Here’s Dr. Oz introducing himself to some new pockets yesterday as his 2-week stint began.
So Jeopardy is just going to breeze past this:
“I tell ya… schools are a very appetizing opportunity. That will only cost us 2 to 3% of total mortality.” pic.twitter.com/Zcp61SROPo
— Qondi 💛 🐝 🇺🇸🇿🇦🇿🇼 (@QondiNtini) March 22, 2021
Maybe since he’s already smeared his snake oil all over the studio, at this point, Mike and the producers are just going to wait it out until he’s done before doing a deep-clean, physically, morally, and spiritually, in preparation for whoever they choose to be Alex’s permanent replacement. What’s the worst that could happen, they lose 2 to 3% in terms of viewership mortality? It’s just a TV show, after all, it’s not like people’s lives are at stake.
Pic: YouTube