Jeopardy! fans ‘hoped’ Buzzy Cohen would host Pop Culture spinoff as they spot ‘real reason’ for snub

JEOPARDY! fans have theories about why former champ Buzzy Cohen was not selected to host the pop-culture spinoff.

Saturday Night Live star Colin Jost has been announced as the game show’s lead, and fans are split about the decision.

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Some Jeopardy! fans wanted Buzzy Cohen to host Pop Culture Jeopardy!Credit: Instagram/buzzycohenofficial

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Colin Jost, seen at the Weekend Update Desk on Saturday Night Live, has been selected as the game show’s hostCredit: Getty
The Jeopardy! pop-culture spinoff was announced in May, and almost immediately, fans began speculating about who would host.

Among the many former champs and celebrities considered by fans was Buzzy Cohen.

Buzzy, 39, competed on Jeopardy! and even stepped in to host the 2021 ToC and audio games of the 2024 tournament season, making him a favorite.

“I’m guessing Buzzy,” one Reddit user wrote after the show was announced.

“I was super excited for this but with Buzzy I’d be through the roof!” penned another.

‘GOOD TO KNOW!

What fans failed to consider is that the former Jeopardy! champ currently hosts The Einstein Challenge on the History Channel.

This was pointed out in a Reddit thread with fans speculating that may have been why the show passed on him.

“I was hoping for Buzzy but Jost should be interesting!” one Redditor posted.

“Buzzy is under contract with the History Channel. He’s hosting a game show on there called The Einstein Challenge,” another explained.

“Oh good to know! Thanks!” replied a third.

As such, it’s likely he’s unable to step in to host Pop Culture Jeopardy! as well, other fans theorized.

WELCOME COLIN

Colin, 42, was confirmed as the host of Pop Culture Jeopardy! on Wednesday by Deadline.

The Staten Island, New York native is currently in Tahiti, covering the Olympics for NBC.

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After the news broke, Colin released a simple statement saying, “What is: I’m excited.”

A premiere date for the spinoff has not yet been confirmed, but it’s believed to be coming to Amazon Prime in early fall.

Fans were split about the announcement, with some expressing disappointment that their favorite was not chosen.

“My thoughts: Fine, sure, whatever. Was Bowen Yang unavailable?” one Jeopardy! fan wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

“So much for Mayim…,” wrote a second.

Jeopardy! Universe

Jeopardy! first aired in 1964 until 1975. Then the nighttime version began in 1974. Since then, many spinoffs of the game show have emerged. Here they all are:

Jeopardy! – (syndicated) 1974 to present, weekdays on ABC at 7 pm ET.

Tournament of Champions – 1984 to present, features the top champions who have appeared on the show since the last tournament.

Second Chance Tournament – 2022 to present features hand-selected non-winners from the season prior, where the prize is entry into Champions Wildcard.

Champions Wildcard – 2023 to present, features all one, two and three-day champions from the season prior worth entry into the Tournament of Champions.

Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament (syndication) – 2023 to present, features past greats invited by producers to vie for a slot in Masters.

Jeopardy! Masters (primetime) – 2023 to present, features the six highest-ranked Jeopardy! champions competing against each other.

Celebrity Jeopardy! (primetime) – 1992 to present, has celebrities compete against each other to raise money for charity.

Pop Culture Jeopardy (streaming) – 2024 to present, will feature teams of three tasked with pop culture trivia on Amazon Prime, host and airdate TBD

Jeopardy! has done away with specialized tournaments like its College Tournaments, Kids Week, and Professor’s Tournament to gear towards a more sports-like model, with Masters being the top of the Jeopardy pyramid.

Other versions of Jeopardy! have fizzled out throughout the years as well, like Sports Jeopardy!.

“Ugh, I’m not at all a fan. Hopefully, he’ll at least stay out of the game’s way,” complained a third.

“Might as well mic up a loaf of wonder bread and shove it behind a podium,” slammed a fourth Jeopardy! viewer.

“Provided he gets out of Tahiti alive,” joked a fifth fan.

“I was hoping for Buzzy but Jost should be interesting!” commented a sixth.

“Was hoping for Katie Nolan but Colin will be fine,” one more added.

Sony Pictures Television released a statement about Colin’s hosting gig.

“Colin’s sharp wit and intelligence epitomize Pop Culture Jeopardy!,” said Suzanne Prete, president of game shows at Sony Pictures Television.

“He’s smart and quick, like our contestants, and we know he’ll be able to keep up with them while making this new series his own. We could not be happier that he is joining us for this new journey.”

“We’re thrilled to welcome the multi-talented Colin Jost as the host of Pop Culture Jeopardy!,” Lauren Anderson, head of brand and content innovation at Amazon MGM Studios, added.

“Colin’s wry affability and pop culture fluency make him uniquely qualified as the perfect host for this new iteration of the beloved franchise.”

WHAT TO KNOW

Amazon Prime Video will be showing Pop Culture Jeopardy! on its streaming platform.

The show will feature three key departures from the original show’s format.

Rather than answering general knowledge questions, contestants on Pop Culture Jeopardy! will answer questions about pop culture subjects, including music, movies, sports, and TV.

Additionally, the show will only be streaming.

The last big change fans can expect is that there will not be three individual contestants competing against each other.

Instead, three teams of three will face off on the show.

The website for Jeopardy! describes the new iteration of the game as follows: “Contestants, playing in teams of three, will need to be experts in categories from Alternative Rock to The Avengers, Broadway to MMA, Gen Z to Zendaya.

“They compete in a tournament-style event for the grand prize and ultimate bragging rights.”

The spinoff goes into production in August and is expected to premiere in early fall.

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Buzzy Cohen, seen on Jeopardy, can’t host the pop culture iteration of the show due to other commitments- fans theorizedCredit: ABC

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Fans have been left split by news that Colin Jost will host Pop Culture Jeopardy!Credit: Jeopardy!

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Pop Culture Jeopardy! features a different format from typical Jeopardy! with teams of three competing and answering questions about TV, movies, music, and moreCredit: Jeopardy!