QUEEN-SPIRITED
Jeopardy! fans slam host Mayim Bialik for ‘lack of knowledge’ on famous rock band amid Ryan Long’s 9th win
JEOPARDY! fans buzzed about champ Ryan Long's 9th win Wednesday.
But not before a bizarre banter blunder from host Mayim Bialik about an iconic band many ripped as showing a "lack of knowledge."
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Mayim, 46, is hosting Jeopardy! for a third week in a row, returning after Ken Jennings' prior three weeks at the helm and announcement he'd be out for "months."
The permanent hosting slot, however, is still on the board and will be decided by the end of Season 38 in July 2022.
Tonight, returning champ Ryan, a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania rideshare driver, drove his way to his ninth straight win with $173K total.
But not before a Q&A speed bump from host Mayim that fans rock-N-rolled their eyes at.
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Ryan shared that he was a fan of the band Queen, fronted by Freddy Mercury.
But Mayim staged the chat with him in a way that fans felt was off-pitch.
“Speaking of music, you’re a huge fan of Queen…"
She candidly exclaimed, "Even before Wayne’s World made it popular!”
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Ryan responded, “Uh yep, my brother … gave me a cassette when I was younger and I was the only one who knew all parts of Bohemian Rhapsody," he added with a nervous laugh, "When the movie came out."
"So you were cool before it was cool!" Mayim concluded the segment.
'THAT MAKES NO SENSE'
Queen had released their biggest albums in the 70s and played their famed Live Aid concert in 1985.
Even if Ryan was proud he knew the words before the famous film, fans online were confused why Mayim thought the 1992 comedy "made Queen popular."
One Twitter user ripped, "Blossom [actress] hosting Jeopardy just said that the band Queen wasn't popular prior to Wayne's World. Can we please start a group to get her off this show?"
"Wayne’s World made Queen popular? WOW, that’s a take," another wrote.
"I’m 33 so I don’t know everything but did Wayne’s World really make Queen popular? Were they struggling artists before that?" questioned another.
"Ummmm, Queen was popular way before Wayne's World," wrote a fourth.
RYAN ROCKS JEOPARDY!
Regardless, Ryan - now the highest-earning regular gameplay champ from Philadelphia - has made great TV with his big personality, big bets and quizzical Q&A stories.
Last night, he shared he grew up watching the storied show with his mom, who thought "Alex Trebek was so handsome."
And last week, he shared he worked on an "Amish farm" in high school, then noting, "People are gonna think I’m weird with all these stories."
The broad-shouldered bet-maker also sweetly shared he once fostered "four baby kittens" and "bottle-fed them" before his mom adopted them.
And during his first Q&A, the contestant pumped out an Arnold Schwarzenegger impression, as one fan applauded, "Ryan's stories make me <3 him even more."
Ryan is also a bold better; he's bet a huge $8000 on Daily Doubles multiple games as one fan on Twitter praised his gameplay, "8k Daily Double again. Nice bet Ryan."
Another wrote on his strategic $0 on Final Jeopardy last night, "That was smart to wager zero!" as he didn't get the clue but still cruised ahead.
The rising star has also been keeping it real on his Twitter, sharing that he forgot his glasses in Philly last week.
"In case anybody’s wondering why I’m constantly squinting and adjusting during the game…it’s because my glasses are 3000 miles away, where they will do the most good," he .
Though thankfully, the specs appear to have been flown into Culver City - even if they've fogged up a bit as some fans noticed, his calm consistency hasn't.
Ryan also sweetly shared in a bonus clip - Mayim visibly teared up in the moment of empathy for all involved.
'KEN' HE COME BACK?
That said, as reported, ratings slid 10% to a seven-week low of 5.2 the week Mayim returned for Ken.
While many fans have found her to be a perfectly palatable presence, she has had some "painful" games since, especially during Q&As where the contestants share a story.
Mayim, who is a neuroscientist, replied to one contestant's earnest autism testing Q&A with a joke: "Glad to hear spitting in a tube went better than taking blood," the host bluntly said.
And in another game, a player said he was in a “fancy sports league” and Mayim curtly responded: "That’s so thrilling,” and moved on.
Mayim had another joke that flatlined before Ken returned for his recent stretch with Canadian 23-game champ Mattea Roach and ratings that went north in turn - she told a doctor he was "just an anesthesiologist, not a surgeon."
"Condescension has repeatedly shown to be part of Mayim’s brand," one Twitter user wrote.
Another concluded on Twitter last night, "Love Mayim but @KenJennings brings a Trebek vibe to #Jeopardy that is comforting and genuinely entertaining. Mayim feels inauthentic. Bring back Ken."
Even the most recent streak-holder Mattea - now the show's fifth longest-consecutive winner ever - stated after her run she wanted Ken to take over.
"As a contestant, there is something really special about being on stage with the greatest player of all time," the recent streak-holder told about her fellow alum who seems generally more clued in - despite Mayim's Blossoming confidence and good intentions.
Ken and the Big Bang Theory star started filling in for the legendary host in 2021 after a fleet of celebrity guest hosts during Season 37.
Under Ken, the show's ratings nearly doubled to 9.7M viewers when he made his first appearance and hosted through contestant Amy Schneider's two-month winning streak.
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When Mayim took over they dropped to 5.9 and have dipped even lower when she returned three weeks ago.
Meanwhile, Ryan Long will attempt to score his 10th win tomorrow night as the road to a potentially record-making streak continues.
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