With a year of hosting duties under her belt, Mayim Bialik is finally feeling comfortable running “Jeopardy!”
On Tuesday, the “Call Me Kat” star spoke to "Entertainment Tonight" at the Fox upfronts about finding her footing on the long-running game show.
“You know, sometimes I’ll say things and I’ll be like, ‘How did that come out of my mouth and why?’” she told the outlet. “But that’s sort of me in life in general.”
She continued, “So, I take it everywhere I go. I’m definitely becoming more comfortable.”
While asking questions each episode, Bialik said that as she's “become the rhythm of the person talking in my ear, it becomes a little bit easier.”
The 46-year-old actor also explained that hosting the show requires “a lot of energy to expend ‘cause you want every contestant to feel as excited and special.”
Despite the challenges, Bialik revealed to "Entertainment Tonight" in March that she is interested in becoming the full-time host of “Jeopardy!”
When asked about becoming the face of the show, she responded, “I would love that.”
She also noted that she would potentially make history as the first woman to lead “Jeopardy!”
“I think being female is its own mark,” she explained at the time. “My grandparents were immigrants to this country and escaped pogroms and World War II, so for me, in two generations, to be in a position to be able to be a woman and a host in that iconic role blows my mind.”
Later in the interview, Bialik discussed inheriting “Jeopardy!” from Alex Trebek, who headed the show for 37 seasons before he died in 2020 from pancreatic cancer.
Bialik shared that she has met Trebek’s family and she hopes the show continues to receive their “blessing.”
“I got to meet them when we dedicated the stage. It just feels so humble around them,” the former “Big Bang Theory” actor said. “You want to only honor and you can’t match him and so there’s no need to try. But, (we) really do continuously kind of want their blessing — that they feel what we’re doing is supporting that legacy.”
The “Jeopardy!” Twitter account announced last year that Ken Jennings and Bialik will continue to host until at least the end of season 38.
Since taking over, Bialik, who has also hosted spinoff versions of the program, has faced criticism from some viewers.
Earlier this year, she upset some fans when she referred to the opening round of the game as “Single Jeopardy” instead of calling it “the Jeopardy round.”
In March, she explained the slight change in an interview with Yahoo Entertainment.
“I did it once. If it wasn’t right, they would’ve had me redo it,” she said. “I barely act alone. I promise. There’s so many things that we retape. We go back, I flub things. You’re seeing an edited version. So, it’s funny. When I saw that, I was like, ‘But if it was literally not kosher, there’s a million producers and writers and researchers.’ They’re all listening to me.”
She then pointed out that Trebek had used the term “Single Jeopardy” before, but she still said it won’t happen again.
“I will never do it again, even if it’s in the script. I will not say it,” she laughed. “People cared a lot. I get it and I’m sorry. I’m doing my best.”
Her best is clearly resonating with a majority of the audience. On Tuesday, ABC ordered a new prime-time spinoff called “Celebrity Jeopardy!” Bialik is expected to host, according to Variety.
The show will premiere in the fall and air on Sundays with “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune.”
While the host was not officially announced, ABC chief Craig Erwich told Variety he “wouldn’t read anything into” Bialik’s name not being attached to the series yet.