"A new round of guest hosts will be tapped to tape episodes to launch the show’s 38th year in syndication next month.
So, Sony isn't going to give the previous guest hosts consideration or a chance to do another week?
I agree that Levar was very uneven. Way over the top in some cases, yet seemed unsure in other cases. On one final jeapordy answer, it was as if he wasn't sure if the contestant answered correctly or not.
Okay, this has always bugged me. And I'm going on record now stating it. Yes, cynical me, wonders about this.
Think of this as Mike Richards
possible sabotage of his fellow competition. Say, Mike Richards, the executive producer, decided early on that HE wants to host. I saw an article yesterday, which said he got rid of Ken Jennings early, and stated it's because Ken has other conflicts and couldn't continue guest hosting, even though Ken later contradicted him, saying that really wasn't a problem for him.
Mike got him out of the way.
So, Mike
had to fill in and guest host for a few weeks.
He decides, YES, he really, REALLY wants the job, now that he's done it. A few guest hosts do really well, Aaron, Buzzy, Mayim, and it is known they would love the hosting gig if offered. Most of the other guest hosts don't really want the job, so not a problem there.
But, LeVar Burton is a fan favorite. I said in a previous post that LeVar can make scientific techno-babble make sense. He also hosted and explained the plots and themes of books to kids in 155 episodes of
Reading Rainbow for 26 years. So when he is
prepared with his material, he's got it down. It's
obvious to anyone who watched those shows.
So, how does an executive producer, with the power and opportunity, get rid of this competition? By making sure LeVar is
UNprepared. I bet, decades ago, when Alex Trebek first started hosting, that if he wasn't given both the "answers" that he reads off the board, as well as the "questions" the contestants say, ahead of time, that he DEMANDED he gets
both parts. He wanted to know both parts even before starting a show, so he could rehearse, prepare, appear knowledgeable on questions he didn't know, and even have and give extra trivia on some "questions."
Generally, probably the guest hosts were given both parts. Ken & Buzzy didn't bother reading through the "questions" as they knew them. Other guest hosts skimmed and rehearsed as necessary, also knowing they would have an ear-prompter. And they were given both parts in enough time to rehearse and familiarize themselves. I saw Joe Buck pause for a split second before reciting two difficult words, two different times. The words weren't a surprise to him, as though he was reading them for the first time. He just made sure to recite them correctly as practiced.
What if LeVar wasn't given enough time to
read through an episode, let alone rehearse and familiarize himself with both the questions and answers. Like they were stuffed in his hand 15 minutes before an episode. So, the first time he got to know what the "question" was, was when they came out of the contestants' mouths. Whereas everyone else was emailed or messengered the Q&As for all 5 episodes the day before, with a reminder of the nondisclosure agreement they had already signed, not to show them to anyone.
Add to that, the executive producer has the power to possibly, privately tell the ear-promter person to pause an extra second, here and there, before giving LeVar the prompt that an answer was correct, and especially when it wasn't.
The executive producer would also have final say on the editing of a show. He tells the video editor to keep those pauses in, where the editor would normally edit them down for the smooth rhythm & pacing of the show. (Do you guys know that in the final weeks, Alex had problems saying some things as articulately as usual, and flubbed a lot. One of the symptoms as his illness declined. He had to repeat and re-tape some parts a few times. The cast & crew were all very loving and patient. But, Alex HATED when he flubbed so much. Yet, it didn't show in the final episodes, because the video editor made sure of it.) But, in LeVar's case, the video editor was told to make sure all the pauses are left in. As they are there.
So, yes, LeVar shows up looking and feeling unprepared, timid and hesitant than he normally would have. More than he could and
should have been, had he had a team in his corner, instead of an executive producer in competition against him - making SURE he looks bad to us and especially to Sony.
Remember: LeVar taped his week after Mayim. If Sony really loved Mayim as much as they say they did, that she was first on their list, they might have reached out to her right away to see how seriously she was interested in hosting, so they knew where she stood, as they viewed the rest of the hosts. As executive producer, Mike was probably apprised of the Sony execs' feelings. So, he perhaps already knew he was bumped down to second position. Was he really going to let someone else bump him down to third position? :scratchn
As I read and hear other stuff about Mike Richards past, the more he reeks of stinky, moldy cheese, or old, used gym socks and unwashed athletic supporter tossed in the bottom of a gym locker.
So, yes, I think it's possible LeVar could have been purposely made to appear not the best he could have.
As long as Mike Richards is executive producing the next several guest hosts, HOW is anyone going to appear like they will be a better host than him?
But it seems more likely than something that could be determined by just asking Bialik whether she was offered the role or not.
You DO know the DIS is Googleable. 
