A new poll from Morning Consult revealed that LeVar Burton is who the majority of fans wanted to see in the “Jeopardy!” host role, with 14% of all of those surveyed saying he was their number one choice, and 16% of those describing themselves as fans of the show choosing him. Only 3% of all respondents said that Mike Richards was their first choice. However, Mayim Bialik fared much better than Richards, with 13% of both fans and all surveyed saying she was their first choice to take over for the late Alex Trebek (via Mediaite).
Burton, who came to fame in the late 1970s as a young Kunta Kinte on the acclaimed miniseries “Roots” and who helped generations of children learn to read on “Reading Rainbow,” may have been the most anticipated guest host when the lineup was first announced. Burton himself said the job would be a dream come true, telling The New York Times in June: “I feel like this is what I’m supposed to do. I have been watching ‘Jeopardy!’ more or less every night of my life since Art Fleming was host. ‘Jeopardy!’ is a cultural touchstone, and for a Black man to occupy that podium is significant.”