Pop Culture Jeopardy!, hosted by Colin Jost, premiered on Wednesday, December 4 on Amazon Prime Video. The buzz-worthy addition to the Jeopardy!-verse inevitably came with comparisons to the main show and Ken Jennings. Some fans said he’s outpacing Jennings as host and even pitched him as his replacement for another version of the quiz show.
For those who missed the three part premiere, in Episode 1, Queenz City Kids pulled off a thriller come-from-behind Final Jeopardy! victory. The team told Jost that they’re from the Canadian city of Regina, to which Jost “I don’t think you can say that… even on streaming,” as it rhymed with a certain female body part.
That joke may not have been his best, but in Episode 2, Jost’s interview segment chops shined when he chatted with a team called Tinker Tailer, Quiz Show Guys, two of whom were Trekkies but one of whom wasn’t at all. “We’ll talk later,” Jost told the non-Star Trek fan outlier (below).
In Episode 3, all three teams, all former Jeopardy! contestants colossally flubbed Final Jeopardy, which was seeking “Denzel Washington.” When one team wagered $0, he quipped, “In a way, you’re right, in terms of the wager,” which got a huge laugh.
Fans took to the Jeopardy! Reddit forum after the three-part premiere, sharing their thoughts, with many saying they were surprised by how natural Jost was at hosting.
“Colin Jost is a really good host,” one Redditor wrote. “I’m enjoying him immensely to be honest. I think Ken is really good too, but Colin is more telegenic and has a great sense of humor. Obviously has more star power than Ken too.
“Colin Jost was actually a great host-very Ken Jennings approach with the contestants with a formal yet informal way (wondered when a joke about him being married to Scarlett Johannsen would come up and it was only 2 episodes lol). Had to stop myself after 2 episodes because I could easily binge this all similarly to if Jeopardy was released as such.”
“I feel like Colin was very polished for a newbie, and definitely funnier than Ken,” bluntly wrote a third.
However, other fans felt differently, one posting on X: “Some people might say pop culture jeopardy is easier than regular jeopardy, but regular jeopardy contestants don’t have to pretend to laugh at Colin Jost’s jokes.
“Colin is OK,” a fourth Redditor wrote. “He reminds me a bit of how awkward Ken was, at first. His appearance is like Ryan Seacrest lite but he doesn’t have even half the energy or charisma of Ryan. I’ll hang in with it for awhile Jost has an extremely dry sense of humor and a very low-keyed delivery. I enjoy him.”
A fifth user even proposed that Jost would make a better host for Celebrity Jeopardy! than Jennings, though there’s no indication of that happening (the former champ is hosting Season 3 of the special premiering in January).
“I think Colin is doing too much and trying a bit too hard to be funny in the first few episodes, but I think he has a lot of potential as he gets more comfortable with the flow of the game. The dry wit if properly toned down feels like a great match for the show and I’d be interested in him trying Celebrity Jeopardy! in the future.”
Related‘Pop Culture Jeopardy!’ Review: The Good, The Bad & The Daily Doubly
Pop Culture Jeopardy! starts with 81 teams that get eliminated until there’s one champion and a prize amount of $300,000, so there will be 40 episodes released in batches of three every Wednesday.
What do you think of Jost as host? Do you think he holds a candle to Ken Jennings? Could you see him replacing Jennings on Celebrity Jeopardy!? Let us know in the comments section below!
Pop Culture Jeopardy!, Wednesdays, Amazon Prime Video
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