‘Jeopardy!’ Host Mayim Bialik Explains Why She Wouldn’t Be a Good Contestant on the Show

While Mayim Bialik may be a host of Jeopardy!, that doesn't mean she would make a great contestant on the long-running trivia game show. And that's coming from the actress herself. 

"First of all, answering things like that under pressure with a timer is not gonna happen for me. It's hard!" the Big Bang Theory alum told Bill Maher during a recent appearance on his Club Random podcast, adding that she doesn't know all the answers to the questions asked on the show. 

Noting that there is a "huge psychological component" that comes into play when appearing as a contestant in front of a live audience, the Blossom alum continued, "There's a rhythm that winners get into. If you get something wrong, it can be debilitating. I would cry, I think."

Bialik, who has a PhD in neuroscience, went on to explain that despite her education, "the knowledge I have is not necessarily Jeopardy! knowledge."

"There are categories, like, obviously I'm trained in science. I can feel pretty confident about the science categories. I am a crossword puzzle person, so there's crossword categories. I have a minor in Hebrew and Jewish studies, so anything in that realm," she explained. "It's a different kind of knowledge [on Jeopardy!], like '18th century poets.'"

Bialik took over hosting duties with former winner Ken Jennings after longtime host Alex Trebek died in November 2020 after battling pancreatic cancer. He was 80 years old. 

In August, it was announced that Jennings would replace Bialik as host of Celebrity Jeopardy! Season 2 after she stepped away from the show amid the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike. 

"Mayim is choosing to stand with the actors like she did the writers and won't cross the picket lines," a source previously told The Messenger. "She hopes to return to Jeopardy! as soon as the strike has been resolved." 

The insider added: "She wasn't fired. She's choosing to stand with her union, and because of that, she was told it is unlikely she will return for the rest of the year, even if the strike is resolved before then."