Jeopardy! Fans React To Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s First Episode As Guest Host

Best known for being CNN’s chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta is already receiving a roar of approval as Jeopardy!'s latest guest host.

On Monday, the neurosurgeon made his Jeopardy! debut, following in the footsteps of Today show coanchor Savannah Guthrie and Big Bang Theory actress Mayim Bialik. Dr. Gupta is the latest TV personality to stand at the lectern and help honor Alex Trebek’s legacy on the beloved game show.

Before his first episode aired, Dr. Gupta opened up about being a longtime viewer. The 51-year-old father of three remembers watching the quiz show alongside his parents, two engineers who immigrated from India and Pakistan. Now, he gets to create new memories with his teenage daughters, who also like to test their knowledge against him.

“As a kid watching Jeopardy! with my parents … English is not their first language and still they could do well when they played,” he said in an exclusive interview with the show. “It was inspiring for me to see them come out like that over a quiz show game here in the United States. It wasn’t something they ever dreamed of watching and answering and trying to compete against one another. But we all did. And even on a tough day, [we would] sit around, watch Jeopardy!, get a few questions right, that felt good.”

After watching him host Jeopardy! for the first time, many folks took to Twitter to praise the medical correspondent for leading the show like a pro. “Alex smiled down tonight, you were fantastic and undeniably lived up to his legacy, honoring his memory. Very well done and congratulations!” one person wrote. “Dr. Gupta killed! Very smooth and charming-It seemed like he [has] been doing it for years,” another added. “Sanjay, you’re a national treasure. You’ve not only guided us through the pandemic, you’re now hosting Jeopardy!” a different fan said.

What’s more, lots of viewers also started calling for him to become the new permanent host of Jeopardy!.

“I think Dr. Gupta should be a permanent host. I never thought anyone could fill Alex’s shoes, but Dr. Sanjay was Absolutely brilliant!” a follower commented. “You were fantastic! If you didn’t already have 20 other important jobs, I think you should be the permanent host!” another tweeted. “Great job. Honestly, the first guest host who I could imagine as a permanent replacement for the legendary Alex Trebek,” someone else said.

It's coming down to crunch time for executive producer Mike Richards and his fellow colleagues at Sony Pictures Television to make a decision about who will be given the coveted job. Speaking with the Associated Press earlier this month, Mike shared insight about the hiring process, which is set to name Alex's successor by late July or early August.

“My hope is that whoever is chosen will be given a chance to prove why they were chosen, without too much static,” he told the outlet. “Ultimately, we are trying to put out the best product for our fans. That tends to narrow your focus to a pretty nice North Star, as opposed to, ‘What’s the internet going to say?’”

George Stephanopoulos, Robin Roberts, LeVar Burton, David Faber and Joe Buck are still scheduled to guest host later this summer.

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