CNN host Anderson Cooper‘s first week as the “Jeopardy!” guest host pulled in lower ratings than any other guest host in the history of the show.
Ratings reportedly fell by 7% during Anderson’s first week, claiming the lowest debut for any of the Sony game show’s guest hosts, according to The Wrap.
The iconic game show lost its longtime emcee, Alex Trebek, in November after he died following a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 80 years old at the time. Until a permanent host is announced by Sony Pictures Television, interim hosts have been stepping in.
SEE THE LIST OF INTERIM ‘JEOPARDY!’ GUEST HOSTS
The Wrap reported that Cooper’s 5.1 rating dropped “Jeopardy!” out of the top game show spot that week, falling behind “Family Feud,” which pulled in a 5.5 rating.
Cooper’s score was just below Dr. Oz’s 5.2 rating during his own debut week, which had previously been considered the lowest score for a “Jeopardy!” guest host. Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers began with a 5.6, but drew a 5.5 rating his second week.
(Jeopardy!)
To date, the highest-rated guest host was Ken Jennings, who managed to land a 6.2 rating in his first week. Jennings was the first guest host to step in for Trebek after he passed.
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Katie Couric took the stage shortly after that, but the show fell behind “Family Feud” and finished second for the first time since Trebek’s final episodes. The two weeks with “Dr. Oz” did not collect the ratings necessary to help the show recover from second place.
“60 Minutes” correspondent Bill Whitaker, former contestant Buzzy Cohen, Mayim Bialik, “Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie, CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Fox sportscaster Joe Buck, George Stephanopoulos, and LeVar Burton are all slated to emcee the show in the coming weeks.
As a part of each guest host’s appearance, a donation will be made to a charity of their choice. The amount donated will equal the cumulative winnings of the contestants that compete during the week they serve as guest host.
