Joe Buck has become well-known for his broadcasts of NFL and MLB games for FOX over the years, but on Monday he began a new stint on television: hosting Jeopardy.
Buck, who was announced to the guest host line-up back in April, had his first episode air on Monday night on ABC. In his introduction he spoke about how excited and honored he was to be leading the show.
“While I am absolutely thrilled to be here hosting Jeopardy, this is so exciting, it’s a bit nerve wracking to be on this iconic stage. The same stage that Alex Trebek stood on for 37 years. I mean, that is humbling to say the least,” Buck said.
Throughout his career in sports broadcasting, Buck has been one of the most polarizing figures in sports media. Some greatly appreciate the work that he does, while others aren’t as easily impressed.
That’s why it’s no surprise that those mixed feelings carried over to the assessment of his Jeopardy! hosting performance. While some thought that Buck expertly carried the show, others weren’t too pleased to see him on their screens.
It’s Joe Buck’s first day as guest host! He’s honored to share the stage with 13-day champ Matt Amodio, who’s already won over $400K! pic.twitter.com/isORDWlUOG
— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) August 9, 2021
Joe Buck is hosting “Jeopardy” and he’s doing a good job, which reinforces my hot take that Joe Buck is good.
— Luke Epplin (@LukeEpplin) August 9, 2021
Joe Buck is good on Jeopardy which is not a surprise because he is generally just quite good.
— Brenden Schaeffer (@bschaeffer12) August 9, 2021
As expected, Joe Buck was excellent in his first game hosting @Jeopardy. His feigned interest in the interview portion was Trebek-esque.
— Dan Stanczyk (@DanStanczyk) August 10, 2021
With his Jeopardy appearance, Joe Buck is only calling NHL games away from ruining everything I love.
— Rick Monti (@Aldo_Monti) August 9, 2021
“…and the guest host of Jeopardy, Joe Buck!” pic.twitter.com/EZ7boMaLFq
— CDP 🐗⚾👏 (@cdpayne79) August 9, 2021
The best reaction to Buck’s performance came from former Jeopardy! champion James Holzhauer. The 37-year-old took to social media to make a quip about the sports broadcaster’s showing.
“Jeopardy says whoever hosts full time will have to quit their other job, so I’m crossing my fingers it’s Joe Buck,” Holzhauer wrote on Twitter.
Jeopardy says whoever hosts full time will have to quit their other job, so I’m crossing my fingers it’s Joe Buck
— James Holzhauer (@James_Holzhauer) August 9, 2021
Sounds like Holzhauer isn’t that big of a fan of Buck’s broadcasting. Unfortunately for him, it doesn’t sound like the FOX Sports announced will be leaving for Jeopardy! anytime soon.
According to multiple reports, Mike Richards, the show’s executive producer, has entered “advanced negotiations” to take over as the full-time host. Richards had a stint as a guest host earlier this year.
That means Buck will be back on FOX Sports broadcasts soon enough. With the NFL season just around the corner, he’ll be alongside Troy Aikman on FOX’s lead announcing team.
The post Sports World Reacts To Joe Buck’s Jeopardy! Debut appeared first on The Spun.