'Jeopardy!' Drama: Stars Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings 'Fear They’ll Be Replaced By Younger Hosts'
Jennings was named the sole host of the TV game show in mid-December.
Vibrant Ryan Seacrest's new gig at Wheel of Fortune has ramped up pressure over at Jeopardy! where frumpy hosts Ken Jennings and Mayim Bialik are fretting they'll be replaced by hot, younger talent, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Ken Jennings reportedly wants ex-co-host Mayim Bialik's paycheck added to his!
Ken, 49, and Mayim, 47, have been "nervously watching" the scene play out at their sister game show, which was also created by the late media mogul Merv Griffin, said a source.
"Pat Sajak's departure and the way Vanna White's been treated serve as a stark reminder there's no room for complacency in this cutthroat game show world," spilled the insider. "Ken and Mayim are under no illusions about that!"
Bialik announced she was fired from her hosting gig in mid-December.
As RadarOnline.com reported, sources squeal quiz-show camp Ken and Big Bang Theory star Mayim have been at each other's throats since landing co-hosting gigs on TV's number one game show.
Jealousy and clashing personalities are mostly to blame, according to our sources.
Now, spies say Ken and Mayim realize a truce is necessary to save themselves from the same fate as Sajak, whose rising unpopularity seemed to have hastened his exit.
"There's a serious possibility they'll both be booted in favor of some hotshot," squealed the insider.
Bialik and Jennings split hosting duties of 'Jeopardy!' after longtime host Alex Trebek died in 2020.
"Word is their bosses are sick of them fighting and have considered replacing them both with a more fan-friendly host," they explained. "Mayim and Ken are finally seeing the writing on the wall and they're determined to keep the ratings up and prove their worth, one episode at a time."
RadarOnline.com has reached out to Jeopardy! for comment.
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Seacrest announced his Wheel of Fortune gig last month — with insiders telling RadarOnline.com the host would command at least $28 million for the new job. Many viewers fired off on the network's decision for the Seacrest swap, voicing Sajak's rightful successor should be his longtime letter lady Vanna.
Despite being looked over by network executives for the job, we learned that Vanna used Seacrest's contract negotiation to her benefit by demanding a $7 million payday.
Vanna has been paid a $3 million salary for 18 years without a single pay raise.
“A lot of people are shocked Vanna has been overlooked and apparently underpaid for so long. No wonder she’s calling in the big guns to negotiate on her behalf. She needs to protect herself and get what’s fair, even if it means a messy fight," an insider spilled. “Vanna’s bosses are panicking now. They clearly underestimated her and how much support she has both on and off the set!”
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