Jeopardy! icon Sam Buttrey snags new hosting gig as fans say beloved contestant ‘should be cast’ for show spinoff
SAM Buttrey has impressed fans after being spotted taking on a new role.
The Jeopardy! star took on a new trivia challenge, and it gave fans an idea for his next potential television role.
In photos shared by a fan on Reddit , Sam was shown hosting a big event.
The former champion stood in front of a huge crowd at a public library.
One photo showed him standing beside a screen displaying information about Jeopardy! as he seemed to explain the game show’s rules to the attendees.
“Sam Buttrey hosted a trivia night fundraiser for our local library tonight!” the fan wrote alongside the photos.
Many other fans quickly responded to the sighting, and suggested he should take on hosting as his next venture.
“He should host Senior Jeopardy,” one person wrote, with many others backing the idea up.
“He is a national treasure,” a second social media user added.
“We now know what the man about town is up to,” said a third.
BON VIVANT
Fans joked about Sam being a “man about town” in reference to a hilarious Jeopardy! moment .
In April, Sam returned to the show as he competed in the Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament.
When Sam first competed, he revealed his job to be Associate Professor of Operations Research at the Naval Postgraduate School in Pacific Grove, California.
For the JIT, however, he switched up his description completely.
“Bon vivant and man about town,” Sam provided as his career.
The fan-favorite only became more loved for his funny bio, and was praised for his sense of humor.
Jeopardy! Host Timeline
Jeopardy! has had a tumultuous history regarding hosts after the death of the iconic Alex Trebek in 2020. Here are all of the hosts since the game show’s inception in 1964.
Art Fleming – 1964 to 1975, he was the original host of the daytime version of Jeopardy! on NBC.
Alex Trebek – 1984 to 2020, the late, great Alex hosted Jeopardy!’s modern iteration for 36 years until his death from pancreatic cancer.
Guest hosts – 2020 to 2021, Jeopardy! tested out a series of guest hosts for week or two-week stints, including Anderson Cooper, LaVar Burton, and Aaron Rodgers.
Mike Richards – 2021, he was named host for one week before resigning amid controversy. He was the show’s executive producer at the time.
Mayim Bialik – 2021 to 2023, when Mike was announced as the show’s new host, Mayim was chosen to host tournaments and primetime specials.
Mayim and Ken Jennings – 2022 to 2023, 74-time champion Ken (the longest-winning contestant ever) joined Mayim as a guest host and they split hosting duties.
Ken Jennings – 2023 to present. Last December, Mayim announced on Instagram that she would “no longer” host Jeopardy! after a lengthy hiatus, having stood with the writer’s strike, and Ken was named sole host.
Ken now helms all editions of Jeopardy! including Celebrity Jeopardy!, the nightly show, and other primetime specials like Masters.
“I love Steve Martin’s sense of humor,” one fan joked, riffing on Sam’s uncanny similarity to the film star.
GLORY DAYS
After making a wave with his new job description, Sam’s major change was revealed on the Inside Jeopardy! podcast.
Jeopardy! legend Buzzy Cohen confirmed that Sam was retired, and was very on the nose with his “bon vivant” title.
While he’s retired now, Sam still has a very interesting life outside of the show.
Sam is married to fellow trivia devotee Elinda Hardy, who has auditioned for Jeopardy! multiple times and helps Sam revise for his own appearances.
When he’s not studying, the television star has a very interesting side hustle creating songs on Soundcloud .
“I’m a keyboard player but with the help of computer software I can create entire songs that I think are hilarious. But in reality range from the unfunny to offensive.
“I’ll be making you a mixtape of my two favorites: ‘The Colonoscopy Song’ and ‘Don’t Put Your Cat Butt in My Face,’” he jokingly told Ken Jennings on the show.
