“Danger!” viewers are calling for a boycott of the program during the two-week period when Dr. Mehmet Oz will act as the guest presenter on the popular game show.
The TV figure was singled out as one of the many guest presenters who took over the program, who continues to find a more permanent replacement for longtime host Alex Trebek, who died in November after a long battle with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
Oz, host of “The Dr. Oz Show” and assistant physician at the NY Presbyterian-Columbia Medical Center, has faced controversy in the past for allegedly dispensing questionable medical advice. As a result, many viewers were upset to see him take on the role of presenter on the popular curiosity program. In an open letter published on Medium after the announcement, a group of former “Jeopardy!” winners and contestants asked the program to rethink their decision to have Oz as a presenter.
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Dr. Oz began his season of presenting ‘Jeopardy’, much to the dismay of some fans.
(Monica Schipper / Getty Images)
When he started his two-week showing on Monday, many viewers went to Twitter to express their indignation, causing the hashtag “#BoycottJeopardy” to start becoming a trend on Monday.
“@Jeopardy Absolutely won’t be watching for the next 2 weeks. Why would you choose someone like Dr. Oz?! #BoycottJeopardy,” an upset fan wrote.
“I have to add my voice to the #BoycottJeopardy crowd while Dr. Oz is on stage. What a disrespectful gesture towards Alex Trebec and the show,” another user wrote.
“Dr. Oz is a scholar, an idiot and a dangerous snake oil salesman. The biggest slap in the face from Alex Trebek’s memory I could imagine. I love Jeopardy, but this week? I’m going to #BoycottJeopardy,” a third user wrote.
“Our family are loyal fans of danger, HOWEVER, let’s go #BoycottJeopardy while Dr. Oz is the guest host,” wrote another user.
“The game show host who proved that you can’t fool everyone all the time. Who is Oz. #BoycottJeopardy,” someone else added.
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Although many people ridiculed the choice of Oz over Trebek, the guest host opened his first episode with a heartfelt story about the late “Jeopardy!” Star.
“You know, I was fortunate enough to become friends with Alex, and I visited him and this show whenever I could,” Oz explained at the beginning of the show. “One of my favorite memories was of Alex showing me, with immense pride, a room full of letters and support for him from you, from his fans. And of all his achievements, he was most proud of his connection with all of you in House.”
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In addition to Oz, “Jeopardy!” announced in February that other stars such as Anderson Cooper, Savannah Guthrie and Dr. Sanjay Gupta would assume the role of host after the show previously called on Ken Jennings, Katie Couric, Mayim Bialik and Aaron Rodgers to replace the late Trebek.
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Regardless of how people feel about Oz as a host, “Jeopardy!” has matched players’ earnings in the form of a donation to the charities of their invited hosts. On Monday, Yahoo Entertainment reports that HealthCorps de Oz received $ 23,001 in donations.