Mayim Bialik is back on “Jeopardy!”
Well, sort of.
The 48-year-old actress who was fired from her job as host of the game show last year was referenced in a clue on Wednesday’s episode.
Returning winner and content manager Mark Fitzpatrick, data analyst Robert Frankie and “girl-between-gigs” Colleen Kelly were competing against each other in the “TV Coupling” category, where players had to name a television show.
Kelly went for the $600 clue which asked: “Sheldon & Amy, pure genius.”
“What is ‘The Big Bang Theory?’” Kelly answered, which host Ken Jennings confirmed was correct.
Bialik infamously played neuroscientist Amy Fowler, the love interest of Jim Parsons’ Sheldon Cooper, on the beloved CBS sitcom from 2010 to when the show ended in 2019.
“Always gets me when a Big Bang Theory clue comes up in the post-Mayim era,” one “Jeopardy!” fan wrote in a Reddit thread about Wednesday’s episode, referencing Bialik’s tenure on the game show.
Starting in August 2021, Bialik shared “Jeopardy!” hosting duties with Jennings, 50, following the 2020 death of longtime host Alex Trebek. They also co-hosted “Celebrity Jeopardy!”
In May 2023, Bialik refused to tape the show in sympathy with the writers guild (WGA) who were on strike in Hollywood.
Jennings hosted the rest of Season 39 and Season 40 in Bialik’s absence.
Come December 2023, Bialik officially announced that she was let go from the show.
“As the holiday break begins in Hollywood, I have some Jeopardy! news,” she wrote via Instagram at the time. “Sony has informed me that I will no longer be hosting the syndicated version of Jeopardy!”
“I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of the ‘Jeopardy!’ family,” she added.
Showrunner Michael Davies later revealed that Bialik was fired because the show needed more “consistency” with Jennings, who is now the sole host.
Jennings, for his part, admitted that he was surprised about Bialik’s exit.
“It took me off guard, because I loved working with my Mayim and I’m gonna miss her,” he told the Hollywood Reporter in December.
Bialik’s hosting duties were met with a mixed reception from the show’s diehard fans.
They would accuse the “Call Me Kat” star of being inconsistent with the game show’s rules.
Regardless, Bialik has always spoken highly about her “Jeopardy!” experience.
“It’s changed my life in enormous ways,” she told ET in April 2022. “You know, my recognizability and kind of familiarity that people feel with me is a lot more, especially with, like, a nightly show like that, when you’re on a show that’s always in people’s living rooms or wherever they choose to watch.”
“Jeopardy!”, now in its 41st season, airs weekdays at 7 p.m. ET.
