2023 Emmy Predictions: Best Game Show Host

This year marks the first time that the TV academy accolades for Best Game Show and Best Game Show Host will be given out at the Creative Arts Awards ceremony rather than the Daytime Emmys. This permanent change, which coincides with the 50th anniversaries of both categories, may or may not directly impact the 2023 races, but they will still be quite interesting to watch regardless.

In the host contest, a lot of pressure falls on Steve Harvey (“Family Feud”), who triumphed last year on his ninth bid just after Alex Trebek (“Jeopardy”) posthumously achieved his third consecutive and eighth overall victory. Among those looking to block Harvey from establishing a streak are Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings, who, as Trebek’s alternating replacements, have earned their first separate bids in this category, giving “Jeopardy” two shots at a ninth win. Rounding out this lineup are first-timer Keke Palmer (“Password”) and three-time champion Pat Sajak (“Wheel of Fortune”).

In order to determine the likelihood of Harvey relinquishing his crown, let’s take a closer look at each of these nominated game show hosts. Be sure to make your predictions in this and 29 other Creative Arts Emmy categories by September 9.

Mayim Bialik (“Jeopardy”)
Nearly five months after Trebek’s final episode aired, Bialik guest hosted “Jeopardy” for two weeks in the spring of 2021 and was then hired to present the franchise’s 2022 National College Championship. The former Best Comedy Supporting Actress nominee (“The Big Bang Theory,” 2012-2015) will soon begin her second season as both a permanent co-host of the main show and solo host of “Celebrity Jeopardy.”

Steve Harvey (“Family Feud”)
Harvey directly succeeded John O’Hurley as this long-running show’s host in 2010 and then made history four years later as the first Black man to triumph in this category. His second “Family Feud” victory came in 2017, one year after he received his first primetime nomination for presenting “Little Big Shots.” Additionally, he has four daytime accolades to his name for his producing and hosting his eponymous syndicated talk show, which aired from 2012 to 2019.

Ken Jennings (“Jeopardy”)
Jennings first rose to prominence in 2004, when he held the position of “Jeopardy” champion for 74 straight games and amassed a winnings total of over $2.5 million. Having subsequently participated in several of the show’s special tournaments and raking in another $2 million, he was afforded the honor of being the very first post-Trebek guest host from January to February 2021. Later that year, he shared in a Best Game Show Emmy win as one of the show’s producers.

Keke Palmer (“Password”)
Palmer has hosted the rebooted version of this series since it premiered last August, with producer Jimmy Fallon serving as a regular celebrity contestant. The original edition, which was hosted for 10 years by Allen Ludden, concluded in 1975, but various, differently-named iterations have aired in the decades since. Palmer previously earned a daytime nomination for hosting “Good Morning America” (2020), plus a primetime win for starring in the short form comedy series “Turnt Up with the Taylors” (2021).

Pat Sajak (“Wheel of Fortune”)
This is Sajak’s 22nd nomination for this show, which he has hosted continuously since 1981. He was first recognized in 1985 and then achieved his first win in 1993 before prevailing again in 1997 and 1998. In 2011, the same year “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy” tied for Best Game Show, he and Trebek were both given lifetime achievement Emmys for their services to daytime TV. Just this spring, Sajak confirmed that he will step down at the conclusion of the upcoming “Wheel of Fortune” season.

So, who will win the 2023 (and first Creative Arts) Emmy for Best Game Show Host? Some prognosticators might be tempted to go with Sajak since his retirement announcement boosted his profile, but it’s important to remember that he still has one more full season left. If the academy is going to give him a late-stage win, they will probably wait until the absolute end of tenure, as they did with Bob Barker (“The Price Is Right”) in 2007.

Although Harvey certainly can pull off another victory, all eyes appear to be on the first pair of female nominees to ever face off in this category. The notion that either will follow Betty White (“Just Men,” 1983) and Meredith Vieira (“Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” 2005, 2009) as only the third woman to take the prize is exciting as it is, and Palmer has a chance to make further history as the first Black female recipient. Both she and Bialik are very well-liked, but the fact that viewers have shown no discernable preference toward either “Jeopardy” host could signify more vote splitting than some are anticipating. Also bearing in mind that “Jeopardy” is widely expected to win Best Game Show and that the two awards rarely align, it’s pretty safe to count on Keke.

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