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‘Junglist’ ready to move on

Good Game's Jeremy 'Junglist' Ray sticks to his story but doesn't want to be in a mudslinging match with the ABC.

jrThe latest instalment in the war that has become Good Game‘s fallout with presenter Jeremy ‘Junglist’ Ray, sees the former co-host sticking to his guns, but attempting to smooth the waters too.

In an interview with ABC Online he maintains he was told that he was going to be replaced by a woman because the ABC wanted the video gaming show to garner “mass appeal”.

“There were comments made in that meeting that it would be great if the audience assumed, seeing as there is only four or five weeks left in the season, that I was sick or on holiday and that this whole thing was my idea,” he said.

“It was even suggested [at a different time], that I say on air that I’m going back to the States, which I found a little offensive because I’m an Australian citizen.”

But in thanking his fans for their suppost, he also says he is ready to move on.

“I don’t want to be at war with people,” he said.

“I don’t want to get into a mudslinging match with the ABC.”

Ray confirms there were issues over how long he was taking to review games.

“There was a view that a review should be finished within the 10-hour production day period,” he said.

“I explained at times as a reviewer, you like to have a bit more time.

“You wouldn’t tell David Stratton to review all of his movies in one hour and when he refuses to, then publicly blast his reviewing ability.

“It probably played more of a factor in who they chose to replace me with, rather than the actual replacement.”

Ray also said new presenter Stephanie ‘Hex’ Bendixsen ‘presented quite well.’

“All these people on the forums are saying it will be the death of the show. The show will go on.

“I’m not arrogant enough to think I’m the best person to present the show or write reviews for the show. I’m willing to accept that my replacement might be better.”

His departure, which will go down as one of the year’s most fumbled exits alongside Mark Ferguson from Nine, spawned a flood of online complaints and social media sites supporting him.

Last week the ABC cited his removal saying his performance issues were severely impacting the quality and smooth-running of the show. It had previously indicated it wanted to refresh the format.

Amended.

Source: ABC

25 Responses

  1. Well I have watched it since they dropped Junglist (I gave it a reasonable chance), and the quality of the show definitely hasnt improved, its worse than before.

    It is no longer game reviews by gamers, sorry its not. Either get that old magic back with someone who can do a proper review and banter about it or just close the doors because its dying.

  2. Differnt era’s. The guy’s that manage are from another time. They just dont know and their make up means they never will. (Blonde chicks are from an age old industry that they all understand though). Good game should always have been a private entity to succeed.

  3. abc, you suck, u have tried ray like crap, i will have stopped watching this show.. so good luck n00bs.

    wrong wrong wrong wrong, anyways jung all the best and start ur own review show, show this show up the tight executives back side.. idiots.. u are whats wrong with this world.. mass appeal eye, how on earth is a silly blonde chick mass appeal to gamers. gamers are gamers..

  4. I expect a book reviewer to have read the whole book and a movie reviewer to have watched the entire movie. Is it unrelaistic to expect a game reviewer to have been given the time to play the entire game? Probably, but many games require a lot of playing time before their worth can be evaluated.

    The one thing that worried me with the Hex/Bajo chemistry was that when they reviewed games, there was “I did this” and “I did that”. With Baj and Jung there was a lot more “we found that”. This gives me the impression that Baj and Jung played the games together whereas Baj and Hex played separately. It may not be true, but that was the impression I got from their reviews.

  5. It’s amazing how dull the show is without his on camera presence and I will keep on watching it for now, but these recent 2 episodes have been very dull indeed.

    Hex isn’t too bad in her presentation, but watching the show with the 2 guys felt like it was a show by gamers and now it feels a lot like a scripted show by actors.

    I wouldn’t be surprised if a commercial network of Foxtel snapped him up to do a similar show as it would surely get a a lot of interest. Just look at the reaction online to Junglist getting the boot.

  6. With what’s gone on, who could blame him for not wanting to go back?

    I think it’s telling when a production member made a statement on the GG forums supporting Jeremy’s version of events – only to remove references to “upper management” soon after. The original version is still available using Google’s cache!

    I never thought I could be so disgusted with ABC management.

  7. He was offended that they suggested he say he was going to the US because he’s Australian (despite his American accent)?
    I’d be offended that they hated me and were giving me the boot.

  8. Sticking by my ban,have not watched the last two weeks,plenty of reviews on the net.One of the main reasons I watched the show was the banter between the two guys so now it’s pointless watching.

  9. Whether Hex is a better presenter is not the point for me. The thing I loved about Good Game was that it felt like you had this Friday night games session with a couple of mates. The fact that they did a great job and presented uptodate (even compared with American games sites) games information was just a bonus for me. It’s why we watch shows that perhaps we wouldn’t under other circumstances.

    An example for me is The Big Bang Theory. It is a borderline offensive take on “Geeks” but the reason the show works for me is because of the feeling of … family.

    I like hanging out with them for half an hour as they act like idiots and eat pizza with the hot next door neighbour. It feels warm and comfortable and I feel, in some strange way, a part of their family. Good Game was like that for me.

    I felt like I had this connection with a couple of mates who loved games as much as I did. They stuffed around, cracked awful jokes and generally made life more fun and (depending on the week I just had) more bearable.

    I actually think Hex has huge potential as a presenter in this genre and I genuienly wish her all the best. I’m sure in time I will grow to love the show again, but until then I plan on feeling a little sad about the whole thing.

    Best wishes Junglist.

  10. That is the worst thing about Jung’s departure – him and Bajo had the best chemistry, it was incredibly dynamic and fun for the viewer. Jung is a serious gamer, and presented his reviews in an entertaining and informative way. I’m glad he is maintaining what the ABC execs told him, and I really hope he moves on from this and gets some more work, because wherever he will go, Jung fans will be in hot pursuit.

    Oh, and @Michael – don’t comment on this if you don’t know who he is. The “name” Junglist is a gamer name, which most, if not all, gamers have. It is also a slang term for an avid listener of jungle and/or drum and bass music. His real name is Jeremy Ray, which you would’ve seen if you’d have bothered to even read the article before commenting.

  11. I don’t think I could handle again the crap they dished up last night. Shame on you ABC management. So much for providing an alternative to commercial media.

    Good Game Over

  12. ABC had a great computer/video game show, then destroyed it by removing its major asset, neutering its second-in-command, and dumbing it down with a bimbo blonde who pretends to play games.

  13. I watched last night to see if it could improve – it was worse than i feared! It was boring! No fun, no chemistry, no interesting perspective – the scores were virtually the same.

    ABC management have done a real disservice to their viewers.

  14. “I’m not arrogant enough to think I’m the best person to present the show or write reviews for the show. I’m willing to accept that my replacement might be better.”

    Well you should be Jeremy, because both shows since you were removed, have been terrible and the second was worse than the first.

  15. A better replacement there may be, but they haven’t put a better replacement on… and the fact that it’s lost not only one of the show’s key players but has now reviewing Books and authors in a pathetic attempt to make it appear more gamey they are playing WII golf (I mean come on) proves its onto the money making train (which has an axle that’s breaking) and leaving behind a well working machine.

    Again, well done ABC, you’ve gone and totalled another great series.

  16. I hate to be picky, but Junglist is actually Australian-born. “Ray, who was born in Australia but lived in the United States for most of his childhood,” (Source: ABC)

  17. Good on him for further sticking to his guns, and further clarifying the situation.

    IMO he should never have been replaced – he and Bajo make the show what it is…

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