Fans angry over Good Game host switch
Good Game's 'Junglist' is to be replaced in a 'refreshing' of ABC2's gaming show. But you don't mess with gaming fans without a fight...
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ABC2 is changing hosts on Good Game with co-presenter Jeremy ‘Junglist’ Ray (pictured left) to be replaced.
He is to be replaced by Stephanie ‘Hex’ Bendixsen who will also co-host the new junior version of the show with Steven ‘Bajo’ O’Donnell, Good Game: SP for ABC3.
Tactfully avoiding the word ‘axed,’ the ABC indicated the move ties in with a refreshing of the gaming show.
In a statement to TV Tonight, Amanda Duthie, Head of Arts and Entertainment said, “After three years, we felt Good Game needed a refresh to take the program into 2010 and beyond, and the decision was made to change the hosting team.
“Jeremy had travel plans which meant he was not going to be available to tape the final show of the season, the one hour Christmas Special, and we were announcing details of the launch of the Good Game: SP program on our new channel, ABC3. So it made sense to work in with these timings to introduce Stephanie ‘Hex’ Bendixsen as our new host.
“Understandably, Jeremy has many fans who are disappointed to see him leave the program. However, we are absolutely confident that Bajo and Hex will bring a new dimension to the show and, along with the dedicated behind the scenes team of gamers, continue to bring Australian audiences independent reviews and information about video gaming in Australia.”
Angry fans of the show have already started an online petition to keep him on the show.
On his Twitter posts, Junglist says “Cheers for the kinds words and good times….it’s been great and it’s the people that make it great. Much love to you all.”
The show airs tonight at 8:30pm on ABC2.
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76 Responses
Ah,the PC brigade have a win and inset the token female.
A bit hard to improve the show when they have no fans left.
the “eww, girls! gross!” comments are hilarious/pathetic.
For those who don’t know I set up a Facebook group to help Save Junglist!
We have gained over 830 members in about 54 hours and many of us are actively trying to help keep Junglist on the hosting team.
If you want to do your bit and help the cause, join the group.
Check out my URL for an amusing video on the situation.
Junglist will be missed, be sure to join the Facebook group if you want him back!
Sorry to be potentially annoying – but to clarify … the parent show is still continuing next year as well as the Junior show right?
Yes.
Junglist is the most knowledgeable and entertaining host on the show….Bajo is a ‘noob’.
….I hope this hasn’t anything to do with political correctness….they have Rei as a reporter anyway
What does the ABC know of gaming anyway?
Oh great, they are taking away the best presenter and replacing him with what I assume will be some dull girl reading from a prompter.
This is a bad move for the show, the only reason I watch good game is to hear what Junglist and Bajo have to say as they are experienced gamers.
Its like replacing David from At The Movies.
A new female host? Isn’t that like giving a female hosting role to Top Gear? Sure there are plenty of games females play but its nothing compared to the consumers of game magazines/media and the “hard core’ gaming crowd.
I just hope this choice wasn’t made just to put a female in the hosting seat. Time will tell. There are so many things they could try before changing the hosts!
@ snickers – the best constructive criticism you can make is you don’t like the way Bajo’s head moves? Really??
What crap. Junglist is by far the more observant reviewer of the two. His scores more accurately represent the type of player that has a past of an fps/role player gaming upbringing, but is moving through his mid-20s and has less time for certain types of gameplay. Bringing someone else younger in will lose a massive chunk of their viewers.. Bajo is fine for certain types of game reviews, and acts as a goofball quite funnily.. but they need Junglist as the main anchor for the show.
Adding another lifeless female gamer to the mix just wont cut it.. unless she is an extraordinarily likeable personality which Jung is… and bajo is (lets face it, he is, even with his robot head).
Get this ‘Hex’ person to do the kiddie show.. or hell, get a couple of 12 year olds.. they’ve probably got more experience than Jung/Bajo or Hex anyhow.. kids these days seem to be gaming even as embryos, picking up XP from mum resting the the controller on her ever-expanding pregnant belly while hammering through hours and hours of gaming to pass the time while on maternity leave…
What a mess.
I call bollocks on the “travel plans” and “refresh” excuses. If this was such a carefully-considered decision by Duthie and the ABC, then why did Junglist only hear about it on Friday, and why is he being pulled from the show immediately? Something else is going on, and it’s probably political.
I’ve watched Good Game from the start, and Junglist’s been on it from episode 1. The first season was a bit of a mess, but with the replacement of the original co-host by Bajo for season 2, the pair built up a genuinely appealing on-screen chemistry that has gotten better and better as they’re gotten more experienced at the hosting game.
What are we going to see tonight? Another token female gamer rea-ding-the-au-to-cue-like-their-rep-or-ters-did? Just to satisfy the ABC board’s ongoing commitment to “lack of bias”?
Bad, bad decision, ABC. The show’s gotten to the stage where it wins awards, and now you’re alienating the audience that took it there, all for the sake of the Wii Fit crowd.
Have to say I’m with Jason’s opinion. The show is average at best. Of the two hosts, “Junglist” was the better one; “Bajo” just looks odd the way he moves his head like his neck doesn’t move (if it’s a medical thing, sorry for the comment).
I am so mad about this. I don’t know if I want to watch the show anymore now.
“After three years, we felt Good Game needed a refresh to take the program into 2010 and beyond, and the decision was made to change the hosting team.”
What a load of crap, why does every show need “refreshing” or “revamping”?? It worked, leave it alone.
Awwww! They made a great team! I even enjoyed the injection of humour into their later episodes. Why change something that works so well? Was there really any demand? Surely people weren’t getting tired of them?
@ Jason – You’re comparing this to a different beast altogether. GG was always about reviewing the latest games and its industry/culture – not ripping to shreds games from the last century!
If I actually played video games anymore, I’d watch the show every week. As it is I only watch occasionally, but am always entertained. They’ve really turned it into a suitably silly but informative show, in ways other shows could learn from.
It’s a shame Junglist is leaving, but I figure it’s how shows evolve, and in this case it won’t be too jarring a change if Bajo remains.
Does Bajo remind anyone of an over cafeinated Andrew Hanson? and Junglist.. you will be missed 🙁
Good show that keeps getting better.
Safe travels Junglist.
No! 🙁 They’re a great team. One of the few shows on TV I watch regularly…
I too, like Goonies, am not a regular gamer but watch the show for the very same reasons.
@ Jason – I would barely crack the genre of casual gamer but I watch GG religiously every week and find their reviews entertaining and informative.
Meh – this show is a lukewarm attempt at best at video game reviewing – these guys should look at what people are doing on YouTube like the Classic Game Room or even The Angry Video Game Nerd, I watch those reviewers religiously but Good Game is most of the time boring.
How they manage to take a fun subject and bore me to tears with it is beyond my comprehension – and somehow I don’t think it’s something a simple change of hosts can fix.
When i initially read into this last Friday, i really felt as though Jung as well as the GG community were harshly done by. It felt as though my stomach just fell, like i was on a roller coaster or something. I’m still trying to come to grips with the decision.
I agree with ‘Angry Face’ in that he should have been kept for the ‘grown-up’ GG and have Hex for the ‘kiddie’ GG. I’m sure it’s all about money, everything is these days. They have just hired 6 new full-time hosts for the new channel (ABC3) so they had to cut costs somewhere and it happened to the least deserving of the axe.
Also agree with ‘rattle’ in that the show won’t be the same without him.
As much as everyone wants him to return, it won’t happen. The decision would have no doubt changed Jung’s opinion of the ABC, whether it be for the right or wrong reasons.
Anyway, good luck in your future endeavors Jung. You will be missed by all GG gamers. I sure hope it’s not he last we have seen or heard of you.
I don’t see why they couldn’t have Bajo and Junglist host the regular Good Game, and have Hex and someone else host “Good Game SP” .
As Bajo himself says – hate, haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaate, hate!!
Bugger! This is the first I have heard of it and I am disappointed to see him go as I think he is the better host on the show.
The thing about not being available for the final show due to travel plans is a bit dodgy though. Without know more details, I could see why he wouldn’t be brought back if he put his travel plans ahead of a final show.
Regardless of the reasons, the show won’t be the same without him.