It started out as a routine post-Monday Night Football interview for ESPN, with play-by-play duo Joe Buck and Troy Aikman discussing the Los Angeles Chargers' playoff chances after their 20-3 win over the Indianapolis Colts with SportsCenter anchor Scott Van Pelt. 

But boy, did it get cringy. 

Van Pelt addressed the first question to Buck, but focused the rest of the five-minute day-after-Christmas inquiry on the announcer's Hall-of-Fame quarterback booth mate, Troy Aikman. 

The embedded YouTube video picks up towards the end of the segment, when Van Pelt tries to smoothly segue on. Buck suddenly raises a sharp elbow about just having to "awkwardly stand there" as Van Pelt directed most of the questions to Aikman.

A somewhat tense back-and-forth ensues, despite Aikman's comical attempt to make peace, with Van Pelt specifically targeting Buck's $15 million-a-year salary. 

Warning: This milk is as sour as we have described it:

CBS Media Ventures's Jeopardy! has had a string of guest hosts this year since the death of Alex Trebek in November.

The show’s ratings started out on top at 6.2 when Ken Jennings began his six-week guest hosting stint in the week ended Jan. 17. But since Jennings’ start the long-running game show has had a bumpy ride, bottoming out at a 4.4 with LeVar Burton at the podium in the week ended Aug. 1. Burton's stint, though, was heavily impacted by the Tokyo Olympics, which pounded most syndies in the frame.

Jeopardy! has since rebounded: first with CNBC's David Faber earning a 4.5 in the week ended Aug. 8, and then second with Fox Sports' Joe Buck nabbing a 5.2 in the week ended Aug. 15. Buck's rating marked a 13-week high for the game show and a 16% jump over the previous week.

Before Burton and Faber, the game show's lowest rating came in at a 4.7 with Savannah Guthrie, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, and Robin Roberts each earning that number during their respective turns at the podium.

Find out how the guest hosts (so far) stack up below. The most recent ratings are for the week ended Aug. 15 and are based on live plus same day national household ratings from Nielsen Media Research. It's also important to note that ratings are affected by more than the guest host. Preemptions, the Tokyo Olympics, and the slow summer season, for example, all have an impact.

Also Read: New 'Jeopardy!' Host Mike Richards Steps Down After Just 9 Days

Jeopardy! ratings leaped 16% in the week ending August 15, the first week after the conclusion of the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics. 

With sportscaster Joe Buck at the podium, CBS Media Ventures’ Jeopardy! improved from the prior week, which featured CNBC’s David Faber as guest host, to a 13-week high 5.2 live plus same day national household rating, according to Nielsen. 

That marked Jeopardy!’s strongest performance since the week of May 10, when CBS News’ Bill Whitaker was guest hosting, and an 18% improvement over the same week last year, when the late Alex Trebek was still leading the show. Jeopardy!, which is produced by Sony Pictures Television, showed the biggest year-to-year increase of any strip of any kind.

Also Read: Mayim Bialik to be First 'Jeopardy!' Guest Host Post Mike Richards

Syndication ratings surged across the board, despite the continuation of low summer levels of people using television; numerous preemptions on Fox stations for the “Field of Dreams” baseball game on August 12; and preemptions on network affiliates for coverage of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s resignation on Aug. 10. 

Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud forged ahead 6% to a 5.4 to lead the games and all of syndication. Feud is on track to be syndication’s season leader in households when the Nielsen-designated TV season ends on Aug. 29. CBS’s Wheel of Fortune recovered 15% to a 4.5, which was that show’s season low prior to the Summer Games.

Fox’s 25 Words or Less added 14% to a 0.8. Entertainment Studios’ Funny You Should Ask answered with a 0.4 for a third consecutive week.

Disney’s internet video show RightThis Minute moved up 20% to a 0.6.

CBS’ Inside Edition rebounded 22% to a 2.2 to lead the magazines, followed by sister show Entertainment Tonight, which expanded 24% to an 11-week high 2.1. 

Without Olympics preemptions, NBCU’s Access Hollywood leaped over three shows to reclaim its customary third-place slot in the genre, surging 100% to a 0.8. Access Hollywood, which has numerous clearances on NBC stations, had been decimated by Olympic programming in the prior two weeks. 

Warner Bros.’ TMZ stood pat at a 0.7. Warner Bros.’ Extra, which lost its time slot in many markets due to Fox’s airing of the Field of Dreams baseball game on August 12, still strengthened 20% to a 0.6, tying CBS’ DailyMailTV, which stayed put for a second straight week.

Fox’s Dish Nation increased 50% to land at a 0.3 for the 48th time in the past 50 weeks. 

Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan rose 6% to a 1.7 and scored its 14th straight first-place finish in the talk-show race, including one tie with CBS’ Dr. Phil. Among daytime’s key demographic of women 25-54, Live led with a 0.7, followed by Phil at a 0.5.

Phil stayed in second place with an all-repeat week, gaining 8% for the week and 17% over the past two weeks to a 1.4 in households.

Without facing Olympics competition, repeats of NBCU’s Kelly Clarkson and Warner Bros.’ Ellen DeGeneres both exploded 100% to a 0.8, tying NBCU’s Maury, which was flat, and Debmar-Mercury’s Wendy Williams, which climbed 14% even though the show is in repeats due to being in its summer production hiatus.

Also Read: 'Kelly Clarkson' to Open Season 3 in New York City

Disney’s Tamron Hall added 17% to a 0.7, tying NBCU’s Steve Wilkos and CBS’ Rachael Ray, both of which also rose 17%. Sony Pictures Television’s Dr. Oz revived 50% to a 0.6. 

Encore episodes of CBS’s Drew Barrymore retained a 0.4. Warner Bros.‘ The Real registered a 0.3 for the 13th consecutive week. CBS’s The Doctors operated at a 0.2 for the 25th week in a row, tying NBCU’s out-of-production syndicated run of Jerry Springer, which stayed at a 0.2 for the 49th straight week. 

CBS’s Judge Judy, nearing the end of its last season in first-run production at CBS, jumped 7% to a 4.6 to lead the courts. Judy also was syndication’s third-highest rated show overall, despite being mostly in repeats.

CBS’s Hot Bench also spiked 7%, clocking a 1.5, making it daytime’s third highest-rated daytime show after Judy and Live.

Warner Bros.’ People’s Court and Judge Mathis both maintained a 0.8 and 0.6, respectively. NBCU’s Judge Jerry declined 17% to a 0.5, tying Fox’s Divorce Court, which stayed put for a third consecutive week. Repeats of Trifecta’s Protection Court stayed at a 0.2 for a seventh straight week.

Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory softened 5% to a 2.1, equalling its series low but still leading the off-network sitcoms. Disney’s Last Man Standing stepped up 7% to a 1.5. Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men improved 11% to a 1.0. Disney’s Modern Family finished 13% higher at a 0.9. Disney’s Family Guy grew 14% to a 0.8, tying SPT’s The Goldbergs and Seinfeld, both of which stayed put. Warner Bros.’ 2 Broke Girls accrued 17% to a 0.7, tying Warner Bros.’ Mike & Molly, which held steady. Debmar-Mercury’s newcomer Schitt’s Creek climbed 20% to a 0.6, tying Disney’s Black-ish and Warner Bros.’ Mom, both of which were on par with the prior week.

AT&T Audience Network has tapped veteran sports TV personality Dan Patrick to host the network’s long-running sports talk series Undeniable.

Undeniable With Dan Patrick will launch its sixth season with Patrick as the host replacing Joe Buck, who hosted the series for the first five seasons, according to network officials.

Related: Dan Patrick Sportscasting School Starting Up at Full Sail University

The series under Patrick will continue to provide viewers with a unique look into the lives of sports figures. The sixth season will feature interviews with two-time NFL Super Bowl champion Ray Lewis; boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya; baseball Hall of Famers George Brett and Jim Palmer, and golf Hall of Famer Greg Norman.

“We want to the thank Joe for an incredible run ... he’s been instrumental to the launch and growth of the show and will always be part of its DNA,” said Daniel York, chief content officer and senior executive vice president, AT&T Communications in a statement. “At the same time, we are very excited to have Dan and his well-known storytelling and interviewing abilities guide Undeniable into its next chapter. We can’t wait to get started on production for the upcoming season which will make for can’t-miss TV.”