Late last year, we lost the beloved host of Jeopardy, Alex Trebek. Trebek had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer the year before but was determined to continue on with his show until he physically could no longer do so.
Trebek had been the host of Jeopardy since 1984. Night after night, Trebek appeared with a smile on his face to give three contestants (everywhere from celebrities to college students) the answers to trivia questions. The contents had to respond with “what is” or “who is”. It’s a classic concept for a simple show that has worked, considered the show has been on air since 1964. Jeopardy is also one of the longest-running game shows, right behind The Price is Right and Wheel of Fortune.
Trebek had been watching countless people break the barriers in random knowledge. One of the most notable winners, Ken Jennings, has temporarily taken over as host until a permanent host can be chosen (there are other people on the list to take over temporarily, including Anderson Cooper, Katie Couric, and Mayim Bialik). Ken Jennings has the longest winning streak and also won the most money on any game show ever, running for 74 days and walking away with $3,370,700. He’s taped about 30 episodes, some of which have aired. Trebek’s last episode aired back in January, followed the next night by Jennings. He did however state he doesn’t want the position permanently.
Trebek’s last episode was taped barely two weeks before his death, proving he wanted to be there until the very end, he even recorded a farewell message to be aired after his passing. NBC created a lovely montage of his farewells, his ever-changing facial hair, and most importantly, his heartwarming jabs and jokes during the show.
Jeopardy is available to stream on Netflix and makes for a fun trivia night with your family. You can even keep score with your friends and family while you try to answer the questions with the contestants on the show. You can also take the Jeopardy quiz on the website for a chance to compete.