When you hear the name “Jeopardy!”, only one person comes to mind: The great Alex Trebek. He’s been the beloved longtime game show host before he passed away in November of 2020 at the age of 80 after more than 18 months of a battle with pancreatic cancer.
It’s hard to imagine anyone else hosting Jeopardy!, but in the words of show business: The show must go on. Recently, Ken Jennings, the reigning Jeopardy champion, became Trebek’s replacement on the show.
It can’t be sugarcoated: No one will ever replace Trebek as the host of Jeopardy! And when the new host was first announced, many people were skeptical. Jennings had some pretty big shoes to fill—how would it ever be the same?
The honest truth: It can’t be. But Jennings knows that and his intention is not to replace him.. “There will only ever be one Alex Trebek, but I’m honored to be helping Jeopardy! out with this in January,” Jennings tweeted back in November.
After filming a total of one month’s worth of episodes so far, the outcome is clear: Jennings is doing a great job.
On the very first episode he hosted, he again made it clear that his intention was not to replace Trebek entirely, but to simply serve as a new host. “Let’s be totally clear: No one will ever replace the great Alex Trebek,” he announced at the beginning of the episode. “But we can honor him by playing the game he loved. Like all Jeopardy! fans, I miss Alex very much. And I thank him for everything he did for all of us.”
Since that day, he’s held true to that, and has thanked Trebek after each episode. Before the credits roll on each episode, Jennings turns to the camera and says, “Thank you, Alex.”
The idea actually acme from the executive producer Mike Richards’. “‘Thanks, Alex’ was suggested as a sign-off by executive producer Mike Richards, and I’m glad he did,” Jennings said in a tweet. “There wouldn’t be a show without Alex.”
Fans are absolutely lobing this tribute to the original host that Jennings has added.
“Every single time @KenJennings thanks Alex at the end of @Jeopardy, I get all choked up. I hope he never stops,” author Jessica Brody wrote on Twitter.
“Every time Ken says ‘thank you Alex’ it gets me,” another person wrote.
“I always get a lump in my throat … he’s got my blessing!” another person stated.
If you haven’t been watching Jeopardy! Recently, check out this instance of Jennings saying, “Thank you, Alex” below.
Are you a Jeopardy! fan? What are your thoughts on Ken Jennings as the new host?