For $1000- Best Show Host

TV game shows will never be the same. Yesterday the world said good bye to the consummate host of a TV game show. Alex Trebek, the host of Jeopardy for 36 years, passed on after a hard fought battle with pancreatic cancer.

So many of us have been watching Jeopardy for so long we can’t remember evenings without Jeopardy and everyone’s friend, Alex. Trebek won five Emmys as its host, and received stars on both the Hollywood and Canadian walks of fame. In 2012, the show even won a prestigious Peabody Award.

That same year, Trebek acknowledged that he was considering retirement, but had been urged by friends to stay on so he could reach 30 years on the show. He still loved the job, he declared: “What’s not to love? You have the security of a familiar environment, a familiar format, but you have the excitement of new clues and new contestants on every program. You can’t beat that!”

Despite his cancer diagnosis, he continued to work and host episodes. In an October 2019 interview Trebek said, “I’ve lived a good life, a full life, and I’m nearing the end of that life … if it happens, why should I be afraid [of] that?”

“Alex wasn’t just the best ever at what he did. He was also a lovely and deeply decent man, and I’m grateful for every minute I got to spend with him,” said Jeopardy contestant and champion, Ken Jennings.

In the style of that program he made famous, Answer: For $1000…The best TV game show host… Question: Who was Alex Trebek.

Thank you Alex for all the trivia, the fun, and the memories. You entertained us, you educated us, and for 30 minutes every night you let us forget the divisions between us and just enjoy the show. You won’t soon be forgotten.