Highlights
- Alex Trebek's passing left a vital have an effect on on Jeopardy! fans.
- Ken Jennings initially felt immense force and anxiety when he used to be requested to briefly host Jeopardy!
- While Jennings and Trebek had a professional courting, it seemed that Trebek was open to the speculation of Jennings succeeding him.
Since Alex Trebek hosted Jeopardy! for many years, he had hundreds of thousands of fans who wanted to grasp everything they may about him. A best possible example of that is enthusiasts wanted to know what Trebek did during commercial breaks and how much he was paid since other game show hosts' salaries have been revealed.
After Trebek passed away, Jeopardy!'s new hosts Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings had a lot to reside as much as. In Jennings' case, the drive should have been intense since he as soon as argued why Jeopardy!'s producers wouldn't pick out him to host the show.
What Did Ken Jennings Think About Becoming The Host Of Jeopardy?
When Alex Trebek passed away in 2020, it wasn't a huge surprise to somebody. Since the arena knew that Trebek were combating stage IV pancreatic cancer for greater than a year before his passing, everybody recognized that it was only a matter of time.
Even though Trebek's passing was once anticipated, it hit many longtime Jeopardy! enthusiasts very laborious. A loved determine who'd been getting into other folks's properties thru their televisions for decades, Trebek gave the impression of the very best Jeopardy! host.
Known for his incessantly serious demeanor that lent the ultimate knowledge-based recreation show credibility, Trebek additionally notably had a excellent sense of humor. He used to be the kind of man who in a moment of levity might fake like he is ready to throw the Emmy Award he just gained.
Since Trebek looked like the very best Jeopardy! host and fans beloved him so much, he gave the impression impossible to exchange. Still, when Trebek gave up the ghost in 2020, the display needed to cross on.
Before Trebek passed away, he wanted CNN felony analyst Laura Coates to take over hosting Jeopardy! from him. However, Coates published that after she requested to visitor host Jeopardy, she "was told 'no'". That left fans questioning who would take over Trebek's longtime gig.
After some drama, Ken Jennings and Mayim Bialik had been selected to be Jeopardy!'s everlasting rotating hosts. In 2022, Jennings used to be interviewed by Vulture about going from a Jeopardy! contestant to the host of the show. During that interview, Jennings published how nervous he used to be when he was once first requested to guest host the loved sport show.
"I’d like to say it was an honor, but really, all of the emotions around that were just panic. He had done the job so perfectly for decades and suddenly, within weeks of his passing, I had to step in as a substitute. It was really nerve-wracking. It’s a difficult job. Even if I could figure out some of the rudiments of it, you’ve got an audience that doesn’t want to see me out there. And I totally get that. They wanted to see Alex. I still do, too, every night."
Jennings then went on to speak about the amazing present he received from Alex Trebek's widow before he guest-hosted Jeopardy! following the former host's passing.
"One of the producers motioned to a little box that was sitting in front of me. I opened it and it was a little jewelry box with Alex’s cufflinks and a very kind note from Jean Trebek offering support. It must have been a super hard time for her, and she was thinking about the poor schmuck trying to do her late husband’s old job. That was such a lovely gesture."
Jennings also spoke about how he grew into his current role as one among Jeopardy!'s everlasting hosts.
"There was the panic of having to fill in for Alex, then there was so much relief when the shows aired and they seemed to go over well. The audience seemed to accept the idea of a guest host. By the time I had done my six weeks, I was like, 'You know what? This isn’t a bad idea. I feel like I could actually grow into this job and learn how to do it.'"
As of the time of this writing, Jennings has been serving as Jeopardy!'s permanent rotating host for years. With that during thoughts, it is amazing to be told that he once believed he would by no means even be thought to be for the function.
In 2010, Jennings participated in a Reddit Ask Me Anything consultation. During that procedure, a fan asked Jennings about changing into Jeopardy!'s host. "Do you think you'll be asked to take over for Trebek when he retires? Would you do it?"
In reaction to that query, Jennings pretty much pushed aside that idea at the time. Jennings additionally just about argued why he shouldn't have even been considered for Trebek's job back then. "I doubt I would be asked...wouldn't they be more likely to go with someone with, you know, actually hosting experience?"
While Jennings did not think he was once the fitting man for the job in 2010, he did specific how satisfied he could be for the chance. "That said, I would do it in a heartbeat. Talk about a dream job. That dude works like five days a month reading trivia questions (okay, "solutions," YEESH) and makes millions. Plus millions of middle-aged cat ladies have sexy fantasies about him."
Were Alex Trebek And Ken Jennings Friends?
During Ken Jennings' aforementioned Vulture interview, he was once requested how he reacted to the amazing present that Alex Trebek's widow gave him. Vulture's interviewer steered the idea that Trebek's widow gave the cufflinks as a means of sponsoring Jennings as the individual to be triumphant her husband.
In response to that recommendation, Jennings spoke in regards to the relationship he had with Trebek. According to Jennings, he believed that Trebek was okay with the theory of him taking over Jeopardy!'s hosting tasks.
"I don’t want to put words in anybody’s mouth, but over the years, I did get the sense that it was an idea that wouldn’t have annoyed Alex. He asked me to read his audiobook when his voice wasn’t up to doing every chapter towards the end. I felt like that was a very nice gesture of successorship that he didn’t have to make."
Jennings also spoke to Vulture concerning the ultimate dialog he had with Trebek. Based on how Jennings described that dialog, it undoubtedly seemed like the 2 males have been friendly. However, all the way through his Vulture interview, Jennings clarified the true nature of his relationship with Trebek.
"Alex and I had a professional relationship. We weren’t, say, hanging out and going camping together, but every time I saw him, we got along well."
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