Alex Trebek always wanted Jeopardy! to continue on without him, according to former champion and friend Brad Rutter. The beloved host passed away in November of 2020 at age 80 after an extended battle with pancreatic cancer. Trebek’s final five episodes are currently airing nightly on ABC through the week of January 4th. Afterward, a series of interim hosts will fill the podium while the show searches for a permanent successor.
Trebek hosted Jeopardy for 37 straight seasons, starting with its revival in 1984. A titan of the genre and of television at large, Trebek elevated the show from the mass of interchangeable game shows of the era to possibly the most famous and respected of them all. The success of Jeopardy! has helped boost the popularity of trivia exponentially. It’s music, structure, and timeless aesthetic have become staples of modern television, and of pop culture in general.
The question of who should replace Trebek as the Jeopardy! host, or whether anyone should at all, has been hotly debated in the wake of his tragic passing. In a recent exclusive interview with Screen Rant, former Jeopardy! champion and cohost of ABC’s newly revived quiz show The Chase Brad Rutter gave his thoughts on the show’s continuation after Trebek. According to Rutter, it was always the late host’s plan for Jeopardy! to continue after his passing. “Alex talked about it,” Rutter said. “He always said the show would go on without him.” He went on to discuss Trebek’s impact on the show’s success, and how it will continue to carry his legacy.
“It certainly won't be the same, and I think he never gave himself enough credit for how much of the show's success was due to him. At the same time, the show is an institution, largely because of him, and I don't see any reason why it can't keep going. The music and the answering in the form of a question will still be there. It's made its way into pop culture over the years. It won't be the same, and everybody will miss Alex, and nobody will ever host as well as he did, but I don't see any reason why it can't keep going.”
Trebek is clearly irreplaceable, but that doesn’t mean a new host couldn’t bring something positive to Jeopardy! that keeps it moving forward while still honoring its past. The show’s producers are clearly taking that challenge seriously, with plans for rotating interim hosts set to begin once Trebek’s final episodes have aired. The temporary hosts will begin with former champion Ken Jennings, who recently issued an apology for past offensive tweets that resurfaced in the wake of his selection.
It’s unclear who all will take a turn at hosting while Jeopardy! searches for the next full-time face of the show, but it’s at least promising that the hiring of Trebek’s successor is being taken so seriously. Famous game show hosts have been successfully replaced in the past, but none of them had quite the tenure or defined their shows as thoroughly as Trebek. With luck, the future of Jeopardy! will be bright with Trebek's legacy leading it.
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