Quantcast
Channel: alex trebek – UPROXX
Viewing all 230 articles
Browse latest View live

Hilarious Old ‘Jeopardy!’ Clips Are Going Viral Because Everyone Is Extremely Bored

0
0

Popularity is a fickle thing, both in real life and online. When it comes to viral clips online, sometimes things are instantly clear they will be big, while others build slowly. Things happen all the time that go unnoticed, only to be unearthed much later by the masses. Further still there are little secrets known by a small group that get stumbled upon and reintroduced for a wider audience to embrace in a new way.

Apparently that last part is happening to old Jeopardy! clips right now, as two notable viral moments from the show’s recent past have gotten new shine as life in quarantine continues. Viral moments of smart people failure are nothing new, but seeing old clips of said moments pop up much later is a fascinating revisitation of game show history. The first came on Thursday, in which a moment of contestant interaction between Alex Trebek and Susan Cole went viral once again.

In the clip, Cole’s nerdcore hip-hop gets roasted by Trebek as for “losers,” and the new tweet alludes to Trebek’s battle with Stage IV cancer as a reason he simply doesn’t care about hurting others’ feelings. The clip is taken a bit out of context, as the actual interaction doesn’t end as abruptly and Trebek generally isn’t nearly as cold-hearted as he appears here. But the moment from the Oct. 12, 2016 episode has lived on far longer than Cole’s win on the night and the $67,800 she won over three games.

Its reappearance on Thursday seems to have sparked a resurgence of Jeopardy!-related moments hitting the timeline once more. We already know new episodes of the show are running thin, and reruns featuring Ken Jennings (which I certainly lobbied for) are on the way. But on Friday, in the middle of the dang NFL Draft, ESPN’s SportsCenter Twitter account tweeted a two-year-old video clip of contestants missing an entire Jeopardy! category on football.

The moment is fairly infamous in the Jeopardy! world, which is why for some this feels quite old. In fact, the moment actually inspired a new Jeopardy! football category, one that Trebek wrote and actually included drawings he did of signals officials make during games.

None of this is as old as the clip that circulated on Thursday, which happened in 2016 and seems to pop up online every few months or so. But it does show that people are extremely bored these days, and any sort of joy or comedy, no matter how dated, is worth another watch or two these days.


‘Jeopardy!’ Will Apparently Run Out Of New Episodes Next Week

0
0

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to take its toll across the world, various industries continue to adapt to a world that looks very different than it did a few months ago. One of the admittedly small impacts in the grand scheme of things is what will air on TV as various productions remain shut down amid the coronavirus epidemic.

One example of this is the syndicated game show Jeopardy!, which ordinarily has weeks worth of episodes in the can as it airs “new” shows over the course of a year. That delay was valuable for a variety of reasons, and as production shut down in Hollywood it meant new episodes would still air.

But we now know that Jeopardy! has officially run out of new episodes to air until the pandemic is over. TVLine reported Friday that the show has a week of new episodes left before it officially went on the shelf amid the coronavirus pandemic.

TVLine has learned that the iconic Alex Trebek-hosted game show — which halted production roughy three months ago due to the coronavirus pandemic — will air its last original episode on Friday, June 12. Reruns begin airing on Monday, June 15 and will continue until the show deems it safe to resume production.

Jeopardy! actually delayed a switch to all-reruns by two weeks when it rebroadcasted its primetime Greatest Of All Time tournament between Brad Rutter, Ken Jennings and James Holzhauer in early May. It also ran the first and last episodes of Jennings 74-game run where he won more than $2.4 million. On Friday, the show’s two-week Teachers Tournament also wrapped up, which means there are just a handful of new episodes left before the syndicated run goes back to old episodes. It’s not clear if they will run more GOAT-related content, which is certainly an option, or whether they will just re-air episodes from previous seasons in order.

Trebek has been careful as he battles Stave IV pancreatic cancer, for which he was diagnosed last year. That includes Jeopardy! closing its set to a studio audience as pandemic concerns grew and altogether halting the show as the country started its abrupt lockdown. With production still halted amid the ongoing pandemic, it’s unclear when it will come back with new opportunities for Trebek to host. Until then, the Jeopardy! question archive will remain the same size and new players won’t get the chance to be the next James Holzhauer.

‘Jeopardy!’ Reruns Will Feature James Holzhauer And Emma Boettcher

0
0

Jeopardy! is officially out of new pre-COVID-19 shutdown episodes to air, but the legendary game show has some fun reminders of its immediate past in the reruns it will air until filming can resume.

Jeopardy! had its final new episode air on Friday, and though the show’s Twitter account has stayed strangely silent —as of this writing it hasn’t posted once the entire month of June, in fact — reports indicate the game show has a plan for what it will air during weeks that usually see new episodes on weekday evenings.

E! News reported on Thursday that the show plans to air episodes involving both James Holzhauer and Emma Boettcher, the former of whom went on an epic Jeopardy! run in 2019 before being dethroned by the latter. Those episodes will lead up to a re-airing of another special event: the 2019 Tournament of Champions in which Holzhauer (spoilers!) was able to exact his revenge and beat Boettcher in the finals to win another $250,000 last November.

Starting June 15, Jeopardy! will showcase big champions and big wins leading up to the encore presentation of the 2019 Tournament of Champions starting July 6.

James Holzhauer and Emma Boettcher are among the spotlighted contestants.

“For the first time, we have a chance to shine a light on each individual player before we revisit a big tournament,” Jeopardy! executive producer Mike Richards said in a statement. “Some of these contestants played quite a while ago, so we hope that highlighting their biggest games will provide a deeper understanding of their specific strengths and how they earned their places in the Tournament of Champions.”

It certainly makes sense to highlight some past big winners instead of just running a normal season’s reruns, especially given the outstanding play from Holzhauer and Boettcher that got the show so much attention over the last year. Jeopardy! had already stretched its syndication schedule a bit by re-airing episodes involving Ken Jennings, as well as the Greatest of All Time Tournament from earlier in 2020 that aired in primetime and featured Jennings, Holzhauer, and Brad Rutter.

Those episodes were sprinkled in amid some extra features about the contestants, which seems to be what the plan is for these other re-runs as well. It’s no substitute for new episodes and more chances for Alex Trebek to poke fun at new contestants, but it’s far better than nothing. Perhaps the episodes will give viewers another chance to appreciate Boettcher’s play and stop trading in conspiracy theories about how Holzhauer’s run originally came to an end once they see it again for themselves.

[via E! Online]

Alex Trebek Apparently Wants ‘Jeopardy!’ To Be One Of The First Shows To Resume Taping After Quarantine

0
0

Jeopardy! has a plan for its life in syndication while no new episodes are able to get taped in Los Angeles, but the host of the long-running game show is certainly eager to return to the stage. The show is currently out of episodes to run after shutting down production amid the COVID-19 pandemic, airing its last “new” episode on Friday.

In its place will be some special episodes featuring recent greats like James Holzhauer and Emma Boettcher, some slight consolation to eager fans looking for more Alex Trebek content. But it turns out the show’s host is eager to get back to work after the pandemic and is pushing for it to be back in action as soon as possible.

According to TV Line, Trebek wants Jeopardy! to be one of the first shows to resume production once the all-clear is given from government and studio officials to start work again in the industry.

However, a Jeopardy! rep assures TVLine, “Alex is looking forward to resuming production as soon as we are able to do so. He’s told us he wants to be one of the first shows back in production.”

Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune were some of the first game shows to stop allowing a studio audience as the pandemic’s impact became more clear, and days later it officially shut down along with the rest of Hollywood shortly before St. Patrick’s Day.

Unfortunately for Trebek, COVID-19 cases in California and other parts of the country continue to rise significantly and there’s no word on when Jeopardy! can get back to filming, even without a studio audience. But as the weeks turn to months and the show’s studio sits silent, we now know there’s considerable interest from the show’s host to get back to work.

‘Jeopardy!’ Released A Schedule For The Next Five Weeks Of Reruns

0
0

We already know that Alex Trebek is eager to get Jeopardy! back in the studio and taping new episodes, but as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread around the world we’ve had to accept that we’ll be watching reruns of the classic game show. We also already knew those reruns would include episodes where James Holzhauer and Emma Boettcher steal the show, but now we know exactly when those episodes will air.

Jeopardy!‘s official Twitter account went quiet for most of June but on Thursday shared a new schedule for the show, which aired its final new episode last Friday and has slipped back into reruns after the show went on hiatus with the rest of Hollywood when the coronavirus pandemic shut down production back in March.

Since then, the show has tried to stretch its new episodes out as long as it can. But starting on Monday, a new set of reruns will air in its syndication spot featuring episodes where the show’s last Tournament of Champions contestants got their a significant win.

The next three weeks of shows will feature the 15 contestants, headlined by James Holzhauer’s appearance on July 1. The next night will feature Emma Boettcher’s victory, which ended Holzhauer’s run of victories that netted him more than $2 million. That’s a lot of Jeopardy! history missing between those two games, but it’s all to set up a re-airing of last November’s Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions, which (spoilers) Holzhauer won over Boettcher to win an additional $250,000.

It’s a fun way to re-air some recent Jeopardy! greatness over the next few weeks, and if you need some background on the contestants and what to expect, we’ve certainly got you covered.

Alex Trebek Offered A Health Update And Revealed How ‘Jeopardy!’ Is Doing Something For The ‘First Time Ever’

0
0

Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek, who made his stage IV pancreatic cancer diagnosis public last year, offered an encouraging update on his health. “I’m doing well. I’ve been continuing my treatment and it is paying off, although it does fatigue me a great deal. My numbers are good. I’m feeling great,” he said in a video message before revealing that even he wrote a book, due out July 21. Trebek is also sporting some impressive facial hair, as he’s had time to grow a beard due to a break in Jeopardy! taping schedule.

About that: it’s still not safe for Jeopardy! to resume production, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but Trebek is busy at home “recording show openings for some very special Jeopardy! episodes that will be coming out in July,” he said. “For the first time ever, we are going to open the Jeopardy! vault and take another look at some of our favorite episodes, including the very first Jeopardy! show I ever hosted.” He’s so smiley!

Here’s the schedule:

July 20-24: The Best of JEOPARDY!‘s First Decade
This week features five of the best and most exciting shows from the 1980s, including the series premiere, the first “super-champion,” the first record-setting contestant, and more.

July 27-31: The Best of Celebrity JEOPARDY!
Throughout the years, JEOPARDY! has invited celebrities to play for their favorite charities, and more than $9 million has been won for great causes. This week features five of the most entertaining celebrity games ever.

August 3-7 & August 10-14: Million Dollar Masters (2002) Encore Presentation
For its first-ever million-dollar competition, 15 of the best contestants from the first 18 seasons of the show competed in a two-week contest taped at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

Here’s more on his book.

‘Jeopardy’ Host Alex Trebek Gave A Wonderfully Blunt Answer For Why He Finally Wrote A Memoir

0
0

For someone who’s survived a car crash, pair of heart attacks, and brain surgery, not to mention his current battle with pancreatic cancer, Alex Trebek looks damn good for 80 years old. Technically, the Jeopardy! host is only 79 — his birthday isn’t until next week, July 22, the day after his first book, The Answer Is… Reflections on My Life, comes out. But look at that beard! The country’s most famous game show host (sorry/not sorry, Chuck Woolery) decided to publish his memoir now, “after turning down offers in the past” according to the New York Times, for two reasons: he’s quarantined at home, and:

When I asked him why he decided to publish a book now, he was direct. “They offered me a good deal of money,” he said, adding that “it wasn’t John Bolton-type money” and that he was donating it to charity. (Bolton received an advance of $2 million for his recent White House memoir [The Room Where It Happened].)

The New York Times notes that there are “no shocking revelations in his memoir,” but I disagree, as one of the stories Trebek tells is about the time he “accidentally ate four or five hash brownies at a party in Malibu” in the early 1970s, “and woke up at the host’s house three days later.” I demand to know what happened here. Sorry sorry, let me phrase that in the form of a question: “What is… Trebek slept for three days after eating a bunch of pot brownies?” I also need an entire chapter about his thoughts on “Lost on Jeopardy.”

(Via the New York Times)

Alex Trebek Really Can Predict Which ‘Jeopardy!’ Clues Will Stump Contestants

0
0

Alex Trebek has a new memoir coming later this month full of stories about his life and time on Jeopardy! and through it we’re learning just how essential he is to the show. Though not the trivia game show’s first host, over the years he’s become synonymous with Jeopardy! and the rapid-fire show currently on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hanging over all of that is his battle with Stage IV pancreatic cancer, which has impacted him significantly and also, in a way, created more urgency for him to write the book in the first place. With The Answer Is… Reflections on My Life coming out next week, Friday brought us a profile of Trebek in the New York Times. One intriguing anecdote from the story — which sadly has some heartbreaking moments detailing the pain he’s suffered from chemotherapy and how it’s impacted his day-to-day life — is about his uncanny ability to predict which questions will give contestants trouble.

As the story goes, Trebek usually would get to the studio very early in the day to look over the hundreds of clues for the five episodes the show tapes per day. He’s very careful with pronunciation and the cadence of how the clues are read, and he often makes notes on the clues themselves if they seem too tough.

Pre-pandemic, when “Jeopardy!” and everything else was still getting made, Trebek would wake up at 5:15 a.m. and arrive at the Sony lot at 6:30. At 7:30, he would go over the 305 clues for that day’s shows, making notations, diacritical marks and pronunciation notes. If a clue seemed too hard, he told the writers to drop it.

“I’ll say, ‘Nobody’s going to get this.’ And they usually take my suggestions, because I view myself as every man,” Trebek said.

There’s a very specific way clues are written and structured on the board, including how difficult the question is based on how much money it’s worth. But Trebek’s notes have some serious value here. Whether the show’s writers listen to him, well, that’s up to them. But he’s usually right about his “every man” instincts.

Sometimes the writers keep esoteric clues in anyway. Almost invariably, the contestants are stumped. “We get this horrible dead-fish look from him,” said the show’s co-head writer Billy Wisse. “We know we’re going to hear about it at the next meeting.”

It’s an extremely charming story, though I definitely wouldn’t want to be scolded by Trebek about much of anything, let alone stumping contestants. And it’s another detail about just how instrumental Trebek is in coming up with categories and questions and the impact he has on the show.

As we’ve heard from Jeopardy! GOAT Ken Jennings here at Uproxx, figuring out what people know is hard, and Jeopardy! itself has impacted what people know and consider general trivia canon. It’s another indication of just how much of Jeopardy! is Alex Trebek, and how difficult it will be for the show to move on without him when he decides it’s time to retire.


John Oliver Enlisted Alex Trebek, John Cena, Paul Rudd, And More To Debunk Coronavirus Conspiracy Theories

0
0

After a three-week hiatus, HBO’s Last Week Tonight returned with… nothing to talk about. Everything’s hunky dory as is. If only. Actually, last night’s episode was centered around coronavirus conspiracy theories, “particularly why they’re so appealing, how to spot them, and what you might be able to do about it,” host John Oliver explained.

After acknowledging that conspiracy theories are popular because “they help explain a chaotic, uncertain world and appeal to the human impulse to what’s called proportionality bias,” Oliver noted that when confronted with someone genuinely believes that, say, chemicals are making frogs gay, you shouldn’t try to make fun of them for believing something so incredibly stupid, as tempting as it is. Rather, he said, “What experts say is that the most effective way to approach someone is not by shaming them for believing something, or overwhelming them with counter-evidence, but to try and be empathetic, meet them where they are, and nudge them to think a bit more critically.”

Or, y’know, get famous people to educate your conspiracy theorist family members. For your wrestling-loving aunt, there’s John Cena. For your game show-obsessed uncle, there’s Alex Trebek. For your fashion-obsessed cousin, there’s Billy Porter. And for everyone, there’s Catherine O’Hara and Paul Rudd. If those two can’t get through to these people, no one can. To find the clips, which “gently [urge] anyone who watches it to be careful with what they encounter and share online,” head to The True True Truth.

Here are links to the individual videos, in case that site crashes: Alex Trebek, John Cena, Billy Porter, Paul Rudd, and Catherine O’Hara.

Alex Trebek Won’t Go To Any ‘Extraordinary Measures’ To Survive If His Current Cancer Treatment Fails

0
0

Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek, who went public with his stage IV pancreatic cancer diagnosis last year, gave an update on his health during an interview with Good Morning America on Monday. Trebek was told by his doctor that “he is counting on me celebrating two years of survivorship past the diagnosis of stage IV pancreatic cancer, and that two years happens in February,” he said. “So I expect to be around — because he said I will be around — and I expect to be hosting the show if I am around.”

Trebek, whose first memoir comes out this week, has his good days and his bad days (“There was one day a few weeks ago when [Trebek’s wife] Jeanie asked me in the morning, ‘How do you feel?’ And I said, ‘I feel like I wanna die.’ It was that bad”), but his experimental treatment is “going in the right direction.” That being said, if it stops working, he’s “not going to go to any extraordinary measures to ensure my survival”:

When he had to explain it to his family, the game show host said it was “tough,” but “they handled it beautifully.”

“They understand that there is a certain element regarding quality of life,” said Trebek. “And if the quality of life is not there — it’s hard sometimes to push. And just say, well, I’m gonna keep going even though I’m miserable.”

You can watch Trebek’s GMA interview below.

Alex Trebek Has Jokingly Suggested A ‘Jeopardy!’ Successor Host

0
0

Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek’s ongoing battle against stage IV pancreatic cancer appears to be going remarkably well, all things considered, and he hopes mark two years of survivorship next February. While speaking with Good Morning America (in excerpts released earlier this week), he stated, “I expect to be around,” and all goodwill goes his way to achieve that milestone.

More of Trebek’s GMA interview is now circulating, and one particular bit has to do with his suggestion of a new host, should the unthinkable happen. He is very much kidding in making this call, but here it is: “I joke with the audience all the time and I say, ‘Betty White,’ because they want somebody younger, somebody funnier.”

White may be funnier, but she is equally beloved and, of course, 98 years young, and people already worry about her every time her name trends on Twitter. No one could probably handle the sight of her taking the podium, and naturally, no one wants to even think of Jeopardy! needing a replacement host at any point.

Meanwhile, Trebek has already revealed changes to the schedule, and he further noted here that the set has been revamped to “separate the contestants and myself a little bit more from them.” They’re also doing online COVID-19 testing for all contestants as the pandemic continues. Watch the latest GMA snippet with Trebek below.

Alex Trebek Clarified The Remarks About His Cancer Treatment And Added A Heartening Update

0
0

During a promotional appearance for his just released memoir, The Answer Is… Reflections on My Life, it was revealed that beloved game show host Alex Trebek would stop his experimental cancer treatment if it’s not producing the desired results. The Jeopardy! host wrote in his book that he’s “not going to go to any extraordinary measures to ensure my survival.” When asked about telling his family about the new treatment and how it might not be successful, Trebek made the following remarks to Good Morning America.

“They understand that there is a certain element regarding quality of life,” Trebek said. “And if the quality of life is not there — it’s hard sometimes to push. And just say, well, I’m gonna keep going even though I’m miserable.”

Obviously, Trebek’s remarks raised concerns about his nearly two-year battle with stage IV pancreatic cancer as fans became worried that the situation was taking a turn for the worse. In light of those concerns, Trebek released a new statement via the official Jeopardy! Twitter account in which he provides an optimistic update on his condition. Most importantly, the host stated that if his experimental treatment stops working, which hasn’t been the case so far, he would simply return to his prior chemo regimen and not stop all treatment as he previously suggested during an understandably low point.

I feel the need to clarify my quote that, if my course of cancer treatment does not continue to work, I would consider stopping treatment. That quote from the book was written BEFORE my current regimen, and I was going through some bad times. My current numbers are very good, but we will have to be patient with this new immunotherapy program that I am on. But, if it were to stop being successful, I would return to my previous chemo treatment — NOT stop all treatment. I apologize for any confusion, and want everyone to know that I am optimisit about my current plan, and thank them for their concerns.

You can see Trebek’s statement below:

(Via Jeopardy! on Twitter)

‘Jeopardy!’ Officially Has A Return Date (Very Soon) For All New Episodes

0
0

Jeopardy! is officially returning with all-new episodes in September, which is great news for fans of the beloved quiz show and anyone desperately hoping for the slightest sense of normalcy. The 37th season will start airing on September 14 and with Alex Trebek reminding contestants to answer in the form of a question. Like most of America, the beloved host has been stuck at home, so he’s particularly excited for a change of scenery when he returns to his old stomping grounds.

“I feel good, and I feel excited because once again JEOPARDY! has demonstrated that it’s at the forefront of television programming,” Trebek said in a statement. “I believe we are the first quiz show to come back on the air in the COVID-19 era. On a personal level, I’m excited because it gets me out of the house. It gives me something to do on a regular basis, and I was missing that.”

Naturally, Trebek’s return is a welcomed and encouraging piece of news. The host has been making headlines for his ongoing cancer battle, which led to a bleak moment in late July when Trebek was reported as saying that he would stop his experimental cancer treatment if he wasn’t seeing results. Fearing the worst, fans reached out with concern that Trebek was losing his fight with Stage IV pancreatic cancer, and he quickly set the record straight that he was going through a rough patch when he made those remarks.

“That quote from the book was written BEFORE my current regimen, and I was going through some bad times.” Trebek wrote in a statement posted to the Jeopardy! Twitter account. “My current numbers are very good, but we will have to be patient with this new immunotherapy program that I am on. But, if it were to stop being successful, I would return to my previous chemo treatment — NOT stop all treatment. I apologize for any confusion, and want everyone to know that I am optimisit about my current plan, and thank them for their concerns.”

Ken Jennings Will Appear On New ‘Jeopardy!’ Episodes But Alex Trebek Is Still Hosting

0
0

After months on the shelf thanks to the still-ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Jeopardy! is finally back to taping episodes. The good news is that Alex Trebek is back at the helm of the show, as there was some concern that the legendary host may play it safe as he battles Stage IV pancreatic cancer.

According to reports, Trebek is, indeed, back to hosting the show as its 37th season is set to start on September 14. But one new addition to this year is a much more prominent role for the greatest Jeopardy! player of all time, Ken Jennings. It may seem like it was years ago that the man with the longest Jeopardy! winning streak in show history bested James Holzhauer and Brad Rutter in the GOAT Tournament, but Trebek has been busy in the months since.

He released a board game, for one, and now according to USA Today he will join the new season of Jeopardy!

Champion Ken Jennings, who in January triumphed over James Holzhauer and Brad Rutter in “The Greatest of All Time” tournament, has been recruited as a consulting producer this season. He’ll “present his own special video categories, develop projects, assist with contestant outreach, and serve as a general ambassador for the show, Sony said. (His first video category airs Sept. 15.)

The show’s Twitter account shared the news on Thursday as well, including its customary hype video.

The USA Today piece has some other fun facts about how they brought Jeopardy! back in a world where social distancing is paramount, including a very visual reminder in the fact that contestants will be more spaced out on the set. But the good news is the show is coming back, and so is Trebek. Anything after that, including the Jeopardy! GOAT’s presence on the show, is just a very impressive bonus.

[via USA Today]

Here’s What ‘Jeopardy!’ Looks Like In The Age Of Social Distancing

0
0

Jeopardy! is officially back on Monday night as the show kicks off its 37th season in an unprecedented time for television game shows. The show tried its best to keep filming as the pandemic took away studio audiences in the fall, and life in quarantine was restless for Alex Trebek as they ironed out the kinks regarding filming in the age of social distancing.

Monday marks the return of the show to syndication, with new episodes that were filmed after quarantine began. That means a lot of social distancing and new tweaks to what you’re used to seeing on Jeopardy! Ken Jennings appeared on Good Morning America on Monday to talk about what’s different with the show this season as well. The newly-minted Jeopardy! producer said most of the changes were made with keeping people safe in mind, starting with the show’s legendary host. He noted the set has been “spruced up” for the new season, with new podiums for each contestant and a new spot for Trebek as well.

“They’re feet apart from each other instead of being a single bank,” Jennings said Monday morning. “And Trebek will stay at the host’s podium, instead of coming over to the contestants because Alex’s health is priority No. 1 on that set.”

The show’s Twitter account later tweeted out what the set will look like, with some annotations pointing to some changes made this for social distancing.

A piece on The Ringer by Claire McNear also went into great detail about the precautions the show has taken and what’s changed about filming, both for those working on the show and contestants. Since they use the same spaces as Wheel of Fortune, the shows are using each other’s areas to keep people apart and basically making everyone wear masks unless they’re on camera. And don’t expect to get very close to Trebek if you make your way on as a contestant:

Trebek, meanwhile, is very much back at work, albeit at a greater distance than normal: Instead of leaning across the contestant podiums for Q&As with players and shaking the hand of the newly crowned champion at the episode’s end, he stops partway between his podium and theirs. It’s long been a joke in trivia circles that you can immediately tell when you’ve encountered a Jeopardy! alum on social media: Their profile picture is always the commemorative shot of them standing next to Trebek. While Season 37 contestants won’t have that, they’ll at least have a socially distant version, with Trebek on one side of the Final Jeopardy screen and them on the other.

Considering Trebek continues to battle Stage IV pancreatic cancer, it certainly makes sense that they’re doing their best to keep him safe. McNear’s story has a lot of great details about what life is like on the Jeopardy! set these days, and there’s a charming story of a contestant’s sister making a cutout version of herself to put on an empty chair in the studio audience to “cheer” her on. We are living in some truly weird and worrying times, but Jeopardy! back on the air will certainly be a welcome comfort in a COVID-weary world.

(Via The Ringer)


Alex Trebek Helped The Ottawa Senators Announce The No. 3 Pick In The 2020 NHL Draft

0
0

The Ottawa Senators sat at No. 3 in the 2020 NHL Draft on Tuesday evening thanks to a trade the organization made with the San Jose Sharks. Following a year in which they finished seventh in the Atlantic Division, the Senators got to use this pick, along with their own pick that sat at No. 5, to load up after a down year.

When their time came to make a selection, the Senators kicked things over to a special guest. Alex Trebek, the indomitable host of Jeopardy! and a graduate of the University of Ottawa, took to his podium to announce that the team had opted to draft German winger Tim Stutzle.

Adding the Jeopardy! music as Stutzle celebrated after the announcement is, admittedly, a very nice touch to the whole thing. Trebek has appeared at Senators games in the past, although this is on a bit of a different level, as he’s doing the franchise a solid while simultaneously making the biggest moment of a young hockey player’s career a little more special. The only downside for Stutzle, in my opinion, is that the roles should probably be reversed during media availabilities for the remainder of his career, and he should only be able to respond to the media in the form of a question.

Alex Trebek Said ‘Ratchet’ While Reading A Megan Thee Stallion Answer On ‘Jeopardy!’

0
0

Jeopardy! has been on the air for over five decades, and since the show tests contestants’ grasp of pop culture knowledge (among other topics), being mentioned on the show is a pretty big deal. Plenty of musicians have been name-dropped on the program over the years, and Megan The Stallion got a shout-out on a recent episode, which led to Alex Trebek saying words like “ratchet” and “bougie,” for those who have been waiting for that day to come.

The $1,000 answer in the category “On The Billboard Charts In 2020″ read, “‘Classy, bougie, ratchet’ & ‘sassy, moody, nasty’, says this No. 1 hit by Megan Thee Stallion.” Contestant Daniel Lee (an orthopedic surgeon from South Pasadena, California) buzzed in and nearly got the question wrong. He answered, “What is ‘I’m A Savage?'” Trebek gave him a prompting look before Lee revised his answer and said, “What is ‘Savage?'”

This actually isn’t Meg’s first time on Jeopardy. She was part of another answer around this time last year when Trebek asked contestants, “Oddly, female rapper Megan Pete calls herself ‘Megan Thee’ this word for a male horse.” A contestant chimed in and correctly answered, “What is ‘stallion?'”

Check out the clip of Megan’s latest Jeopardy! mention above.

Please Enjoy Alex Trebek Rapping Megan Thee Stallion’s ‘Savage’ On ‘Jeopardy!’

0
0

One of the many joys of watching Jeopardy! is the chance that Alex Trebek will be forced to say something very unusual. It seems to be a running gag among those writing the show these days, as question-writers keep putting pop culture references and profanity into his clues.

The Jeopardy! GOATS, you may recall, loved when Trebek said “bitchin'” during the Greatest Of All Time Tournament in January. Other moments of Trebek reading clues have gone viral in recent months, but another moment of fun from the show was when people realized that Cardi B’s “WAP” fits perfectly into the cadence of the Final Jeopardy song. In a related viral moment, people are now officially vibing to Trebek singing lyrics from Megan Thee Stallion after a clue about the rapper was on the show earlier in the week.

Twitter

Clare McNear, who is writing a book about Jeopardy! that’s highly-anticipated in the game show community, shared an edited video of Trebek essentially rapping the lyrics to “Savage.” The clip features Trebek reading the clue, but turns the reading into the actual rhythm of the song and continues the lyrics with other moments from the show.

The video is actually from a Twitter account called @car_ideas, which is a very good I Think You Should Leave reference. On that page, you’ll find several different Jeopardy! and Alex Trebek mashups, including this supercut of Trebek saying “good for you” to contestants.

It’s also where another video you may have seen seems to have originated, which is a one-second clip of Trebek saying “DaBaby.”

It may seem unfair to misuse Trebek’s words like this, but the longtime Jeopardy! host truly does seem up for anything when it comes to clues on the show, so perhaps even he would appreciate the craftsmanship here.

Alex Trebek Was Blown Away By A ‘Jeopardy!’ Contestant Beatboxing

0
0

The Cool Jeopardy! Stories Twitter account seems to have gone quiet, but the stories contestants tell during their get-to-know-you conversation with Alex Trebek are legendary in the game show universe. These are a bunch of very nerdy people asked to give a single factoid that narrows down who they are as a person unless, of course, you win the taping and come back for another episode.

That first impression, however, is a big deal. Which is why sometimes those stories truly stand out, especially if Trebek reacts positively about it. The latest example is a man stunning Trebek by revealing that he’s a very accomplished beatboxer, which is something that apparently Trebek has no idea even exists.

On Friday’s episode, challenger Andrew revealed that he’s a musician and teacher with a special skill, one that, once revealed nearly had Trebek attempting to mimic him.

“You’re a world-famous beatboxer,” Trebek said. “And I don’t know what that means.”

But when Andrew started spitting, Trebek went through several levels of emotion. He appeared at first like he might join in and try to beatbox along, then actually cheered and clapped for Andrew. Trebek was much more positive about another contestant’s musical interests, which has gone viral several times over as people rediscover it in the years since it happened.

Perhaps in his later years Trebek has grown more forgiving of some of the show’s contestants and their nerdier hobbies. Or maybe he really does want to “jam” with Andrew after the show.

Beloved ‘Jeopardy!’ Host Alex Trebek Died Of Pancreatic Cancer At 80

0
0

A heartbreaking and difficult year got even harder for game show fans on Sunday when reports confirmed the worst fears of Jeopardy! fans. TMZ reported Sunday that legendary game show host Alex Trebek had died at 80 of pancreatic cancer.

Trebek was diagnosed with Stage IV cancer in 2019, and underwent a number of treatments in order to fight the diagnosis and extend his time hosting Jeopardy! The beloved host had worried his cancer would ultimately force his retirement from the Jeopardy! soundstage, though he passed away before ever formally announcing his retirement.

The show confirmed the news shortly afterward on Twitter, sparking an outpouring of grief and appreciation for the longtime host of the trivia show.

Trebek’s death comes in a year where Jeopardy! was as popular as ever. The show’s Greatest Of All Time Tournament drew high primetime ratings and an autobiography, The Answer Is…, was released earlier in the summer. Though not the only host in the show’s history, Trebek’s impact on Jeopardy! is undeniable and for many fans it’s impossible to imagine it without the Canadian at the helm.

Various stars of Jeopardy! started to mourn his loss online on Sunday, and the coming days will likely give us more details about what will happen to the show moving forward. But Sunday, though inevitable, served as a shock to fans and contestants alike.

Viewing all 230 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images