FINAL ‘JEOPARDY!’ FOR ALEX TREBEK?

If the clue “This game show gives answers to which contestants respond with questions,” most people would answer enthusiastically with “Jeopardy!”

The ongoing show has been hosted by Alex Trebek for 36 seasons. Being its host for that length of time, combined with the popularity the show has gained over that period, makes for a storied career.

The question then becomes “Why is Alex Trebek so loved?”

According to polling responses cited on YouGov.com, “Alex Trebek is described by fans as: Intelligent, Professional, Intellectual, Classy and Experienced.” The fact of the matter is, his run as host is quite impressive. He has been around for a lot. There have been some events throughout that are also contributing factors, namely high-profile contestants such as Ken Jennings, James Holzhaur and Watson (an IBM computer). The spectacular runs of these contestants, and contests involving computers have created many memorable moments.

From my view, Trebek has always struck me as a man of great intelligence. He never seems to become upset and has an interesting demeanor. Whenever I have watched the show and seen him hosting I have always found the way he works to be calm and mild, yet exciting.

A more serious, recent development in Trebek’s history is that he was diagnosed with Stage Four pancreatic cancer in March 2019.

At one point during his treatment he seemed to be in remission and the (test) numbers that doctors look at when working with cancer patients were, in his case, much like those of a healthy human. In an unexpected turn of events, those factors spiked again, and he required  further treatment.

This has left many viewers speculating as to how much longer his legendary career will last, who will replace him, and questions of the like.

First of all, there’s the question of how Trebek processing this.

In an interview last year with ABC News, Trebek said, “I have learned something in the past year and it’s this: We don’t know when we’re going to die, Because of the cancer diagnosis, it’s no longer an open-ended life, it’s a closed-ended life because of the terrible… survival rates of pancreatic cancer.

“Because of that, and something else that is operating here, people all over America and abroad have decided they want to let me know now, while I’m alive, about the impact that I’ve been having on their existence,” he said. “They have come out and they have told me, and my gosh, it makes me feel so good.”

Asked about how he would handle his final show, if it were to come time for that, Trebek said, “It’ll be a significant moment for me, But I’ve kind of, in my mind, rehearsed it already, and what I would do on that day is tell the director, ‘Time the show down to leave me 30 seconds at the end. That’s all I want.’

“And I will say my goodbyes and I will tell people, ‘Don’t ask me who’s going to replace me because I have no say whatsoever. But I’m sure that if you give them the same love and attention and respect that you have shown me… then they will be a success and the show will continue being a success. And until we meet again, God bless you and goodbye.”

Overall, we can know that for the time being, Trebek has no plans of retiring and hold out hope that despite the grim diagnosis, we will have many more episodes with the host we all seem to know, respect and love.