Part of their impressions might have had to do with the impertinence of youth, but the host’s role in pointing out contestants’ errors likely also played a factor.īut “Jeopardy!” clearly wanted the guest hosts to follow in Trebek’s footsteps by incorporating these random bits of knowledge into the show.
At the time of my “Jeopardy!” appearance in 1995, several of my fellow teen contestants had decidedly mixed views of Alex Trebek. Imparting such knowledge without dominating the show, or looking like a know-it-all, requires a deft hosting touch. In this case, however, Couric merely noted the correct response and moved on. To give one example: During Katie Couric’s hosting stint, a Daily Double asking for the President born in West Branch, Iowa led the contestant to respond “Who is Truman?” Trebek might have gently observed that, although Harry Truman did hail from the Midwest, he was born in Missouri, while Herbert Hoover (the correct response) was born in Iowa. While the guest hosts occasionally inserted factoids, I never saw one do so purely spontaneously. First, Trebek would often drop little knowledge nuggets into the course of a game. Watching the guest hosts’ appearances, two particular things seemed noteworthy by their absence. If you think hosting “Jeopardy!” is simple, or easy, think again. And to top it all off, during the 15 or so minutes between each of the five shows taped in one day, you have to get changed into a new outfit. In between all of that, you have to ad-lib brief commentary at the beginning of each show, and into and out of commercial breaks. You do so knowing that tens of thousands (occasionally hundreds of thousands) of dollars are on the line, in front of a national audience, in what many contestants view as one of the most stressful experiences of their lives. You will also have to interview the contestants to tease out a bit of interesting information about their lives and judge the accuracy of their responses. And you often will have to read your material in random order, given contestants’ growing tendency to bounce around on the game board when selecting clues. You will have to read those 305 clues carefully - with only a handful of flubs - while looking up from the lectern in between each clue to recognize contestants once they ring in. You have but a couple of hours to familiarize yourself with the clues, which will likely feature foreign languages and pronunciations more complicated than the word “genre” (to which the Ontario-born Trebek always gave a French Canadian accent). You arrive early in the morning and receive 305 clues - 61 clues for each of five shows - featuring material on an array of topics. On the face of it, hosting “Jeopardy!” seems almost as intimidating a task as competing on the show itself. The past six months have only served to reinforce Trebek’s subtle mastery behind the lectern, and illustrate the big shoes “Jeopardy!’s” next host will have to fill. But in one sense, the guest hosts’ performances paid tribute to Trebek more than their words ever could. The constant refrains of praise might have seemed a bit over-the-top for Trebek, who famously shied away from the limelight. Most have started their stints behind the lectern with a brief monologue expressing their love for “Jeopardy!,” giving paeans to the departed Trebek, and referencing their hopes to honor his legacy. Since Trebek’s final episodes aired this January, “Jeopardy!” has seen a veritable cavalcade of interim guest hosts.
But this article, written long before that announcement, won’t focus on Richards or Bialik so much as the individual they will replace: The show’s longtime host, Alex Trebek.
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