Ken Jennings was not told his Jeopardy! return would begin on the anniversary of Alex Trebek’s death
The producers of the long-running trivia show shielded this information from Jennings until after filming
Aux News Alex Trebek
Yesterday, the prince of Jeopardy!, trivia champion Ken Jennings, returned to the show for another guest hosting stint. Monday, November 8, also happened to mark the one year anniversary of the death of the late Alex Trebek, but Jennings was kept in the dark on this airing detail until after filming the episode.
“Apparently, everyone was aware that we were going to air [my first episode] on the anniversary and nobody told me,” Jennings tells USA Today. “They didn’t want to put that in my head. So, I was not told until after that it was the Nov. 8 show.”
This ultimately means that yesterday’s episode did not make note of the day, with no speeches made in Trebek’s memory. However, Jennings says he had a little memento with him on stage in honor of Trebek.
“I did wear Alex’s cuff links that week, that his wife, Jean, had been kind enough to leave for me,” Jennings says. “So I do have a little kind of souvenir.”
The top Jeopardy! earner returned to the set back in September, telling USA Today he “felt rusty; I hope I don’t look rusty, but honestly it was just such a delight to be back on that stage.”
Jennings, along with 15 other celebrities of all sorts, took their shot at hosting Jeopardy! over the last year, and the 47-year-old attests the job is not as easy as Trebek made it look.
“But it’s a very tricky job. The mechanics of hosting Jeopardy! are daunting. There’s a lot going on at once, and Alex made it all look so easy. But I can tell you firsthand, it’s not easy,” Jennings says.
“I knew that it was going to be a very difficult task… much less the idea that you’re trying to step into the shoes of Alex Trebek, which is impossible. This time, we’re kind of a year removed or more from all that, so I’ve had every possible emotion now related to Jeopardy!”
42 Comments
Shit, Ken, use some of your Jeopardy money and get a jacket that fits.
Looks like he gained the COVID 19.
He shouldn’t have been hanging around backstage with Aaron Rodgers
You don’t like the host of the most esteemed, respected, intellectual game show in history to look like an uncomfortable kid at first communion?
Hipster styling 101: wear expensive clothes, but make sure you, like, let everyone know you’re not really au fait with wearing expensive clothes.
I wonder when that photo was taken…? I didn’t notice his jacket fitting poorly last night – but then i was focused on trying to see the cufflinks.
January 6, 2020
SiriusSM studios, NYC
It’s part of his folksy brand?
This doesn’t make sense. In yesterday’s episode, Jennings referred to the Daylight Savings Time change over the weekend, so he knew the episode would air on November 8.
He did a good job last night–looked more comfortable hosting than he did earlier this year. My only gripe is when someone is wrong, he responds with “no?” as if he’s not sure himself. Minor nitpick, though.
I wonder if that was his polite way of asking, “Out of which orifice did you pull that response?”
He’s just used to answering in the form of a question, tough habit to break after that many games.
I’m a big Jeopardy fan, and a big Trebek fan… but I am a little uncomfortable with how incessant the show has been with references to Alex and his death.
I noted that last night he said “thanks everybody” instead of “thanks Alex”.
I hadn’t thought about it before, but you are right. the death of a star/host of a show is something that happens every now and then. What other show has made the natural and expected death of it’s former host so central to it’s ongoing state of being? It’s really bizarre isn’t it?
James Bond on the other hand did nothing for Moore and Connery. There needs to be a middle ground
What?
Hmmmm…. His opening remarks made much hay about daylight savings time, so he knew exactly what day this episode was going to air.
I’m sure Alex is looking down from that big podium in the sky.
Teacher says “Every time you answer in the form of a question, a Canadian angel gets his condescending wings!”
Wow. Is Jeopardy! run by bad people?
…Why do you ask…?
Just a hunch of mine.
‘cause it’s the internet.
Jeopardy! is the internet…?
Is now, Doctor…
I haven’t been this confused in… like, 2 days.
I’m easily confused.
Everything is. Especially the foam finger industry
Ken also wasn’t presumably told that the purpose of having him start on that date was that a ceremony was going to be held to expel his soul from his body so that Alex could return to the land of the living in a new vessel.
Well, of course they wouldn’t tell him that. It would’ve afforded him the time required to prepare a counter-ritual to raise an army of zombified Hosts of Game-Shows Past against the producers and their scheme.
It only took one episode with Ken following weeks of Mayim Bialik to make me feel like Ken should be the permanent host. Both Ken and the game moved much more smoothly than she did. Ken sounds more natural and is better at interacting with the contestants, while Bialik seemed very stiff reading from the cue cards and was not a strong ad-libber.
I’m thinking they possibly had no idea when it would air while filming.
Considering the discussion at the beginning about the end of Daylight Savings Time, they definitely knew when it was going to air.
I’m guessing it’s simply due to taping these things in September. The script obviously discussed daylight savings, but that was anywhere from 1-2 months away at that point. Unless Ken somehow* knew the exact date of Daylight Savings this year and pieced together that the next day’s episode date would be Alex’s mortal anniversary, it was always going to just fly under the radar, and it’s fine. Ken, and the show in general, have gone above and beyond in reverence and tributes – I think it’s time to move on (and I’m a big Trebek fan).*Stranger things have happened, Trivia God and all…
They know well in advance. When I went to a taping a few years ago, they handed audience members the date on a little postcard so you know when to tune in to the show you were at, though I guess that could always be pre-empted by unexpected circumstances.
They always know when it’s going to air.
Can we just give the guy who looks like a grown up Charlie Bucket the chocolate factory already?
You want Timotheee Chalamet to host Jeopardy?
Can we stop all the fumfering and get the one true person who should be the host of Jeopardy!? I’m of course talking about LeVar Burton Ken Jennings Kat Dennings.
I will never watch Jeopardy again, this guy has the look of a horrid Howdy Doody. when he smiles it gets worse as if “IT” has just entered his body. Nothing soothing or relaxing with him as host. attack me all you want but my opinion…
Does no one not wonder why Jennings didn’t already know this? As a master of Jeopardy! he should have this tidbit tucked away for some future game show answer, …