Who Will Be the Next Host of Jeopardy?
I’m not particularly religious, but I go to church almost every day of the week. From 7:00pm to 7:30pm, Monday through Friday, I worship at the altar of Jeopardy! in front of my TV and receive the sacrament of trivia. This half-hour is sacred since it gives me hope that all the general knowledge rattling around in my brain has value beyond compulsively correcting people at social functions.
Jeopardy!, now in its 37th season, is a bona fide cultural icon, and the show’s host, Alex Trebek, is an icon within an icon. Trebek is synonymous with the show he’s hosted since 1984, but sadly, nothing gold can stay: In March 2019, he announced he had been diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer. While he vowed to fight the disease and remain at the presenter’s podium as long as possible, fans have now had to confront the unimaginable prospect of who will take over for Trebek as Jeopardy!’s next host.
Anyone's Game
There’s been no official comment on Trebek’s potential successor. Trebek himself joked that he’d like to see Betty White get the gig, and while I’d love for America’s favorite grandma to host America’s favorite trivia game show, I don’t think it’s in the cards.
Fans have offered their two cents on who should become the new host. On Reddit—a hotspot for such speculation—comedians like Gilbert Gottfried and Will Ferrell lead the pack of possible contenders. Ferrell would be a particularly ironic choice since he played a parody of Trebek on Saturday Night Live’s famous “Celebrity Jeopardy” sketches for over six years, but since he maintains a packed schedule as an actor and producer, it’s unlikely he’d have the time hosting duties would demand.
There’s also the question of how comics like Ferrell or Gottfried match the Jeopardy! brand. While they both would inject the show with a new vitality, their personas are miles away from the professorial tone established by Trebek in nearly 40 years on the air. Yes, Alex cracks a joke from time to time, but he lets the clues do the heavy lifting to hold the audience’s attention or move the action forward. Even though a comedian would make for a fun host, I just can’t see Jeopardy!’s producers letting a class clown take over for the teacher. Perhaps Ferrell could reprise his “Celebrity Jeopardy” role and host a few episodes in the run-up to Alex’s farewell?
Another name floated to serve as the new host is an acclaimed actor with presenting experience and my preferred candidate for the job. Answer: Who is LeVar Burton! Burton’s resume features major roles like Kunta Kinte in the historic miniseries Roots and Geordi LaForge on Star Trek: The Next Generation. He’s no stranger to hosting, having helmed Reading Rainbow, a series which promoted literacy to children, for 23 seasons. Quite the intellectual, Burton would be a perfect choice to step in for Trebek and serve as a cerebral, engaging host. He’s also expressed interest in hosting Jeopardy! since even before Trebek announced his forthcoming retirement.
All these characters are still in play, and there may be other possibilities we’ve yet to identify. However, I think the writing is already on the wall—or rather, the credits—when considering who will become the second host in the show’s history.
Return of the King
Season 37 of Jeopardy! premiered this week with several changes. For starters, contestant podiums are now spaced out, and Alex no longer walks up to the players so he can maintain social distancing. The show also added a new consulting producer to its roster. His name is Ken Jennings.
Jennings, of course, is the greatest Jeopardy! player of all time, holding the record for longest winning streak on the show with 74 consecutive victories. He defeated Brad Rutter and James Holzhauer to win the Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time tournament earlier this year. Jennings is joining the show that brought him fame and fortune as a consulting producer with duties such as presenting video categories, serving as an ambassador for the program, and assisting with contestant outreach.
Presenting categories and clues? Acting as an ambassador for the show? Call me crazy, but those sound like the kind of behaviors you’d expect from a host. Jennings seems like a perfect choice. After all, who better to host Jeopardy! than the most successful contestant in Jeopardy! history? His job as a consulting producer could be an opportunity to prepare for the role and stand at the ready whenever Trebek bows out.
Mike Richards, an executive producer for the show, tried to pour some cold water on this idea. “We’re not shopping,” he told The Ringer. “[Trebek is] our guy, and he’s our guy till he tells us he’s not our guy, and then we can have a different conversation.” Methinks thou doth protest too much, however, as Richards doesn’t explicitly say Jennings isn’t on the table as a possible host.
Ultimately, I think Jennings is the frontrunner. It makes perfect sense for Jeopardy!’s first host to hand the reins over to a man who made his name as the show’s greatest champion. Jennings may be leading the race for now, but just like on the show, this contest is going to come down to Final Jeopardy.