Since 1984, people have heard announcer Johnny Gilbert exclaim, “This is Jeopardy!” and then watched Alex Trebek host the Merv Griffin-created show.
Sadly, with the announcement earlier this year that Trebek received a stage 4 diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, it’s not out of bounds to suggest we’re near the end of the Trebek era.
The game show era had its heyday in the 1970s and 1980s, before the explosion of daytime talk shows and before “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” made game shows cool again, for at least a while. Three of them outside the cable network realm have stood the test of time. “The Price is Right,” “Wheel of Fortune,” and, of course, “Jeopardy!”
“Jeopardy!” has the unique quality of making viewers that much more knowledgeable about a range of subjects, on everything from poker to opera. And the constant, throughout the last 35 years, has been the presence of Trebek.
Trebek began his broadcasting career in 1961, working for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, which makes sense as Trebek was born, raised, and educated in Ontario, Canada. After moving to the United States, Trebek worked his way through a series of game shows before becoming the host of the newly relaunched “Jeopardy!,” the quiz show that famously provides answers and requires contestants to provide the question.
For a show such as “Jeopardy!,” Trebek didn’t require a bombastic personality. He didn’t have to spin a wheel or watch contestants engage in pricing games to see who wins. It’s all about which contestant can provide the proper question to the provided answer. On most occasions, Trebek greets an incorrect response with “no” or “sorry, wrong.”
But as time went on, Trebek grew more comfortable in the role and managed to get saucier with contestants. One time, he mercilessly mocked a trio of contestants who couldn’t answer a single question about American football, and when one contestant spoke of her affinity for “nerdcore hip-hop” and those who listen, Trebek retorted, “Losers, in other words.”
It’s difficult to imagine anyone other than Trebek hosting “Jeopardy!” But until that time, viewers can continue to tune in and watch Trebek say, “Thank you, Johnny,” before announcing the categories and taking the audience along on a 30-minute answer-and-question trivia ride.
