I think we take game show hosts for granted. But they are part of television. You think Jeopardy, you think Alex Trebek. Price is Right, Bob Barker and Drew Carey. Wheel of Fortune, Pat Sajak and Vanna White. But what about when they're gone. Barker finished in 2007 with Carey replacing him. Assume the other two shows will, too.
I'm amazed that Trebek is still working on Jeopardy. And that comes with pancreatic cancer going to stage 4. Typically, that's the stage you can't recover from. I can't imagine the amount of pain he has to go through. Even if he doesn't take the chemotherapy, that stuff has to be brutal. But he keeps trucking on and the show is doing its greatest ever matches. When that ends, it's going to be a bittersweet one for the show as it may be one of his final big moments, pending how much longer he is still around and how bad the cancer spreads.
I wouldn't argue the same concerns were there for Sajak when he had surgery a while ago. Nothing cancerous, but still. Considering he's in his 70s, that's still no easy task to get rid of whatever was blocking one of his intestines. The wonder of who might replace him, that's not an easy task, either. But, Sajak seems like he would go the route of Barker. Keep going until he feels like he is finished and retire from Wheel of Fortune.
The tough thing with game shows is finding a host to handle the contestants. Show restraint when things go awry. Have the enthusiasm with the showcases and end of show moments. It has to be somewhat stressful, even if it was someone with 20 plus years experience. But these hosts know when the best time to stop. Newer generations will have their version of Sajak, Barker, and Trebek. Nostalgia or no nostalgia, these shows keep coming, but none of them have the impact and longevity of these three.
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