Who Is Alex Trebek? That's Correct

When you are hosting a game show that everyone knows for a very long time, it will be hard to forget them. You think The Price is Right, you think Bob Barker even though he retired in 2007. Wheel of Fortune, it's Pat Sajak. Jeopardy, who is Alex Trebek? Unfortunately, he passed away from his battle with pancreatic cancer. It leaves a void in who will be the next host of the long running show. Something that iconic and the same host since 1984, what do you do?

The comparison to Trebek will be common after his final episode that will air next month. You watch a Jeopardy episode, he keeps it calm. There might be points where he'll let loose, but he was able to stay in a professional form despite some answers. Nothing over the top. It's a quiz show with the answers given to you first. Not to mention some of its notoriety. Guys like Ken Jennings having their unbelievable streaks. James Holzhauer last year, it's created a lot of fantastic moments for the show.

Of course, there's ridicule. Saturday Night Live had their version of it which was often funny with idiot celebrities and their version of Trebek getting ridiculed. With SCTV in the 70s and 80s, they had their own take on him not too long before he went on to do Jeopardy. But it is still a fresh show since it doesn't rely on flashy signs, big prizes, and surveys. That's not a knock on other game shows because if it were all the same, no one would want to watch any of it. Not to mention, there is difficulty in figuring stuff on these programs.

Whoever takes over as the host of the show, I would hope they show the professionalism that Trebek carried for over 36 years. There's a reason why it is one of the biggest game shows still going. The new generation growing up will one day not know about the legends of hosting these programs.

Price of Jeopardy's Fortune

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.