# Alex Trebek - again... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 17, 2019, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-again/837192 "2019-07-17T02:38:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2019, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-again/837192/1 "2019-07-17T02:38:23Z")
Not worth a pit thread and don’t expect a huge amount of traction but god damnit I get so tired of hearing Alex saying “You picked the right one!” after a contestant gives a correct answer, as if they were guessing. It’s so demeaning. Just once I’d love to hear a contestant say, “No, Alex, I _knew_ it!” ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2019, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-again/837192/2 "2019-07-17T02:51:59Z")
Trebek turns 79 next week and is being treated for Stage IV pancreatic cancer. I won’t have a problem if he starts talking about how he used to wear an onion on his belt. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2019, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-again/837192/3 "2019-07-17T03:01:27Z")
He’s been great for the show and I wish him all the best with his illness. But that’s no excuse to disrespect knowledgeable players. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2019, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-again/837192/4 "2019-07-17T03:25:19Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > Not worth a pit thread and don’t expect a huge amount of traction but god damnit I get so tired of hearing Alex saying “You picked the right one!” after a contestant gives a correct answer, as if they were guessing. It’s so demeaning. Just once I’d love to hear a contestant say, “No, Alex, I _knew_ it!” I have no doubt that in most of those cases, the contestant is giving several non-verbal cues they have narrowed their answer down to an A or B decision, and that the television audience simply isn’t privy to those cues. I’ll give the guy standing a few dozen feet away the benefit of the doubt on this one. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2019, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-again/837192/5 "2019-07-17T04:09:12Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > Not worth a pit thread and don’t expect a huge amount of traction but god damnit I get so tired of hearing Alex saying “You picked the right one!” after a contestant gives a correct answer, as if they were guessing. It’s so demeaning. Just once I’d love to hear a contestant say, “No, Alex, I _knew_ it!” What does “I knew it” really mean? The AI program Watson that beat the two greatest Jeopardy champions at the time, Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter, very much “guessed” each answer, yet turned out to be “smarter” than both of them. For every clue, the result of the AI processing was a set of candidate answers, and one of the keys to the amazing success of this system was its ability to rank the candidate replies that it generated according to an accurate confidence determination. There’s no reason to think that this doesn’t parallel the way humans arrive at a response, at least in many instances – even if we may not be consciously aware of it – so that “I knew it” really means “I had high confidence in this particular candidate answer according to how I interpreted the clue”. We tend to call it a “guess” if the confidence is low, but that’s an arbitrary distinction. We often “know” things that turn out to be wrong. Anyway, I never saw any guest appearing to be insulted by this innocent phrase. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2019, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-again/837192/6 "2019-07-17T04:09:40Z")
He has to say \*something \*'cause that’s like, you know, his job. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2019, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-again/837192/7 "2019-07-17T10:35:35Z")
“And ye wouldn’a known that if ye didn’t hae that card in front o’ ye! THIS GUY READS FROM A CARD!” -not Sean Connery ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2019, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-again/837192/8 "2019-07-17T12:07:29Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > I have no doubt that in most of those cases, the contestant is giving several non-verbal cues they have narrowed their answer down to an A or B decision, and that the television audience simply isn’t privy to those cues. I’ll give the guy standing a few dozen feet away the benefit of the doubt on this one. I haven’t watched regularly in a year or two but that’s always how it seemed to me as well. ie:Alex “This half of famous tennis sisters has won the Wimbledon 5 times.” Contestant “Who…is…,…Venus? Williams?” Alex “Yes, you picked the right sister” Ken Jennings was famous for buzzing in without the answer, but knowing he could figure it out or make a good guess in the few seconds he had. With a clue like the one I made up, most people would know it’s going to be a Williams sister and if they’re in the position to do so, will buzz in and guess one or the other. I can’t see anything wrong with Alex recognizing that they’re guessing and commenting on it. Besides, it goes the other way as well. There’s just as many times when someone picks the wrong answer and he’ll say something like 'ooooh, sorry, you picked the wrong one". ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2019, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-again/837192/9 "2019-07-17T14:21:37Z")
And besides, how does “picking” imply “guessing”? When Indiana Jones drank from the correct Holy Grail, he wasn’t guessing, he was choosing wisely. But you could still say that he picked a cup. ---
**Author:** ![Helmut\_Doork](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e8c25b/32.png) [@Helmut\_Doork](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helmut_Doork)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2019, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-again/837192/10 "2019-07-17T14:39:17Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > Not worth a pit thread and don’t expect a huge amount of traction but god damnit I get so tired of hearing Alex saying “You picked the right one!” after a contestant gives a correct answer, as if they were guessing. It’s so demeaning. Just once I’d love to hear a contestant say, “No, Alex, I _knew_ it!” IMO Alex has been a pompous ass from day one. He’s always the smartest one on stage, ask him. He has known the answer to every question ever asked in the history of the show. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2019, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-again/837192/11 "2019-07-17T17:03:06Z")
I never found Trebek to be condescending or pompous. IMO, what people think might be condescending is part of his job description. There’s a fine line between empathetic and patronizing, and I think Trebek is on the empathetic side FWIW, James Holzhauer was a guest analyst on ESPN’s WSoP coverage last night. He said Trebek was responding well to treatments. And that he and Emma will be on the next Tournament of Champions to be aired in November. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2019, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-again/837192/12 "2019-07-17T17:16:40Z")
> [@Helmut\_Doork](#): > > IMO Alex has been a pompous ass from day one. He’s always the smartest one on stage, ask him. He has known the answer to every question ever asked in the history of the show. … that’s literally his job. Do you watch a lot of quiz shows where the contestant gives an answer, and the host is all, “I don’t know, that’s why I asked _you_”? ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2019, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-again/837192/13 "2019-07-17T17:20:17Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > He’s been great for the show and I wish him all the best with his illness. But that’s no excuse to disrespect knowledgeable players. His comment does not imply to me that it was a “stab in the dark” type of guess, and I don’t know why you interpret it that way. “Picking” is not synonymous with “guessing”. I was lights out good on standardized tests in school, but I still “picked” an answer to every question. “Picking” is making a choice. That’s it. This is a tempest in a teapot. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2019, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-again/837192/14 "2019-07-17T17:24:32Z")
I’ve only really heard him say this on Daily Doubles, which is generally the only time (outside of final) that he remarks on a correct answer. So he might say something that “You got it” or “That’s the one.” “You picked the right one” is usually for a question where it’s easy to narrow it down to a few choices (like the Williams sisters), but you have to be smart enough to pick the right one. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2019, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-again/837192/15 "2019-07-17T18:15:13Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > I never found Trebek to be condescending or pompous. > > IMO, what people think might be condescending is part of his job description. There’s a fine line between empathetic and patronizing, and I think Trebek is on the empathetic side. This. I’ve never understood some people’s dislike of Trebek. I can’t imagine anyone else being a better host of _Jeopardy!_. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2019, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-again/837192/16 "2019-07-17T18:32:56Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > I never found Trebek to be condescending or pompous. I think that some people feel that he comes across as pompous, as he never gets excited the way most game show hosts do. If you ask me, that is exactly why he should be hosting a show like Jeopardy. In fact, the one time I saw him get excited (back when Barbara Ann Eddy, who would later be a five-time Jeopardy champion, won $64,000 on _The $128,000 Question_ - in fact, it was ), it didn’t come across as genuine. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2019, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-again/837192/17 "2019-07-17T19:28:35Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > This is a tempest in a teapot. Tempest? The fact that you disagree doesn’t mean I’m creating tempest. My OP is no more a tempest than your quoted response. This is a message board, I offered an opinion. I conceded isn’t wasn’t worthy of the pit and speculated it my not gain traction. Chill Winston. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Helmut\_Doork](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e8c25b/32.png) [@Helmut\_Doork](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helmut_Doork)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2019, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-again/837192/18 "2019-07-17T19:41:54Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > Tempest? The fact that you disagree doesn’t mean I’m creating tempest. My OP is no more a tempest than your quoted response. > > This is a message board, I offered an opinion. I conceded isn’t wasn’t worthy of the pit and speculated it my not gain traction. > > Chill Winston. > 🙂 Reactionary! Rebel! Disharmonious! Sadly, many here believe positing an unpopular or unusual opinion makes you not an individual, but either an idiot or a troll. But I concur, Trebek is a pompous know-it-all 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2019, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-again/837192/19 "2019-07-17T20:04:09Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > This. I’ve never understood some people’s dislike of Trebek. I can’t imagine anyone else being a better host of _Jeopardy!_. I don’t think he’s pompous or whatever, so much as I think he’s autistic. He just comes across so…alien sometimes in the meet and greet section. He doesn’t react like a normal person. Sometimes he makes it about himself (which is where I guess some see him as arrogant and pompous) and sometimes he just doesn’t get what’s going on. He doesn’t appear to know when things are funny, or why, or who is being made fun of. You’d think after so long he’d get better at it. But he’s still cringe worthy some days. It’s like he doesn’t “get” hu-mons. And Art Flemming is the one true host. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2019, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-again/837192/20 "2019-07-18T17:26:46Z")
I haven’t seen many episodes lately, but I enjoy it when Alex mispronounces something. I remember he said, “no, diatoms is the answer” and he said die atoms. One mistake I can’t get over is when the clue asked for a rhyming part for the only rodent in a play and they accepted “sole mole role.” Moles are NOT rodents!