# Alex Trebek...Alex Trebek **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 15, 2011, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-alex-trebek/578503 "2011-04-15T16:30:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2011, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-alex-trebek/578503/41 "2011-05-02T19:48:35Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Here’s an example of Trebek being a bit hauhgty: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDYP04eWQK4](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDYP04eWQK4) > > The guy’s device doesn’t work, and he acts like he should have already known to use the other method. And then there’s him saying “stop shaking.” It definitely comes off as humoring someone who is less than himself. Are you kidding? There’s absolutely nothing “haughty” about that. First of all, the contestant probably _should_ know the alternative method. I find it hard to believe that they leave a pen and paper sitting there but don’t explain why. Trebek said it kind of hurriedly, but they didn’t want the guy to actually have any more time to think over the question. And him saying “stop shaking” is maybe not the best phrasing, but he’s basically just saying “relax!”. I guess you could take that as patronizing, but IMHO, you’d have to be a little overly sensitive to do so. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2011, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-alex-trebek/578503/42 "2011-05-02T20:14:54Z")
A couple months ago, none of the contestants came up with the correct question, so good ol’ Alex “Two-Times” gives it to them: “What is death. Death.” He put a good two- or three-second pause between “deaths.” Made my wife and me laugh our asses off. As if the first time he said it people wouldn’t quite get the pronunciation or something. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2011, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-alex-trebek/578503/43 "2011-05-02T20:23:27Z")
Maybe it’s a timing thing. Repetition and providing additional information are simply eating up time: time that can easily be edited out of the final product later on if required. So, providing filler material, even a few seconds here, a few seconds there, can be useful to the editors when getting the final tape out. Or maybe he’s just a dick. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-alex-trebek/578503/44 "2011-05-03T04:13:56Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > Why does Trebek so often repeat the correct response when correcting a contestant? It always sounds a bit dickish to me. Let’s put it this way: Why do pigs sound a bit piggish? Why do dogs sound a bit doggish? Best wishes, hh ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-alex-trebek/578503/45 "2011-05-03T04:30:07Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-alex-trebek/578503/46 "2011-05-03T04:54:51Z")
Well I see the _anti_ Alex Trebek mentality is still alive at the SDMB. Here’s a link to a thread from about 7 years ago [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=268463&highlight=trebek](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=268463&highlight=trebek) Yes it seems a great many people think Mr Trebek is somewhat full of himself. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-alex-trebek/578503/47 "2011-05-03T04:59:11Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > Are you kidding? There’s absolutely nothing “haughty” about that. First of all, the contestant probably _should_ know the alternative method. I find it hard to believe that they leave a pen and paper sitting there but don’t explain why. Trebek said it kind of hurriedly, but they didn’t want the guy to actually have any more time to think over the question. > > And him saying “stop shaking” is maybe not the best phrasing, but he’s basically just saying “relax!”. I guess you could take that as patronizing, but IMHO, you’d have to be a little overly sensitive to do so. Agreed entirely. ---
**Author:** ![nivlac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3bc359/32.png) [@nivlac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nivlac)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-alex-trebek/578503/48 "2011-05-03T06:44:16Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Here’s an example of Trebek being a bit hauhgty: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDYP04eWQK4](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDYP04eWQK4) > > The guy’s device doesn’t work, and he acts like he should have already known to use the other method. And then there’s him saying “stop shaking.” It definitely comes off as humoring someone who is less than himself. I watched the video twice to make sure I didn’t miss anything, but I didn’t see anything that can even remotely be deemed offensive or haughty. Really, I think people are just reaching to find examples of dickish behavior. Does AT come across as insufferably condescending at times? Sure, but I think that’s part of his charm for a show that’s aimed at eggheads. I do enjoy those times when he tries to make small talk or throws out a “witty” remark that falls flat! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-alex-trebek/578503/49 "2011-05-03T13:36:38Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > I don’t find it annoying, but then I haven’t watched Jeopardy! much in years. I would think the sort of person who plays Jeopardy! appreciates hearing the correct answer. And sometimes I like hearing things twice, gets it in the mind more. Exactly right. I’m sure that this is done for clarity, and also for timing, as **Marley23** said. I’m with **CarnalK** and **Two Many Cats** though. I think that these criticisms of Trebek can be kinda excessive. ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-alex-trebek/578503/50 "2011-05-03T15:43:23Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > Are you kidding? There’s absolutely nothing “haughty” about that. Agreed as well. He just directs the contestant to write his answer on a piece of paper (I don’t know if the contestant _should_ have known this, but in any case I don’t see any annoyance on Trebek’s part), and the “stop shaking” is merely a little joke, meaning that he doesn’t have anything to worry about, that these things happen and his answer will be accepted. Personally, I’ve never thought of Alex Trebek as jerkish or arrogant in any way. He’s just normal, though of course I don’t know him personally. In another thread a few months ago we discussed the French game show _Question pour un champion_, and I said that if people here dislike Trebek, they’d really abhor the host of that show (Julien Lepers). Imagine Trebek saying “No! Of course not!” when a contestant gives a wrong answer, or “Does nobody here know the answer?!” when nobody buzzes. And I don’t think Lepers is jerkish there, I think he’s just joking with his contestants, though I dislike him for other reasons (his delivery mostly). Maybe it’s a cultural difference; French game show hosts can tease their contestants and it’s all in good humour while American game show hosts must stay PC at all times as any joke could be misinterpreted. > [@mnemosyne](#): > > I’ve never heard him sing, but Trebek’s French accent is definitely Franco-Ontarian He doesn’t exactly sound Franco-Ontarian to me, but he doesn’t exactly sound like an anglophone either. I’d have to watch the show again to be sure (don’t know how to get it here) but from what I remember his accent in French sounds a bit “educated” and formal. Perhaps a mix between a Franco-Ontarian and Michael Ignatieff. It’s definitely Canadian though. As for repeating the answer, I think that’s quite traditional in game shows; it’s so we’re sure everyone’s heard the answer. And as someone else pointed out, it can be cut from the final product if needed. > [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > Of course not. But he was inordinately proud that he didn’t even know there was an English version for several years. In fairness to Trebek, there _wasn’t_ any English version for several years after the French version was first published. That’s probably a bit before his time though. ---
**Author:** ![fumster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@fumster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fumster)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-alex-trebek/578503/51 "2011-05-03T16:05:18Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > I wasn’t expecting him to be quite as smug, but it really seemed like the kind of deal where he’s been successful for a while and forgotten that he’s not exactly representative of the average person. Thank God; “The answer is double-wide, double wide”. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-alex-trebek/578503/52 "2011-05-03T16:47:16Z")
FWIW, I have noticed when contestants have no answer or give a wrong answer, Production SOP switches to Alex’s Camera. IIRC it is the only time that Alex gets any camera time during during the actual game play. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-alex-trebek/578503/53 "2011-05-06T03:50:16Z")
Wow - I’m surprised that Alex Trebek has acquired somewhat of a fan club at SDMB. Just do a Google search for “smug Alex Trebek” and see all the replies you get. Yes, maybe being a celebrity, he’s just being unfairly persecuted by lowlifes such as myself, who could never even hope to live in that smug, supercillious stratosphere where Alex Trebek resides. Then again, why don’t we hear about other game show hosts who have garnered even one tenth the negativity that Mr Trebek has achieved? Has there ever been any similar threads about Bob Barker or Pat Sajak? ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-alex-trebek/578503/54 "2011-05-06T04:08:49Z")
> [@wolf\_meister](#): > > Has there ever been any similar threads about Bob Barker or Pat Sajak? Do you think any Dopers watch TPIR or WoF? (or at least admit that they watch TPIR and/or WoF?) ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-alex-trebek/578503/55 "2011-05-06T05:18:25Z")
**notfrommensa** > [@](#): > > Do you think any Dopers watch TPIR or WoF? (or at least admit that they watch TPIR and/or WoF?) No I don’t think any Dopers watch those shows but do you really have to watch “Jeopardy” to learn that some people’s views of Alex Trebek are something less than stellar? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-alex-trebek/578503.md?page=2)