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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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?
