# Alex Trebek quitting Jeopardy? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 15, 2013, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-quitting-jeopardy/653034 "2013-03-15T19:38:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2013, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-quitting-jeopardy/653034/61 "2013-03-17T17:10:16Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > For some reason John Lovitz came to mind as a good replacement. > > Or for a really crazy thought … Norm McDonald. John Ratzenberger, in full USPS regalia. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2013, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-quitting-jeopardy/653034/62 "2013-03-17T17:48:23Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > John Ratzenberger, in full USPS regalia. Oh man, he would be perfect! 😃 Especially if they changed the game so they were looking for the goofiest answer instead of the right one. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2013, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-quitting-jeopardy/653034/63 "2013-03-17T20:39:13Z")
Ken Jennings or no one. I guess Anderson Cooper or Kelsey Grammer would be good too. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2013, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-quitting-jeopardy/653034/64 "2013-03-17T21:18:34Z")
Michael Palin. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-quitting-jeopardy/653034/65 "2013-03-18T00:17:35Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Won’t be the same without Alex Trebek. Yeah, it’ll be better. I’ll join the Suck it, Trebek Club on this one. I’m not really particular about who I think would be a better host. Just anyone who doesn’t make me shout “_Shut your fucking mouth, Trebek, and let the contestant pick a new clue already!_” at the screen numerous times per episode. The man is not funny or interesting, yet he keeps trying to work his stupid little quips into the show repeatedly while the contestants are actually trying to play the game. I don’t mind his irritatingly smug demeanor anywhere near as much as I do the time he wastes with his bullshit. Every time there’s only one unrevealed clue left during a round where Trebek spent half of it talking, I die inside. So re: some of the suggestions here. - Cash Cab guy. I think he’d do all right. He seems personable, is much better at making conversation than Trebek (my grandmother is too, and she’s dead), but still comes off as low key enough to not be irritating to watch everyday. - Ken Jennings would of course be a good host. Unlike Trebek, he actually _is_ smarter than you, yet he’s cool enough to not be an asshole about it. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-quitting-jeopardy/653034/66 "2013-03-18T09:58:16Z")
> [@Nzinga\_Seated](#): > > I didn’t mind Alex being a pretentious smug bastard. I did hate his interviewing skills, though. He always left awkward moments after the contestents tell their little stories. They cut half of my interview out, including half of his awkward pause. I totally overshared about gorilla poo and then we stared each other down for forever. So in person it’s actually worse. ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-quitting-jeopardy/653034/67 "2013-03-18T11:22:22Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > They cut half of my interview out, including half of his awkward pause. I totally overshared about gorilla poo and then we stared each other down for forever. So in person it’s actually worse. That cracks me up. I can picture it so clearly. Heee! You know what? I guess I’m gonna miss that, too. No one else will be able to make those interviews more awkward. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-quitting-jeopardy/653034/68 "2013-03-18T14:53:57Z")
I’d suggest Stephen Fry, but it might well get in the way of his QI hosting duties. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-quitting-jeopardy/653034/69 "2013-03-18T19:42:21Z")
> [@peedin](#): > > Is it a rule that EVERY game must have a question that requires Alex to pronounce a word in French? He’s so smug about that (and yes, I know he’s fluent in French. He’s just a showoff). No, there’s the codicil that says twice a season he gets to say “Robbie Burns.” Those shows he is not required to say anything in French. That would be too much work for him. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-quitting-jeopardy/653034/70 "2013-03-18T20:00:20Z")
> [@Nzinga\_Seated](#): > > I can’t imagine anyone pulling it off with the same smug knowitallness of Alex Trebek and his perfect foreign pronunciations. Well, there’s Bob Costas. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-quitting-jeopardy/653034/71 "2013-03-18T21:15:01Z")
I’ll miss the mini-interviews Trebek does after the first commercial. They’re always so stilted and awkward. It’s sort of heartwarming that someone could do something repeatedly for nearly three decades and never get any better at it. Well, it warms my heart anyway. ---
**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:** [March 18, 2013, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-quitting-jeopardy/653034/72 "2013-03-18T21:41:42Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > I have read that Trebek has named Tom Bergeron as his preferred successor. Can’t find cite. Bergeron is 57 and un-Canadian. Well, his smugometer also goes up to 11. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-quitting-jeopardy/653034/73 "2013-03-18T22:00:07Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > No, there’s the codicil that says twice a season he gets to say “Robbie Burns.” Those shows he is not required to say anything in French. That would be too much work for him. He also apparently gets a quota of opportunities to say “Transylvania”, “Romania”, or “Dracula” while doing his best Bela Lugosi. ---
**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:** [March 18, 2013, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-quitting-jeopardy/653034/74 "2013-03-18T22:06:14Z")
> [@Greg\_Charles](#): > > I’ll miss the mini-interviews Trebek does after the first commercial. They’re always so stilted and awkward. It’s sort of heartwarming that someone could do something repeatedly for nearly three decades and never get any better at it. > > Well, it warms my heart anyway. They are before the first commercial, and sometimes they’re the best part of the show. Personally, I don’t want to watch the show without Trebek. I remember the Art Fleming years, and any change would be like returning to that. I hope Trebek will stay until he drops. And even then . . . ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-quitting-jeopardy/653034/75 "2013-03-18T22:12:12Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > They are before the first commercial, and sometimes they’re the best part of the show. Unless your station edits the episodes differently, they’re most definitely after the first commercial. The format has been as follows for as long as I can remember: 1. First part of first round 2. Commercial 3. Awkward contestant interviews 4. Finish first round 5. Commercial 6. Double Jeopardy 7. Commercial 8. Final Jeopardy ---
**Author:** ![kath94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/67e7ee/32.png) [@kath94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kath94)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-quitting-jeopardy/653034/76 "2013-03-18T22:32:29Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I thought I read somewhere (not recently, though) that Ken Jennings wanted the job. I don’t think I’ve ever read of KJ’s interest, but I’d heard him suggested. Seems like a good segue from the Alex Trebek days. I’d watch him. > [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](#): > > Other than Ken Jennings, I would like to see them go for [Pat Kiernan](http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Kiernan#section_3), who did a great job on the late, lamented _World Series Of Pop Culture_. Plus, he’s another Canadian! Aww, I caught the World Series of Pop Culture when it was televised once, and thought it & he were GREAT. Couldn’t have named him out of the blue, though. Great suggestion! ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-quitting-jeopardy/653034/77 "2013-03-18T22:46:49Z")
Mike Lowe? Used to be on the History Channel before he got such a commercial presence for Ford. Q ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-quitting-jeopardy/653034/78 "2013-03-18T23:38:36Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > Unless your station edits the episodes differently, they’re most definitely after the first commercial. The format has been as follows for as long as I can remember: > > 1. First part of first round > 2. Commercial > 3. Awkward contestant interviews > 4. Finish first round > 5. Commercial > 6. Double Jeopardy > 7. Commercial > 8. Final Jeopardy That’s right. I know because I always keep in mind that if I’m not back from the bathroom/kitchen commercial break right away, I’ve got another minute before the game starts again. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-quitting-jeopardy/653034/79 "2013-03-19T00:12:52Z")
> [@Quasimodem](#): > > Mike Lowe? Used to be on the History Channel before he got such a commercial presence for Ford. > > Q Do you mean Mike Rowe, Discovery Channel? Already nominated. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-quitting-jeopardy/653034/80 "2013-03-19T00:48:23Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > Unless your station edits the episodes differently, they’re most definitely after the first commercial. The format has been as follows for as long as I can remember: > > 1. First part of first round > 2. Commercial > 3. Awkward contestant interviews > 4. Finish first round > 5. Commercial > 6. Double Jeopardy > 7. Commercial > 8. Final Jeopardy I’ve got a thirty-second commercial skip button on my DVR remote and have learned that the first break is 90 seconds (three button presses) and the second is 120 seconds (four button presses). I haven’t found the right number of button presses for the last break yet but it seems to be about four minutes. But if you skip the commercials, you can watch a Jeopardy! episode in about twenty minutes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-quitting-jeopardy/653034.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-quitting-jeopardy/653034.md?page=5)