I fully expect Alex to retire after this tournament.
I was thinking the same. This would be another good wrinkle: Winner of this Tournament succeeds Alex as Jeopardy Host.
Plus whoever wins the tournament is the new owner of the chocolate factory.
Alex Trebek: Remember Ken*, don’t forget the tale of the man who got everything he wanted.
Ken: What happened?
AT: He lived happily ever after.
*I had to pick one.
That would be a terrible idea.
James has negative charisma - without the excitement of his playing, he’d be basically a piece of the set. Ken is charismatic, but in a way that’d be more suited to a different kind of show - he’d risk overshadowing the contestants in the Jeopardy! format.
And, while I could see Brad potentially walking the same line Alex does - enough presence of his own to carry the show’s momentum, while still letting the contestants have the spotlight - winning a Jeopardy! tournament would be a terrible way to determine that, since the skills are completely unrelated, and a 1 in three chance of getting someone who might be able to do it is horrible odds.
If Alex is going to retire in the next couple months, they’ve certainly already chosen his successor - hell, even if he plans to hold on longer, they’ve probably chosen his successor since he may be forced to retire at any point.
I agree with that. Occasionally people will suggest a contestant (usually Ken Jennings) as Alex’s successor, but it’s really not a good idea. Being a good game show contestant does not mean you will be a good game show host. The two skill sets are quite different, and do not necessarily translate.
Ken Jennings actually does have another game show job right now–he’s on GSN’s “Best Ever Trivia Show” (soon to be re-titled “Master Minds,” as I understand it). Notably, he is not the host. He is one of a panel of “trivia experts” who compete against the contestants. I think that’s the role to which he is best suited, if he really does want to have a permanent game show gig.
When Alex leaves the show, I have no doubt they will hire another professional broadcaster, very likely someone who has years of experience as a host.
They could do what TCM did when main host Robert Osborne was ailing: have guest hosts, over quite a few months.
I’d suggest that would be the case only if they don’t yet have a replacement lined up. And that could be true; there’s not really any clear front-runner in the public mind, I don’t think.
That does seem likely.
On the other hand, tonight’s show featured Austin Rogers in the front row of the audience–introduced by Alex. Made me wonder, a bit. (Has that happened before: a former contestant in the audience, and introduced by Alex?)
You know what would be cool? If right after he retires, they let Alex play one game (or more, if he wins) as a contestant.
Though they’d probably have to jump through a heck of a lot of hoops to prove that he didn’t have access to the clues beforehand.
If they put that fuckhead asshole Austin in as host, we’re done with Jeopardy.
Makes me think the people that say Trebek is a jerk in real life aren’t that wrong when he seems to like Austin so much. He sees him as a kindred spirit.
I am not sure he has “negative charisma.” He seems kind of likable to me and has a good sense of humor. Ratings have been huge because of him, so I certainly don’t think they’d have a big problem “selling” the audience to watch him. One of the appeals of Alex is that he seems to know all the answers, and he has that pomposity; well James actually does Know “ALL” the answers, so he’d have instant credibility.
Your “1 in 3 odds” comment doesn’t make a whole lot a sense. I’m not sure the skill set required is so unique; maybe all three of them are “capable.” But I’d rather not settle for the “2nd or 3rd best of all time” as my host going forward if I could have the “GOAT.”
I’m not sure how you’re so “certain” they have already picked Alex’s successor, but of course that’s a possibility.
Look, pointing out that James is utterly uncharismatic is very much not an insult. He seems like a nice guy. I would be basically exactly the same in his place (save maybe more fiddling with my buzzer). But I’m not a game show host.
It’s possible - vanishingly unlikely, but possible - that, despite evidence to the contrary, that Ken and James are capable of doing the job. It would mean completely altering their public personae, which would kind of obviate the point of choosing them, but, hey, whatever, let’s grant the possibility.
Winning a tournament of the game is an entirely terrible way of determining that.
The skill set isn’t unique (we know Art Fleming and Alex both had it), but it is completely unrelated to the skill set involved in playing the game.
Alex announced in March that he had a form of cancer that was likely to kill him within a year.
It would be extremely irresponsible for them to not immediately begin deciding who will replace him when he leaves (either by choice or because the cancer or the treatments make continuing impossible).
It would be hilariously so to not have it decided (or at the very least, shortlisted) within 2 months of his retirement if he has chosen a specific time, rather than ‘whenever I can’t do it any more’.
It would be actively insane to leave the decision up to a test of a completely unrelated skill set on his proverbial last day.
(As an avoidant person, I know, intimately, that sometimes ‘that’s hilariously irresponsible’ doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened, but I try not to predict other people’s actions through the lens of my own maladaptive coping strategies.)
This is true, but Jeopardy is sort of a cultural icon and it’s really strongly tied to Alex Trebek, more than other shows or gameshows.
So when Trebek stops hosting, there will be a feeling among a lot of people that it’s just not right, or it’s not the same, and that will probably negatively impact the popularity of jeopardy.
So finding someone who has “Jeopardy cred”, who is iconic within that world, could make the transition a lot smoother.
That’s why I think Ken Jennings would make a really good host, even though there’s nothing inherently about the job that requires you to be good at the game.
Yeah, James seems like a nice enough person, but even his relatively minimal interpersonal interactions on the show seem awkward. There’s no way he would be considered to replace Trebek.
More recently, he’s said that the chemotherapy’s effects make it hard for him to speak and enunciate the clues. And somewhere upthread someone said that they’re no longer filming five episodes in a day but only two or three, because he gets tired. The signs are clear that he’s going to have to end hosting duties.
I agree with Mean Mister Mustard’s prediction that Alex will retire at the end of the GOAT.
I agree with Kamino Neko’s prediction that his successor has already been auditioned, tested, and selected, with Trebek’s blessing. And that it’s not one of the champions, but an experienced broadcaster.
*My *prediction is that Alex will announce his retirement and introduce his successor at the end of the tournament, although it’s possible there will be a leak or rumors before that.
Are you including erudition in that skill set?
Am I including ‘know the answers’ as a required skill for somebody whose job is to read the answers?
No, I’m not. It’s not a disqualifier, of course, but it’s not a requirement at all.
Alex isn’t the Beast. And even on The Chase, Mark isn’t the presenter - that’s Bradley Burnes or Brooke Walsh, depending which version.
The reason I ask is because both Art and Alex were/*are *erudite, and it comes across when you see them hosting Jeopardy! To my mind, this has added greatly to the show’s prestige.
According to Art’s biography on Wiki, he attended Colgate and Cornell universities, was the pilot of a US Navy patrol bomber in the Atlantic during WWII, and was “an avid reader with multiple college degrees.”
Alex graduated from the University of Ottawa with a degree in philosophy in 1961. He was a member of the English Debating Society and had originally planned on a career in broadcast news. He also grew up in a bilingual household. In one interview I saw, he said he probably knows about 80% of the material on Jeopardy! before seeing it.
So yeah, I’d say erudition is a pretty important part of hosting Jeopardy!, as opposed to, say, Family Feud or Wheel of Fortune.
Alex might not know all of the answers, but he’s at least capable of giving the impression that he does. And you at least want someone who can pronounce foreign names and such correctly.
I think you hilariously, insanely overestimate the “skill set” required for a game show host position. But you still may be right that they have already chosen Alex’s successor. I’m glad they took the decision so seriously prior to hiring Alex… I mean as host of “High Rollers” and Card Sharks he clearly proved himself up to the task!