The Jeopardy twitter feed just tweeted that Alex Trebek passed away early this morning.
Not unexpected, I suppose, but still not something I had hoped to hear for awhile.
His last show was taped on October 29 - to be shown on Christmas Day.
LAH-os
I heard it pronounced that way my entire life. That includes Walter Cronkite and all the other news anchors during that era.
If Alex Trebek pronounced it using one syllable, that’s good enough for me.
Today’s FJ category was Word Origins, and the answer was:
The word for a type of building or institution comes from Greek for a place sacred to a mythical group of 9.
I had absolutely no idea, but the top two contestants both nailed it.
I had to think for a bit, but I only know of one mythical group of nine entities, and they do indeed have a type of institution named after them, so that would be it.
Where the fuck did I get synagogue?
My wife guessed synagogue too. I don’t know why.
My brain went, “Mythical group of nine? Sirens? Muses? Museum!” (But maybe not that quickly.)
I’ve heard the phrase “the nine Muses” more than once in my life, so I got it immediately.
The Mudville baseball team?
Nah, they’re legendary, not mythical. Completely different.
Interesting coincidence that Ken Jennings showed up reading a category for only the second time, on the first episode aired after Alex’s death.
I like him, he seems like a good guy, but I don’t get a “game show host” vibe from him. He’s fine with a single pre-recorded set of clues, but I can’t picture him hosting the show.
We’ll see.
I have vague memories of Arthur Fleming hosting Jeopardy until 1975. IIRC The transition to Alex went smoothly. I don’t remember much changing except Alex was a lot younger than Fleming. The pacing of the show didn’t change.
I think the show will be fine with a new host. Viewers need to keep an open mind. Give the new host support and a real chance to suceed.
Alex will always be fondly remembered.
I was actually upset when I saw Jeopardy! had been revived with a host other than Art Fleming. Back then, he and the show were inseparable as far as I was concerned.
I didn’t know at the time that he had been offered the job but turned it down. He didn’t approve of the show being moved from New York to California.
I warmed to Alex very quickly, though. Over the last 36 years, he certainly made it his own.
RIP Alex.
Can a contestant wager $0 on a Daily Double? The chance might happen late in J or DJ when a contestant has only one category left from which to choose, and is not willing to wager anything on an unfamiliar subject.
I can see someone making a token bet of a few dollars, but I suspect you’d be asked to at least bet something if you said “Zero dollars.”
ISTR from when I was on (1991) that you had to bet at least $5 on DD. Any other players confirm?
While not a player, I can confirm from Jeopardy’s website. That strikes me as an odd amount to choose for the rule.
I’ve seen multiple online petitions suggesting LeVar Burton for the new host. I hadn’t thought about that, but it’s not too bad an idea. He’s well-known, likeable, already associated with knowledge and learning thanks to Reading Rainbow, and has a warm and friendly on-screen persona.
I agree that I’m not sure Ken would be right for it. As I said above, all the “They’re grooming Ken Jennings to take over” stuff seems to be fan speculation. It’s not anything the producers have ever actually said.