# Why do so many people dislike Alex Trebek? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 27, 2004, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-dislike-alex-trebek/257073 "2004-07-27T10:58:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-dislike-alex-trebek/257073/41 "2015-03-13T15:46:06Z")
> [@Cayuga](#): > > I think I read that he’ll be retiring after this season. It’s time. Can they get Will Ferrell to replace him…? ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-dislike-alex-trebek/257073/42 "2015-03-13T15:47:30Z")
Perhaps that means that keberT xelA is returning to his own dimension? ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-dislike-alex-trebek/257073/43 "2015-03-13T16:58:07Z")
> [@MacTech](#): > > Perhaps that means that keberT xelA is returning to his own dimension? He did not return to his dimension. Venus was at its peak brilliance last night. You probably thought you saw something up in the sky other than Venus, but I assure you, it was Venus. Your scientists have yet to discover how neural networks create self-consciousness, let alone how the human brain processes two-dimensional retinal images into the three-dimensional phenomenon known as perception. Yet you somehow brazenly declare that seeing is believing! (so Alex Trebek didn’t say that. I never said it was Alex Trebek - I said he LOOKED like Alex Trebek.) ---
**Author:** ![Nuveena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a587f6/32.png) [@Nuveena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nuveena)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-dislike-alex-trebek/257073/44 "2015-03-13T17:05:58Z")
> [@Cayuga](#): > > I think I read that he’ll be retiring after this season. It’s time. Nope. There were rumors but he just renewed his contract. > **[Alex Trebek Renews ‘Jeopardy!’ Contract Through 2017-18 Season](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/alex-trebek-renews-jeopardy-contract-780691/)** > > 'Wheel of Fortune' hosts Pat Sajak and Vanna White ink a similar deal. ---
**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 14, 2015, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-dislike-alex-trebek/257073/45 "2015-03-14T02:29:35Z")
I like Alex Trebek, and have never understood all the negativity. Much of it is inherent in being the host of that particular show. ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2015, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-dislike-alex-trebek/257073/46 "2015-03-14T02:34:28Z")
I dunno, the guy just exudes a barely veiled contempt for humanity, and a sort of sliminess that emanates from his very soul. …oh, wait, never mind. That’s Dick Cheney. ---
**Author:** ![alfonzos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4bbf92/32.png) [@alfonzos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alfonzos)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2015, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-dislike-alex-trebek/257073/47 "2015-03-15T21:51:04Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Anyone else remember The Wizard of Odds? That was a pretty cool game that Alex hosted in the early 70s? Yes, I remember “The Wizard of Odds.” To paraphrase “Seinfeld”, it was the (game) show about nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Q](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/898d66/32.png) [@Johnny\_Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Q)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2015, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-dislike-alex-trebek/257073/48 "2015-03-16T06:57:09Z")
I’ve noticed that even before Jeopardy, the default parody of Alex Trebek involves having him surrounded by complete idiots and trying(often failing) not to blow his top. People seem to be waiting for him to explode. Could they be disappointed because he hasn’t lately? ---
**Author:** ![denquixote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@denquixote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/denquixote)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2015, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-dislike-alex-trebek/257073/49 "2015-03-16T07:18:49Z")
I agree with every criticism offered in the original thread. He has only gotten worse. He takes such pride in his pronunciation of foreign words and phrases but even though he has the benefit of determining the correct pronunciation in advance of filming he still gets some of them wrong. My biggest pet peeve though is his insistence on interjecting his vapid comments during the actual contest which then delays the contestants and frequently results in questions going unanswered. He seems to believe that people tune in to the show to see him. The rule of thumb often offered about flamboyant umpires and referees in sporting contests applies equally to game show hosts. If you become a subject of discussion you are doing something wrong. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/22080_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2015, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-dislike-alex-trebek/257073/50 "2015-03-16T10:28:43Z")
I may be projecting my own personal hatred of a particular phrase, but every time he calls a female contestant “young lady” I want to reach into the screen and eviscerate him!!! Is there a term more demeaning or condescending than “young lady”, especially when referring to someone past the age of 6 or 7?? I’ve never heard him call a male contestant “young man” altho I don’t watch the show when they have kids on, so he might have uttered it then. Criminy, they’ve got their names right in front of him!!! Yeah, maybe it’s my issue… ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2015, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-dislike-alex-trebek/257073/51 "2015-03-16T11:38:34Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Here’s ya cite: based solely on Jeopardy, since I’ve never seen him doing anything else, Alex Trebek appears to have no personality at all. He’s a sort of wooden talking robot figure. Maybe he’s been doing it so long, but there never appears to be anything behind those eyes. You have the right to that opinion. However, I disagree because he’s just doing his job when he hosts that quiz show. He’s not being paid to do anything else. He’s not being paid to be a comedian and entertain the audience or make them laugh or anything like that. The money he’s being paid is due to him being the host of that quiz show. Actually, it’s probably not fair to say “he’s being paid” since as I understand it, he owns the show or at least own a big part of it and he is the one who pays all the staff and he likely makes more millions of dollars than most anyone associated with the show. I can understand many reasons why people don’t like him. His mannerisms on that show can rub people the wrong way and many people get sick of him and I sure can understand that. But there has to be a better reason to hate him. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2015, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-dislike-alex-trebek/257073/52 "2015-03-16T13:32:05Z")
He shot my paw. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2015, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-dislike-alex-trebek/257073/53 "2015-03-16T19:33:55Z")
I don’t hate Alex personally, but I do hate his annoying habit, and one he shares with all NPR reporters, of pretentiously attempting to pronounce every foreign-borrowed phrase, name or location as if he were a native speaker of that language, and insinuating that anyone who pronounces it like a normal English speaker would is a willfully ignorant fool. It’s “Angela Merckel”, not “Ong-Galla Milker”. Know your audience! If you speak in a contrived German accent, you’ll just look like an idiot to English speakers and German speakers alike. The show is taped in English, and broadcast to English speaking viewers. Pretending you’re a German toddler instead of the adult native English speaker you are just makes everyone cringe and feel sorry for you at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2015, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-dislike-alex-trebek/257073/54 "2015-03-16T20:39:34Z")
He still isn’t selling his penis mightier is he? ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2015, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-dislike-alex-trebek/257073/55 "2015-03-16T21:14:28Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > He still isn’t selling his penis mightier is he? I dunno. Haven’t checked the whore ads lately. ---
**Author:** ![syncrolecyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@syncrolecyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/syncrolecyne)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-dislike-alex-trebek/257073/56 "2015-03-20T02:16:04Z")
I thought Alex Trebek was cool in the 1980s. Somewhere along the way, whether it was the loss of his moustache, his shift to being more pedantic in his corrections, or just the format getting old, he lost his luster. But, the story of his naked burglary bust did redeem him a bit. > **[Alex Trebek on Burglary: ‘I Thought I Was Dreaming’ (Video)](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/alex-trebek-burglary-i-thought-216536/)** > > “I realized immediately that someone had been in the room and I put on my underwear and ran down the hall to see if I could find her,” he says of the 2:30 a.m. break-in. ---
**Author:** ![tenacious\_j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/439d5e/32.png) [@tenacious\_j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tenacious_j)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-dislike-alex-trebek/257073/57 "2015-03-20T16:41:36Z")
He makes me crazy. I love the show, but Trebek is so condescending, I wonder if I should stop watching. It’s the overdoing of foreign words and phrases, his condescending “oh, NO!” to an incorrect DD question, and especially the way he comes off like he knows everything. I can’t take it anymore.:smack: ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-dislike-alex-trebek/257073/58 "2015-03-21T01:31:10Z")
> [@DrCube](#): > > I don’t hate Alex personally, but I do hate his annoying habit, and one he shares with all NPR reporters, of pretentiously attempting to pronounce every foreign-borrowed phrase, name or location as if he were a native speaker of that language, and insinuating that anyone who pronounces it like a normal English speaker would is a willfully ignorant fool. > > It’s “Angela Merckel”, not “Ong-Galla Milker”. Know your audience! If you speak in a contrived German accent, you’ll just look like an idiot to English speakers and German speakers alike. The show is taped in English, and broadcast to English speaking viewers. Pretending you’re a German toddler instead of the adult native English speaker you are just makes everyone cringe and feel sorry for you at the same time. Yes, it is annoyingly pretentious when you affect the accent. But here name is not the English name Angela, either. It would be like saying George when someone is named Jorge. Her name is pronounced as if spelled Ong-guh-luh Merr-kle\* in English. It’s switching to a kindergartener accent that makes you sound ridiculous and pretentious, not saying or durves instead of horse doovers. And, yes, Trebek is absolutely horrible with it. \*Err as in Error. I would normally write “air” but some people don’t pronounce those two the same way. For IPA purists, her name in English is /ˈɒŋɡələ ˈmɛrkəl/.) ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-dislike-alex-trebek/257073/59 "2015-03-21T01:39:00Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > He still isn’t selling his penis mightier is he? nope. and he’s sittin’ on a gold mine! ---
**Author:** ![DonLogan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/51bf81/32.png) [@DonLogan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DonLogan)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2015, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-dislike-alex-trebek/257073/60 "2015-03-22T13:06:27Z")
He acts like he has all the answers. When really, all he has are the questions. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-dislike-alex-trebek/257073.md?page=2)