The much beloved Alex Trebek’s name will always be inseparable from trivia game show Jeopardy!, but the show’s producers say he wanted the show to go on after him.
“We will honour his legacy by continuing to produce the game he loved,” the team posted on Twitter.
Jeopardy! will resume production at the end of November with a number of interim hosts, starting with Ken Jennings, who holds the record for the longest winning streak in the history of the show with 74 wins.
Jennings’ total earnings on the show are $4.5 million — a combination of his series of wins and second place prizes in various Jeopardy! tournaments.
The highest earning American game show contestant of all time responded to the announcement on Twitter by saying he was honoured to be chosen and will join the production in January.
There will only ever be one Alex Trebek, but I'm honored to be helping Jeopardy! out with this in January. https://t.co/2m2b5IQnkw
— Ken Jennings (@KenJennings) November 23, 2020
There has been much speculation about who will fill the irreplaceable Trebek’s shoes after his death following a valiant fight against pancreatic cancer earlier this month, less than 10 days after taping his final episode of the show.
LeVar Burton of Reading Rainbow and Star Trek: The Next Generation fame has seen a groundswell of support online to helm the show. Burton acknowledged the movement and petition on Twitter and thanked fans for their support.
There is no word if Burton will be one of the interim hosts.
Even if nothing comes from it, I can’t tell how much how I appreciate all y’alls love and support! ????????♥️
Petition · Make LeVar Burton the next host of Jeopardy! · https://t.co/60lC1WCD61 https://t.co/QFxedpuWpU
— LeVar Burton (@levarburton) November 12, 2020
