Why ‘Jeopardy’ Contestants Weren’t Allowed to Meet Alex Trebek Before the Show
Most people would think one perk of competing on Jeopardy! would mean spending time with the host. But one former player recently revealed why longtime host Alex Trebek never spoke with the contestants before the show.
A former ‘Jeopardy!’ contestant explains why players couldn’t meet Alex Trebek before filming
Alex Trebek died after a battle with pancreatic cancer, but TV viewers still remember him as the host of Jeopardy! He helmed the game show for 37 seasons, from 1984 until his death in 2020.
Jeopardy! fans loved Trebek, and many contestants were excited to meet the Emmy-winning TV personality. However, one former player recently shared that contestants didn’t get to see him until the game started.
“We were not even allowed to meet Alex Trebek before the game began to avoid any kind of bias,” the contestant, who competed on the show in 2016, told BuzzFeed. They added that Jeopardy! is “100% legit,” with “nothing scripted.”
The former player shared more details, saying, “Backstage, we drew numbers to determine the order in which we would go. Several shows are filmed during the day, so we had to bring five changes of clothing in case we won.”
Alex Trebek was unsure whether the game show would last
Trebek had a long history of hosting game shows before landing his gig as Jeopardy!’s host, including appearances on game shows like The Wizard of Odds, High Rollers, and The $128,000 Question.
He began hosting Jeopardy!, ABC’s revival of a 1960s show of the same name, in 1984. Trebek loved the job and frequently spoke about Jeopardy!‘s impact on the world.
In an interview with the Television Academy, he discussed the show’s early days, saying they “weren’t certain how long it was going to last.” He continued, “We were getting feedback saying, ‘It’s too tough.’ I told them, ‘I’ll ease up on the material.’ But I didn’t ease up, and people started to enjoy the program.”
Asked what he thought the show’s legacy would be, Trebek replied, “A respect for knowledge. There’s nothing wrong with being bright. There’s nothing wrong with comporting yourself in a decent manner, being an OK kind of human being with a sense of humor.”
He also noted “respect for your fellow individuals” as part of Jeopardy!’s legacy. Although the show can “poke fun” at people, it never takes “cheap shots … That says a great deal about us.”
Who hosts ‘Jeopardy!’ now?
Jeopardy! is still on the air, co-hosted by Ken Jennings and Mayim Bialik. That’s just what Trebek wanted.
“I think Jeopardy! can go on forever,” Trebek said. “When I’m gone from Jeopardy!, there are other hosts who could do an equally good job. Different but equally good.”
