‘Jeopardy!’: Fans Are Starting to Notice How Shady Alex Trebek Really Is
Alex Trebek is a television icon. He began hosting Jeopardy! in 1984 and remains on the game show nearly four decades later. Viewers have fallen in love with his warm personality, characteristic charm, and all-knowing capabilities. But after watching him on TV for so long, they have started to notice another side to the beloved television host.
There have been more than a few times throughout his tenure on the show where Trebek has made sarcastic, condescending, or plain rude comments about contestants. From roasting competitors over their backgrounds to dissing certain answers, here are some of the moments fans say show how shady Trebek really is.
One of the shadiest moments from ‘Jeopardy’
Fans recently floated many of these moments on social media. One notable situation happened in 2016 when Trebek was interviewing Susan Cole of Maryland. While telling Trebek about herself, Cole mentioned her love for “nerdcore hip-hop.”
“It’s people who identify as nerdy, rapping about the things they love, video games, science fiction, having a hard time meeting romantic partners, you know. It’s really catchy and fun,” she explained.
“Losers, in other words,” quipped the TV host.
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Even years after it aired, fans can’t get over it.
“I think about that video of Alex Trebek calling that girl a loser on Jeopardy every damn day,” read one tweet.
This clip actually caused a huge stir when it aired, with many people criticizing Trebek for being unnecessarily “mean.” But the joke was on him because Cole went on to win three games that earned her nearly $70,000, according to The New York Post.
Other shady things that have happened on ‘Jeopardy!’
In the comment section, another fan offered up another “classic” moment from the show, sharing a clip from a 2018 episode where Trebek roasted three contestants over their lack of football knowledge. As the group struggled to answer related questions, Trebek gave them a blank stare and dryly suggested the show go to commercial.
“Still cracks me up to this day,” a tweet read in part.
Elsewhere on social media, a fan mentioned a 2011 episode where Trebek shamed a woman who incorrectly answered a question about a love triangle. After she answered, “What is a threesome,” Trebek called the woman a “saucy wench” and teased that she “has obviously had much more experience than I,” per Complex.
And this is just the brink of it. The list of shady things that have aired throughout Trebek’s time on the show goes on and on… and on.
When will ‘Jeopardy!’ end?
Trebek’s contract expires in 2022, but he has said in interviews that he will host the show as long as he can. The 79-year-old is currently battling pancreatic cancer but remains hard at work and continues to film episodes (though production is temporarily paused due to the coronavirus outbreak).
“It’ll be a significant moment for me,” he said of his final episode in a 2019 interview with ABC News. “But I’ve kind of, in my mind, rehearsed it already, and what I would do on that day is tell the director, ‘Time the show down to leave me 30 seconds at the end. That’s all I want.'”
“And I will say my goodbyes and I will tell people, ‘Don’t ask me who’s going to replace me because I have no say whatsoever. But I’m sure that if you give them the same love and attention and respect that you have shown me…then they will be a success and the show will continue being a success. And until we meet again, God bless you and goodbye.'”
We’re sure that person will do a great job. But this kind of sass seems like it only comes around once in a lifetime.
