‘Jeopardy!’ Host Alex Trebek ‘Hated’ This Aspect of Hosting Game Shows
As today is “JeoparDAY,” the 59th anniversary of the day Jeopardy! first aired, many fans can’t help but remember Alex Trebek. Trebek hosted the popular quiz show from 1984 until his death in 2020. Because Trebek was the second-ever and longest-running host of Jeopardy!, he is often thought of as the face of the game show. But Trebek actually hosted over a dozen game shows before he even began filming “America’s favorite quiz show.” And while the Canadian-American seemed to enjoy his duties, there was one aspect of hosting game shows that he truly hated.
Alex Trebek recalled a memorable experience he had years before ‘Jeopardy!”
Trebek had been hosting game shows for over 20 years before he even set foot on the set of Jeopardy! Naturally, he had plenty of memorable stories. However, one experience seemed to be burned into his brain forever. While on A.M. Chicago, Trebek recalled one of the most unforgettable experiences that he had while hosting a game show.
“The one incident I recall the most has to do with a program I did in 1973, the first show I did in California,” Trebek told Oprah. “It was called the Wizard of Odds. And I was working as you are here in among the audience. And I used to call for volunteers, and people would get excited and run down. And a very heavyset lady ran down, and we had a circular podium, not a stage, and then steps going down. And she went- knocked me over, went right through. [I] almost made it to Johnny Carson’s studio, and he was working across the hall.”
Trebek recalled what he hated about hosting game shows
Responding to Trebek’s anecdote, Oprah made the assumption that the Wizards of Odds crew stopped production. “So they stop tape, I suppose,” she questioned. However, the late Jeopardy! host shared that despite being knocked off his feet, he continued to film. Apparently, there was a reason for this unorthodox decision, and that reason was all thanks to Trebek. “No, no,” he responded. “I hate stopping tape. We did not stop tape for anything.”
The ‘Jeopardy!’ host’s hatred of stopping tape once landed him in a bit of trouble
Trebek hated stopping tape so much, that it landed him in a bit of hot water while he was hosting another game show. “I had another situation where, in the endgame, we had made a mistake,” The late Jeopardy! host recalled. “The contestant had won the previous rounds, and she was going for a car, and she had to pick four numbers on the board, and keep the total below a certain number. And she did, and we had made a mistake. It was the wrong number up there.”
The common thing to do in that situation would be to stop production. However, Trebek chose another path. “And I said: ‘It’s our error-‘ Normally, [in] that kind of situation, we would stop tape,” he shared. “I said, ‘It’s our error, so I’ll tell you what I’m going to do. I’m going to give you the car anyway.’ Well, that made me a big hit with the audience.” But just because the audience was pleased with the host’s choice doesn’t mean those behind the scenes were. The Jeopardy! host recalled getting a bit of a verbal tongue-lashing after the show wrapped for the day. “After the show, the producer came up, and he said, ‘Alex, the next time we make a mistake, we stop the tape,'” he shared. Clearly, Trebek followed one of the cardinal rules of showbiz at all times. “The show must go on.”
