Alex Trebek's Final 'Jeopardy!' Episode

[name456]

I was skeptical of Alex at first since he was so goofy on High Rollers and I grew up with Art Fleming. It didn’t take long to change my mind and that Alex was certainly right for the job. The ending was so sad of course, but they did a wonderful job.

Art will always be my favorite Jeopardy host, but even an old guy like me can’t deny how wonderful Alex was. I wish he could have beaten the cancer.

[bigblue999]

The song used last night in the tribute.

[Ccook]

I gave Alex the benefit of the doubt when he began Jeopardy in 1984, and in largest part he didn't disappoint. I grew up on the Fleming series as well, but Trebek truly made the current show his. Big shoes to fill may sound cliche,  but it's a reality that kicks off this Monday.

[Mr. Weatherman]

We have an expression where I live, and it may well be one used where you live, too: “they don’t make ‘em like they used to.”

Alex is at the top of the mountain of game show hosts.  We largely consider Bob Barker to be the WGMC, but I can make a strong argument for why that title should at least be shared with Mr. Trebek.  He truly was a master of his craft, and he’s of a generation of hosts we simply don’t see more of anymore.

They just don’t quite make them like they used to.

I regret not watching more Jeopardy! growing up.  I was much more interested in the flashy game shows like Price as a kid, and I didn’t really grow to appreciate the toned-down, more serious nature of this show until really the past decade (I’m soon to be 27).  Despite that, I’m forever grateful to have had the opportunity to grow up with faces like Trebek’s on my television.  My children won’t get such a luxury, and it’s truly a shame.  He’s among the best of the best, and I’ll certainly miss seeing him.

[pannoni1]

At least thousands of Trebek episodes still circulate today, and there's a legitimate possibility of them being rerun on a Pluto-type channel in the future. Since I was old enough to recognize (around the late '80s), I've probably watched approximately three-fourths of all episodes of Jeopardy! when it was running. Sure, there are those categories (like European Literature) that I will never perform well in, but its still a great learning experience that is still valid when watching old shows. I was always curious in checking out how much Art Fleming circulates, but given the unfortunate circumstances of most episodes being wiped, we'll never get the luxury of seeing how good that version was.

It will be interesting how much of a retool Mike Richards want to the show now that an important era of the show's history has passed, from the theme, set, and if the ratings sag, any other intangibles.

[imhomerjay]

The set and to an extent the music were refreshed periodically anyway, so updating those in time won’t be about moving on from Trebek’s era, but simply continuing the norm. We also need to reasonably set expectations about the announcer role. The math there is what it is.

[JayC]

I regret not watching more Jeopardy! growing up.  I was much more interested in the flashy game shows like Price as a kid, and I didn’t really grow to appreciate the toned-down, more serious nature of this show until really the past decade (I’m soon to be 27).  Despite that, I’m forever grateful to have had the opportunity to grow up with faces like Trebek’s on my television.  My children won’t get such a luxury, and it’s truly a shame.  He’s among the best of the best, and I’ll certainly miss seeing him.

When I was a kid I found it boring because of what you said but because I didn't really know the material. For a while I only watched when it was Kids or Teen week. I watched it more when I got older since I knew more to play along, and the Ken Jennings run was what got me watching regularly since I wanted to see how far he'd go.

As for possible changes with Alex no longer hosting, I can't see much. They've always made periodic set and music changes anyway, and there's really not much that can be changed in the format besides increasing the dollar values again. Jeopardy isn't like Wheel of Fortune where there's several opportunities for possible change in the near future, though I don't see anything major while Pat and Vanna are still hosts.

[GameShowKid]

The tribute was very nice, I liked that it was more light-hearted. For me his sign off was sadder, even though he didn't yet know it would be his last one it did have a little bit of a sense that he might've known it could be.

I’m a little torn in my emotional reaction. On the one hand, it was tremendously sad he didn’t get to say the goodbye he had thought about. On the other, he didn’t reach the gut-wrenching point of having to make the decision to step away from his beloved show.

Thank you for sharing those perspectives on Alex’s final sign off. I watched it again in a news segment video and I can detect that sense that JayC did. Also perhaps Alex was content not calling more attention to himself with a formal message of farewell and/or retirement, especially considering the decades of charity work and entertainment left behind.

[imhomerjay]

Jeopardy has posted a short clip from Ken’s intro. He’s presented as a guest host, as of course he is. But strangely perhaps, hearing that, from Johnny Gilbert, makes me feel a bit better. There is also a brief snippet of Ken saying how much he, like millions of fans, miss Alex.

Even in that short video, I sense the respect and care for the legacy of the show and Alex. It’s a tall order nowadays, but if people are willing to hold their criticism for a bit and let things play out, I think the show can make the difficult move to a new era.

[Ccook]

Ken did quite well on his maiden flight as a host ( or guest host in this case.) The show flowed smoothly and  like with Alex, the focus was the game and the contestants. In a poll on TV Line, 57% of voters give Ken a grade of A.

[pricefan18]

Ken did quite well on his maiden flight as a host ( or guest host in this case.) The show flowed smoothly and  like with Alex, the focus was the game and the contestants. In a poll on TV Line, 57% of voters give Ken a grade of A.

I agree, I thought he was surprisingly (although not even sure I wanna use that term necessarily), good. He read well as far as I am concerned and had some good interactions with the contestants too. The only minor things I really noticed was the transition out of the Earth category in the Jeopardy Round, which I felt was slightly awkward compared to how Alex woulda handled it, and how he ruled questions wrong, his tone was I'd say slightly off-putting. Maybe I'm just used to Alex doing it after 37 years though, with anyone else naturally sounding strange in comparison. But overall I felt like he did very well for his first show out and given the circumstances, much better than I think he gave himself credit for in the interview he did about it.

[EaglesWings4500]

If possible can some one please post the Jan 8 of Final Jeopardy and the part where he says Merry CHRISTmas..  I watched the video that was posted and I guess I missed that part.

Thanks

[COINBOYNYC]

If possible can some one please post the Jan 8 of Final Jeopardy and the part where he says Merry CHRISTmas.

Are you referring to the very end, just before he signs off and says "we'll see you next week?"  I infer from the way you typed "Christmas" that you think he emphasized "Christ," but he didn't.

[jude_este]

In ratings news from Deadline, Jeopardy! was the number one syndicated program for the week of January 4. Jeopardy! had its most-watched week of the season to date with 11.1 million total viewers (liive+same day) and a 6.6 household rating, surging +29% from the previous week. The week was also the program’s most watched and highest rated week since the week of April 27, 2020.

Alex Trebek’s last show on January 8, averaged 14.0 million total viewers and an 8.1 household rating, the show’s largest audience and highest house rating since the final episode of James Holzhauer’s streak on June 3, 2019.