A quiz show that’s based on questions and answers is now facing a massive query of its own: Who is going to replace Alex Trebek?
Jeopardy!, which will air the final episode taped with its longtime host on Christmas following Trebek’s death over the weekend, is tasked with finding a new face of the program.
As of now, according to odds posted by Sportsbetting.ag, it appears that ace contestant Ken Jennings, who already works for the show as a consultant and won 74 consecutive games and $2.52 million while he was on the other side of the podium, is the favorite as he has 1:1 odds to get the job.
“Fans would be upset if Trebek were replaced by some colorful or funny personality who upstaged the contestants and the questions,” Steve Macek, a professor of communication at North Central College, told The New York Times. “Ken Jennings, the winningest Jeopardy contestant, has to be in contention, and he’d be a good choice.”
Other potential replacements for Trebek include George Stephanopoulos (7-2), Neil deGrasse Tyson (14-1), LeVar Burton (20-1), Mina Kimes (22-1), Howie Mandel (40-1), Erin Andrews (50-1) and even Donald Trump (1000-1).
For what it’s worth, Trebek never weighed in on who he wanted to follow in his footsteps, even after he knew that his decades of hosting the popular show were coming to an end.
“He never mentioned names to us. He really wanted to be the host of the show, while he was the host of the show,” Jeopardy! executive producer Mike Richards said in an interview with Entertainment Tonight following Trebek’s death. “So we didn’t say, ‘Hey, what about this person? What about that person?’ It was his show until he told us he was going to retire and, amazingly, he never did. I think that’s a blessing.”
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