Credit: ABCJeopardy host Ken Jennings has revealed a controversial opinion about the late, great Alex Trebek: he was not all that fun. So much so, in fact, that the legendary quiz show champion actually preferred Pat Sajak, the former host of rival series Wheel of Fortune.
Host Alex Trebek was part of Jeopardy for over 36 years, becoming one of the most iconic figures in quiz show television history. The host was known for his dry humor and understated reactions to the anecdotes of decades of guests, Ken Jennings among them.
However, it turns out that although Jennings is often seen as the spiritual successor to Trebek, he did not find him all that enjoyable while watching the show as a young viewer.
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The Many Hosts of ‘Jeopardy’
While Alex Trebek was not the original host of Jeopardy (that honor going to the late Art Fleming), he was so associated with the game show that many fans were concerned that no new host would be able to fill his shows after his death due to pancreatic cancer in 2020.
Those concerns were somewhat helped when the game show began a series of guest hosts like Katie Couric, LeVar Burton, and Dr Oz, with fans generally assuming that a well-known celebrity would be selected as a permanent addition to the show.
To the surprise of audiences, producer Mike Richards was announced as the new permanent host of Jeopardy, despite having little name recognition or experience at the job. After a very brief stint, Richards stepped down as host and was later dismissed from the program entirely.
Jennings and Bialik
He was replaced by Ken Jennings and Mayim Bialik, who co-hosted the regular program, while the latter took over Celebrity Jeopardy. Unfortunately, fans almost immediately turned on Bialik, especially after she stepped away from Jeopardy in solidarity with the Writers Guild of America strike.
Since then, Jennings has acted as the sole host of the show, including Celebrity Jeopardy, Second Chance, and the various tournaments, though not without his own share of controversy. It will now have to be seen whether his latest comments on Trebek will add to that.
Related: Mayim Bialik Went Into Complete Isolation After Being Replaced on ‘Jeopardy’
‘Jeopardy’ vs ‘Wheel of Fortune’
In a recent interview on actor Justin Long‘s podcast Life is Short, Ken Jennings revealed that while he respected his predecessor as host, he always preferred the Wheel of Fortune host’s exuberance and energy. Jennings said, “Alex was such a genius at being the host of ‘Jeopardy!’ you really cannot do better than that… But as a kid, I was always like, ‘Pat’s more fun, Pat jokes around with the three people.'”
Jennings continued, “I’m a little more of a Pat Sajak where I’m like if I say one more thing, please end it with a joke, whereas Alex was very much like, ‘OK, helium balloons, all right. How about you?’…I want to make it less painful than it was for me as a viewer.”
Strong words about Alex Trebek, Ken Jennings. We’ll wait and see if Jeopardy fans have any strong feelings about hearing it “was painful.”
Who did you prefer, Alex Trebek or Pat Sajak? Tell us your game show host preference in the comments below!