In this photo from January 2011, Ken Jennings appears at a press conference to discuss his impending man-versus-machine Jeopardy competition, the machine being IBM’s Watson computer.
Photo by Ben Hider/Getty Images
The next Jeopardy host is here: Ken Jennings, one of the greatest contestants in the show’s history. He’ll be the first of a series of guest hosts following the death of beloved host Alex Trebek earlier this month.
“Alex believed in the importance of Jeopardy! and always said that he wanted the show to go on after him,” Jeopardy Executive Producer Mike Richards told Variety.
“We will honor Alex’s legacy by continuing to produce the game he loved with smart contestants and challenging clues. By bringing in familiar guest hosts for the foreseeable future, our goal is to create a sense of community and continuity for our viewers.”
Trebek, who hosted the trivia game show for 37 seasons starting in 1984, died Nov. 8 at the age of 80 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He shared the diagnosis with fans in March last year. Jeopardy honored his long legacy in a video tribute.
The favorite to take the podium, Jennings is the popular contestant-turned-consulting producer, crowned champion in the Jeopardy Greatest of All Time tournament earlier this year. He hit the scene running in 2004 with a 74-game winning streak and has since become the highest-earning American game show contestant of all time.
Sony says more hosts will be announced in the weeks to come. The last episodes that Trebek filmed will air in early January 2021, and the episodes hosted by Jennings and other interim hosts will air starting Jan. 11.
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