‘Jeopardy!’ Ken Jennings Can Take A Bullet For Late Alex Trebek?
Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings shared a close relationship with the great late Alex Trebek and would even take a bullet for him. Back in October, the permanent host discussed details of his last conversation with Trebek that made him emotional. What was the conversation about? Keep reading to find out the details!
Late Alex Trebek Wanted Ken Jennings To Fill In For Him
Ken Jennings’ first interaction with Trebek was in 2004 when the Jeopardy! G.O.A.T. participated in the first of his 74-game winning streak. However, the 48-year-old had no idea his life would take a 360-turn while he developed a close relationship with the former host. Although Ken provided details of his bond with Trebek in the past, he recently shared specifics of their final conversation before he passed away in November 2020.
[Source: YouTube]
In a conversation with Vulture, the father of two talked about how he was scheduled to visit the studio to rehearse for some games. He revealed that Trebek wanted someone to fill in for him. This would have allowed him to rest up for some time and get better.
Ken Jennings Gets Emotional After Being Thanked By Trebek
Ken recalled, “A producer set up a call, and his voice was notably weaker than we’d ever heard it on the air, which really struck me at first. It was a tough moment. But once you got over the timbre of the voice, he was still very much Alex.”
[Source: YouTube]
The American game show host also detailed how his conversation with Trebek became increasingly emotional. He revealed, “The thing that stuck with me is he thanked me for coming in to fill in for him. That just broke me. I said, ‘Alex, are you kidding? We should be thanking you. I’d take a bullet for you, Alex. I’m happy to help.’ Of course, I didn’t know that he would be gone within 36 hours.”
Ken Reveals Hosting The Chase Was Easier Than Jeopardy!
Soon after, Ken Jennings and other guest hosts took charge of the game show. They took turns hosting until he and Mayim Bialik were declared the permanent hosts of Jeopardy! The host shared how his gig as the game show host was the most nervous he has been in his life. He further revealed that hosting the American television quiz, The Chase was a cakewalk as compared to hosting Jeopardy!
[Source: YouTube]
The Trivia column author also said, “Just to be frank, nobody wants me there. I don’t want me there. We all want to see Alex there for 100 years in a perfect world and, you know, I really just wanted to do the best I could so as not to let him down and Jeopardy! viewers down, so I felt a lot of pressure.”
What do you think of this final emotional moment between Ken Jennings and the late Alex Trebek? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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