Fans were shocked and saddened when it was announced that Jeopardy host Alex Trebek had passed away earlier this month following a long battle with pancreatic cancer. While I doubt anyone could truly fill Alex Trebek's shoes, he would be the first to say that Jeopardy should continue, and while the producers haven't announced a full-time host just yet, audiences will be greeted with a very familiar face when the series resumes production.
It's been revealed that Ken Jennings, one of the greatest Jeopardy players ever, will take over as the first of a series of guest hosts on the program. "Alex believed in the importance of Jeopardy and always said that he wanted the show to go on after him," said executive producer Mike Richards. "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." While there are still plenty of Jeopardy episodes with Alex Trebek yet to air, the series will resume production on November 30th with Jennings as the host. It's not known at this time who the other guest hosts will be, but it could serve as a good proving ground to judge audience reaction to the new hosts. One of the more popular suggestions for the new Jeopardy host is LeVar Burton, best known as the host of Reading Rainbow and for playing George La Forge on Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Ken Jennings still holds the record for the longest winning streak on Jeopardy, winning 74 matches and amassing $2,520,700; quite the chunk of change. Jennings has returned for several special tournaments over the years, most recently taking home the $1 million first-place prize on Jeopardy: The Greatest of All Time tournament where he faced off against fellow champions Brad Rutter and James Holzhauer.