Since 1984, Alex Trebek has been the pronunciation snob who insists upon providing answers in the form of questions due to his role as host of the quiz competition television game show Jeopardy! The show has been around in various iterations since 1964, but it all seemed to come together for wider audiences once Trebek took over.
On Jeopardy!, contestants vie for money by answering questions in three rounds: Jeopardy!, Double Jeopardy!, and Final Jeopardy! The winner returns and continues to return until they are defeated by another contestant. Trebek orchestrates the show and has developed a reputation over the decades for being quite entertaining and charismatic. Here are 10 memes that prove just how much people admire Alex Trebek.
The Bearded Stud
Since 1984, Trebek has donned quite an array of clothing styles and facial hair types. Fans love to comment about his looks. Jeopardy! runs almost continuously throughout the year, with only a short break in the summer. When Trebek returned for the 35th season in 2018, fans were pretty jazzed about his new beard.
This classic “you vs. the guy she told you not to worry about” meet pitches beardless Trebek against bearded Trebek. Either way, Trebek keeps himself looking fresh.
Alex’s Reading List
One unique quality of Jeopardy! is that contestants must provide their answers in the form of questions. If they don’t follow this rule, their response doesn’t count.
This illustrated meme provides a hypothetical Trebek’s reading collection, which is, of course, composed of books whose titles are in the form of questions. Trebek, lounging in a reading chair while drinking a glass of wine, enjoys the best question-based book of all: Where’s Waldo?
The Legend Is In
Though Canadian by birth, Trebek has been a naturalized United States citizen since 1998. He lives with his family in the greater Los Angeles area, where Jeopardy! is taped.
Even though Trebek has been the host since 1984, TV personality Art Fleming was the show’s host for nearly two decades before him. Fleming worked for Merv Griffin, the creator of Jeopardy!, on various shows and projects. Griffin, in addition to Jeopardy!, is the mastermind behind Wheel of Fortune. Who remembers Fleming or Griffin, though? Looks like Trebek stole the show.
We Heart You, Alex!
In the spring of 2019, Trebek announced that he was diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer. Trebek has simultaneously undergone chemotherapy while maintaining his status as the host of Jeopardy!. What a champ.
During the fall 2019 Tournament of Champions, contestant Dhruv Gaur decided, instead of providing an answer in Final Jeopardy!, to send Alex a message of love, which caused the host to choke up on air. Gaur is wearing a purple ribbon in honor of Larry Martin, the winner of 2018’s Teacher’s Tournament who died from pancreatic cancer.
Or Else
Between Jeopardy! and Double Jeopardy!, Trebek conducts a quick interview with each contestant, giving viewers a little insight into their lives and interests. Sometimes, contestants are ready with fun stories, but other times, it’s like crickets chirping.
In their defense, it’s probably incredibly nerve-wracking participating in a quiz competition show in front of a studio audience while knowing that you will be syndicated on television networks all over America.
Rapper’s Delight
The answers provided by Trebek on Jeopardy! can be tricky when it comes to pronunciation, as these clues often incorporate technical terms, other languages, and complicated phraseology. Fortunately, Trebek is a diction expert, and when he messes up, he’s willing to correct his mistakes.
In 2017, one of the Jeopardy! answers provided was a set of lyrics to the popular rap song by Drake, “Started From the Bottom.” Trebek decided to put a little pep into it and rapped the lyrics for the contestants. The Internet subsequently had a lot of fun with the soundbite.
“F” Is For Flask
Over the years, Trebek has had to serve as the intermediary between the contestants and the quiz board, sometimes communicating awkward answers, while other times receiving strange responses.
Sometimes, the responses from contestants are hilarious, especially when they don’t know the answer. In one Teen Tournament episode, the contestant with the most money bet $0 on a Final Jeopardy! question about Military Men. His response was, “Some guy in Normandy, but I just won $75,000.” Classic.
Alex, The Cancer Fighter
Fans of the show have been amazed by Trebek’s resilence while battling stage IV pancreatic cancer. His future as the host of Jeopardy! is uncertain, but he let audiences know in the summer that he’s responded well to his treatments so far.
Trebek’s contract with the show runs until 2022, and he jokes that he’s contractually obligated to keep going to work until then. He also said he already has a 30-second message prepared for his last taping as host, which fans hope is a long, long time away.
“What’s Up With You?”
Trebek has proven to be a bit of a joker over the years, making weird exchanges with contestants into comical moments. This is what makes him such an excellent game show host: he can talk to anyone.
In 1991, the joke was actually on Trebek, who was pranked by the TV show TV Bloopers and Practical Jokes. He was invited to a fake Trebekkie fest, where audience members asked him a series of strange and impossible-to-answer questions. The result is hilarious.
Check Out That Moustache
Trebek has been a TV show host since the 1960s, first in Canada and then in the United States. His credits include High Rollers, Classic Concentration, and Pitfall. Now known for his short, white hair, Trebek used to rock a thick mustache and curly mop-top.
Despite his decades-long career, Trebek will always be remembered as the host of Jeopardy!. With his signature smile, ability to accentuate words, and laughter-inducing comebacks, he seems to be one of the few people around who can make a learning-based game show fun for the masses.
