Ken Jennings, the all-time "Jeopardy!" champion, will be the game show's first guest host when the show resumes production next week after the death of longtime host Alex Trebek earlier this month.
The show announced on Monday that Jennings would be the first of several guest hosts until a permanent replacement is found. Trebek hosted the current iteration of "Jeopardy!" from its inception in 1984 until just days before his death at age 80 of pancreatic cancer. He taped shows in late October and died Nov. 8.
The final recorded episodes hosted by Trebek will air the week of Jan. 4. Trebek's final episode had been set to air on Christmas day, but "Jeopardy!" producers said the weeks of Christmas and New Year's will now have top 10 classic episodes since some of those shows end up being preempted for holiday programming.
"Alex’s last week of episodes will now air the week of Jan. 4, 2021, in order to give his millions of fans a chance to see his final appearances," according to a press release. "The first week of guest-hosted shows will air the week of Jan. 11, 2021."
"Alex believed in the importance of 'Jeopardy!' and always said that he wanted the show to go on after him," said "Jeopardy!" 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."
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