All of us who follow game shows, and plenty of people who don't, learned last month that Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek has pancreatic cancer. It's beatable, but the general consensus is that the odds are against him.
There are rumors that Sony, which produces Jeopardy!, is already considering possible replacements. Nobody wants to see Trebek replaced any time soon, but Sony is preparing for the unfortunate scenario that Trebek might not be returning to the helm. Several suggestions for the next host have been discussed wherever game show nerds congregate online. Some I like better than the others. Here's a list of potential hosts, and my response to them.
Jeff Probst: Game show fans suggest the host of TV's Survivor because he hosted Rock & Roll Jeopardy! from 1998 through 2001 on VH1. I never saw much of the show back in the day, but Probst was a rather straight forward host. He could handle Jeopardy with aplomb, but the guy irritates me, and I'd rather not be reminded of that when I watch the show.
I'm jealous of Probst, I'll be the first to admit it. He gets paid decent money for his idiotic hosting gig on Survivor. I've never been a fan of the show, but when I stop to watch 10 minutes of it now and then, listing to him do play-by-play during some goofy competition between the competing teams is painful. The guy has a great gig for which he clearly sold his soul to the devil. I don't want to be reminded of how annoying and silly his career has been by hearing him read questions about Shakespeare on weekday afternoons.
While the new host need not be a guy who will hold the job for 35 years, Probst is 57. Perhaps they should skew younger.
Chris Harrison: Nobody is suggesting this clown, but if you're going to consider Probst, I say consider Harrison, too.
Harrison is as worthless as Probst when it comes to The Bachelor franchise on ABC. I've watched The Bachelor for a few years, mostly because my buddy can't resist it, and it makes for great fodder when we talk. It's so stupid sometimes, I feel dirty for watching it, and can't believe my buddy has been tuning in for years. Harrison only adds to the stupidity. But again, it's a great gig. It's pointless, and it beats working for a living, although I have to believe the guy is basically a puppet.
For the past couple of years he's been holding a second job, hosting Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? He's decent at that, despite how annoying he is on The Bachelor. It's widely assumed that Millionaire is about to have its plug pulled. If so, Harrison could use a new second gig, and he's 47. He's got a few more years ahead of him than Probst, presumably.
I'm not rooting for either guy to garner any consideration, but I'd take Bachelor guy over Survivor guy.
Meredith Vieira: The first host of syndicated Millionare was suggested by somebody. She held that gig for more than a decade, and did fine. As for Jeopardy!, it ain't happening.
She has a new game show in the works for this fall called 25 Words or Less. So she's booked. She'd be fine as Jeopardy's host, but I'm an ageist, evidently. I seem to want the show to skew young in its hire. Meredith is 65 and quite capable, but let's look elsewhere.
Ken Jennings: There have been suggestions that the king of Jeopardy! take over as host. I like the idea. He's been on TV enough that he's comfortable in front of the camera. He's well known, thanks to the fact Jeopardy! trots him out every chance it gets for some new tournament. And at 44, he's about the age that Trebek was when he started hosting the revival. I like it. I'm no authority, but I gotta believe we've never had a popular game show contestant ascend to host of the show. It's unorthodox, but I have no problem with it.
If you really want to have fun with Jennings as the host, have him play along with Final Jeopardy! during each episode before learning who the day's champion is. A new twist for the show without changing the game play. I'll take it.
Brad Rutter: Jennings received plenty of mainstream media attention for his 74-game run on Jeopardy!, but Rutter is actually the king. Rutter's reign predated Jennings, when champs had to retire after winning five games. In all the super tournaments Jeopardy! has held in the years since Jennings dazzled the nation, Rutter has won every time, defeating Jennings in the process.
Rutter doesn't have the household cachet of Jennings, but he's just as smooth, is just as smart and is trying to carve out a career as an actor or host at this point, so he's more than ready to ascend to the Jeopardy! throne. He's 41, so he has a lot of years ahead of him, and Jeopardy! is running out of excuses to trot him out for special events. He could likewise play along with Final Jeopardy each day.
Anderson Cooper: In the past, Cooper has been suggested as a possible host, and he brings the air of authority you seek in a Jeopardy! host. I'd have no problem with it, but there is a faction that is rubbed the wrong way by the 51-year-old because he's a liberal pawn of CNN. I don't know how many people would boycott Jeopardy! if Cooper hosted it, but I have a feeling a few people would make a stink about him. Enough to keep him from getting the gig? Seems unlikely, but never underestimate a studio making the safe choice.
Tom Bergeron: Did somebody throw out his name somewhere? I think so. The former host of Hollywood Squares is a career emcee, and he hosts light fare, mostly. Despite the fact his paychecks since Hollywood Squares have been the C-list celebrity dance-a-thon and the funny video show, both on ABC, Bergeron would slide nicely onto the Sony set. But he's 63, so that might work against him.
Ricki Lake: Somebody suggested the part-time actress because she did a mediocre job of hosting a summer game show homage years ago. I'm sure she could do it, and I'm sure she'd dazzle nobody in the process.
Those are the names that come to mind. Of all of them, I'm inclined to choose Rutter if it's up to me. I like the idea of him or Jennings, and I think Rutter would be the better choice of the two.
There are suggestions that the new host should be a minority or female because we've had too many white guys historically, I guess. I don't care if the host is male or female, or what ethnic background the host possesses. Hire the best person, not a minority because it seems like the progressive thing to do.
Trebek had an established career in game shows when his Jeopardy! career began. He had hosted shows that skewed toward the intellectual, and shows that were less serious, and had elements of luck woven into the game play. Jeopardy's next host, whenever the day comes, need not be a brainiac who is considered the smartest person in the room. But Trebek lends an air of authority to the proceedings, and I have to think the next host will bring a similar tone to the job.
