Jeopardy! viewers are seemingly enjoying 74-time champ Ken Jennings guest hosting the long-running game show to replace Alex Trebek. Jennings also gained more love from show viewers with his sign off message after each episode ("Thank You, Alex") and now we have some backstory to the creation of the closing line.
Jennings took to Twitter on Monday (February 1) to reveal that the idea to pay tribute to Trebek at the conclusion of every broadcast came from the top of production. "'Thanks, Alex' was suggested as a sign-off by executive producer Mike Richards, and I’m glad he did. There wouldn’t be a show without Alex," Jennings wrote in a reply to a fan’s commentary on the sign off. "Every single time @KenJennings thanks Alex at the end of @Jeopardy, I get all choked up. I hope he never stops," the fan wrote in her initial message.
According to a recent report by NextTV, Jennings' first week of guest hosting the trivia game show was a success. While the show declined in 6 percent from the week after Trebek’s last batch of episodes aired, the game show stopped syndication with a 6.2 live plus same day national household rating, as per Nielsen Media Research. Following Jeopardy! was fellow game show alum Wheel of Fortune with 5.8 in ratings, a figure that beat out Family Feud and Judge Judy for the second spot.
Jeopardy! is rotating interim guest hosts to fill in for Trebek as the show looks for a permanent host. Among the names they've selected to host the show include Katie Couric, Aaron Rodgers, Bill Whittaker and Mayim Bialik.
Photo: Getty Images