@hrh19 - OMG! I did that with my best friend! She kept saying “you should go on that show you know so much!” After a while (a long while!) I confessed. We laugh about that a lot, and she even mentioned it this morning!
He will be missed.
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I think that was the plot on some TV sitcom. The friend applied in her name and got her to the tryouts and Alex Trebek was there. She bombed the tryout of course.
As a kid I liked the show (Art Fleming), but in my 20s came to realize that history and art were favored topics. Winners are always people with $40,000/yr salaries.
Alex Trebek fans should check out the episode of X-Files where he made a short guest appearance. It’s one of the best and most famous episodes. I think I’ll re-watch it tonight.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jose_Chung%27s_From_Outer_Space
How many present and past CC parents were contestants?
@Scipio was a five-day champion, back in the day when they limited contestants’ appearances. 
Once when I lived in Los Angeles, I was sitting at a red light and realized that the driver in the car next to me was Alex Trebek. My favorite celebrity sighting of all time. I two friends to pancreatic cancer in the past ten years, and it was terribly moving to see how Trebek just kept moving forward in the face of this awful disease. Such a pro!
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Alex has talked about the 4 “food groups” of Jeopardy contestants: teachers, lawyers, librarians, and grad students.
Sitting on a swing in his backyard with his wife watching the horizon.
What is how Alex Trebek spent his last day?
https://www.today.com/popculture/jeopardy-producer-talks-alex-trebek-s-nice-final-day-his-t198068
I can’t imagine a better way to take a final bow.
Seeing my brother ravaged by Stage 4 pancreatic cancer, I can say that Alex was Superman, in addition to being a wonderful host and person.
RIP Alex. ?
I am so sad to learn of his passing. In reading the various articles and comments about him, this was my favorite.
Comedian Jeremy McLellan tweeted: “You can tell Alex Trebek was trained by Jesuits because he invented a game show where you have to reply to everything with a question.”
RIP Alex.
Like many, we have watched Jeopardy as a family forever. The last Thanksgiving that my mom was alive but living with dementia, we all got together and just tried to have fun as we knew our time was limited. Someone started a “celebrity crush” question and when it was Mom’s turn she said Alex Trebek. IDK if it was the exhaustion, absurdity or just really funny, but we all burst out laughing and she seemed quite pleased with the reaction.
Sunday I got a text from my oldest saying “Now Mimi can start her romance with Alex Trebek!” Made me smile through the sadness.
Alex has been a huge positive influence in my life. It continues to be a dream of mine to get on Jeopardy! someday. He made being smart cool, without ever saying it directly, and that encouraged me as a nerdy young child. I also loved watching him host the National Geographic Bee - perhaps subconsciously that is what drove me to participate and succeed at my school level. It’s hard to put into words how much I appreciate him, I don’t think I just did a very good job in those few sentences. But he meant a lot, and I’m happy that he was at peace. His memoir will definitely go on my wish list. One of the best flights I’ve taken, I don’t even know where I was going anymore, was watching his documentary Game Changers in the seatback TV. Engrossing and encouraging. There was no one like him and never will be. Mr. Trebek, thank you. I hope you enjoy the company of Mr. Rogers and Bob Ross.
Of course, Merv Griffin actually invented Jeopardy! following the game show scandals in the 50’s, where shows were accused of giving contestants the answers. So he figured, “What if we really did give them the answers?”
Loved Alex. I watched Art Fleming also, and when I turned 18 went to audition in NY. I passed, but before I could go, the show was cancelled. I tried out again when they started doing national auditions (which, when I did it, were still in person). I made it, went to CA, and played against 2 guys who had grown up on videogames so were faster on the button than I was. Also a highlight of my life, even with the loss.
He will be missed.
I was on Jeopardy over 20 years ago. Alex was very professional and the show was run very scrupulously. We contestants were escorted around the studio like a sequestered jury. I was put on for the last show taping of the day. During breaks, Alex would show the studio audience photos of his kids. He also got to retake some of his lines that he muffed the first time and did it with humor.
We have two TV sets near each other. One is on the kitchen counter and the other in the family room. I kept calling out answers to the questions (or rather questions to answers) until my family finally caught on–the TVs aren’t quite synced over the internet and I was just yelling the right answers in the small delay. I was almost deemed a genius (but I guess they know better…) It was fun though!
On the CBC French network (Radio-Canada) they did a tribute to Alex including clips of him hosting newscasts and sportscasts in French before he moved to the US.