Alex Trebek/Jeopardy Tribute Thread

[SoloFlyer]

I just wish they'd left it as a rotating gig, something maybe aspiring actors or voiceover people could have tried their hand at. It's just reading questions, and any attempt to make it more than that is a stretch IMHO.

This could not be more wrong.

There is a cadence and command necessary from the host to optimize the game for the contestants. As much as I like Levar Burton, for example, he was way too inconsistent in his delivery and that led to fewer clues being unveiled. That means less money available to win - and it also means fewer chances for players to turn the tide of the game.

Trebek's gift was that he was so poised that the only way clues would go left unread is if the players had particularly bad games - wrong answers, especially triple stumpers, draw out the game. A good host can find ways to make up some of that time to help the contestants out.

The job is a lot more nuanced than reading off of a screen.

 

[CD Boogie]

This could not be more wrong.

There is a cadence and command necessary from the host to optimize the game for the contestants. As much as I like Levar Burton, for example, he was way too inconsistent in his delivery and that led to fewer clues being unveiled. That means less money available to win - and it also means fewer chances for players to turn the tide of the game.

Trebek's gift was that he was so poised that the only way clues would go left unread is if the players had particularly bad games - wrong answers, especially triple stumpers, draw out the game. A good host can find ways to make up some of that time to help the contestants out.

The job is a lot more nuanced than reading off of a screen.

Again, find someone who can read clearly.

 

[User 150927]

Alex hosted Jeopardy for 37 years. So yes, decades passed between his smarmy start and his growth into this beloved figure. And the reason is illness resonated so much, was because he was already beloved. I'm not all together sure how you could say it's otherwise.

 

[poindexter]

As I said earlier in this thread, it turns out that a LOT of people can do this job. Seamlessly. I went in disliking Faber. He was perfect in the days I watched him. Same with Buck so far.
As harsh as it is to say, I think Alex's death exposed that the job isn't that hard.

 

[CD Boogie]

Alex hosted Jeopardy for 37 years. So yes, decades passed between his smarmy start and his growth into this beloved figure. And the reason is illness resonated so much, was because he was already beloved. I'm not all together sure how you could say it's otherwise.

Beloved by you, perhaps. I never took a shine to him, but that's just me. I certainly commend the courage and dignity with which he dealt with his disease and the end of his life.

 

[poindexter]

So many people have done so well hosting that the little gaffes by LeVar were exposed, because so many people have made no errors.

 

[poindexter]

Beloved by you, perhaps. I never took a shine to him, but that's just me. I certainly commend the courage and dignity with which he dealt with his disease and the end of his life.

I thought Alex was great. Great dry sense of humor.
If we are nitpicking, I thought his player interviews were many times awkward, and the transition from talking to one player to another were consistently super awkward.

 

[CD Boogie]

I thought Alex was great. Great dry sense of humor.
If we are nitpicking, I thought his player interviews were many times awkward, and the transition from talking to one player to another were consistently super awkward.

When I first started watching the show in earnest -- the mid to late 80s -- I despised him. But him being a colossal bag of condescension in no way affected my viewership, other than to occasionally mutter, "fork you, Trebek."

He was never the reason to watch the show and he was never the reason to not watch the show. Because the show was the star -- then, now and always.

 

[playthrough]

Alex hosted Jeopardy for 37 years. So yes, decades passed between his smarmy start and his growth into this beloved figure. And the reason is illness resonated so much, was because he was already beloved. I'm not all together sure how you could say it's otherwise.

Plus his illness and death were during a time of such national turmoil. I remember calling my sister to talk about his death, she hadn't seen the alerts yet and just burst out crying.

Trebek himself said the show was never about him and insisted he be introduced as the "host" and not the "star."

 

[playthrough]

I liked Buck. He's very comfortable, as one would expect, and leans toward levity more than reverence. He would be fine, I don't think he's interested.

Has anyone ever had such a remarkable transformation from douchebag to likeable as Buck?

His autobiography from a couple years ago is a breezy, decent read. Very self-deprecating and you can see how he gained a lot of perspective over the years from life events, not sports.

 

[Cosmo]

I don't know about decades, but yeah, he definitely became less smarmy and more grandfatherly.

Still, my central point has to do with the job itself, which requires you to be the host of a nightly trivia show. The show itself is the primary star -- do I, as a viewer, know the answers? -- followed by the contestants and who is likable, annoying; followed lastly by the host and their ability to read clearly. They're not making the rulings on what is acceptable and what is not. They're not cracking jokes or making asides worth a damn. They're going on to the next question.

I applaud the showrunners for turning this open seat into a rolling application process, as it generated press and eyeballs; but now they've settled on a photogenic executive producer as one host and Sheldon's girlfriend from Big Bang Theory as the other. Neither of them is gonna move the needle one iota going forward. That's fine, I'll still watch.

I just wish they'd left it as a rotating gig, something maybe aspiring actors or voiceover people could have tried their hand at. It's just reading questions, and any attempt to make it more than that is a stretch IMHO.

I prefer to think of her as Six LeMeure's bestie, but that's just me.

 

[CD Boogie]

I prefer to think of her as Six LeMeure's bestie, but that's just me.

haha.