Just one week after announcing his cancer diagnosis to the world, Alex Trebek is back on Jeopardy!. The trivia host wasn’t kidding when he said he was going to keep working, and is already on the job and making sure fans get their trivia fix. If an upcoming category on the show is titled "badass game show hosts," we're feeling confident we'd know the person to name for a bulk of the answers.
Alex Trebek didn’t even skip a beat following and showed up for the first scheduled day of production after his announcement, which was Tuesday. CNN confirmed the Jeopardy! host was on set, and a spokesperson for the show confirmed he arrived on schedule. The show’s production schedule typically consists of two taping days a week, with multiple episodes filmed throughout the course of each day.
This means Alex Trebek’s schedule allows for five days off, and plenty of time to attend appointments and seek treatment following his diagnosis with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. The survival rate of this specific form of cancer is very low, and its claimed the lives of various other celebrities such as Steve Jobs and Patrick Swayze. Trebek acknowledged the outlook doesn’t look too good for those diagnosed, but has said he intends to beat the disease.
Trebek even went so far to say his surviving is not a choice, and joked it’s due to the fact that his contract as host of Jeopardy isn’t up until 2022. Trebek’s demeanor and overall attitude has been commended and celebrated by both contestants and fans, including those like Jeopardy legend Ken Jennings. Jennings noted that he’s witnessed many fans who adore Trebek, and hoped that knowing they’re all pulling for him is a comfort to the host.
Additionally, Jeopardy! has confirmed via social media that people’s messages to the host are reaching him.
The outpouring of good wishes and support in response to Alex's recent health news has been humbling and overwhelming," the show wrote. "Please know that your messages are being conveyed to him and are deeply appreciated. From everyone at Jeopardy! -- thank you
It’s not surprising, of course, that many have reached out to send their best wishes to Alex Trebek. While new television comes and goes over the years, Trebek and Jeopardy! have been a solid television installation for the past few decades. Trebek joined the show in 1984 when it went into daily syndication, and has been a staple on the program since. Beyond Trebek, Art Fleming was the only other person to have hosted the show for a long term.
Jeopardy! is on television weekdays in syndication, so readers will have to check their local listings to know when and where to find him. For more on Jeopardy!, let's travel back to last year when Austin Rogers got Alex Trebek to say "Dick Tree" in an episode.
