Back in action. Jeopardy! will begin filming again with a handful of special guests — including all-star player Ken Jennings — following longtime host Alex Trebek‘s death.
“We will resume production on 11/30 with a series of interim guest hosts from the Jeopardy! family – starting with Ken Jennings. Additional guest hosts to be announced,” a tweet from the official Jeopardy! account read on Monday, November 23.
The post also included a message from executive producer Mike Richards in honor of Trebek, who died at age 80 on November 8 after battling stage IV pancreatic cancer.
“Alex believed in the importance of Jeopardy! and always said that he wanted the show to go on after him,” the statement read. “We will honor his legacy by continuing to produce the game he loved.”
Shortly after confirming the news of Trebek’s death earlier this month, the long-running game show announced that the Canadian’s final episode would air on Christmas Day. On Monday, the series changed its plan.
“As we remember and celebrate the life of Alex Trebek, we will air 10 of his best episodes the weeks of 12/21 and 12/28, and air his final week of episodes starting 1/4,” a separate tweet read.
Trebek began hosting the nightly game show in 1984 and continued for 37 seasons. In March 2019, he publicly revealed his cancer diagnosis with an emotional message for his fans. As he continued to fight the brutal illness, the TV personality did his best to remain optimistic about his odds. Trebek detailed his health battle in his memoir, The Answer Is, which was published in July.
“I’ve lived a good, full life, and I’m nearing the end of it. I know that,” he wrote.
Following Trebek’s passing, many Jeopardy! fans hoped that Jennings, 46, would be first in line to take on the role of host. The Washington native is the highest-earning American game show contestant of all time and holds the record for the longest winning streak in Jeopardy! history with 74 wins. As he prepares to step into Trebek’s shoes, Jennings admitted that he was humbled to be part of the game show’s team when production resumes.
“There will only ever be one Alex Trebek, but I’m honored to be helping Jeopardy! out with this in January,” the Planet Funny author tweeted on Monday.
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