This year has taken so much from us already, and Alex Trebek is no exception. The news of Trebek’s passing is something most fans could have never been prepared for. Trebek has touched the lives of so many people throughout his life with his intelligence and kind heart. Trebek left big shoes to fill as the host of Jeopardy!, although former contestant Ken Jennings could be the perfect candidate to replace Trebek. 

The announcement of the beloved game show host’s death on the morning of November 8 was heartbreaking as it quickly spread all over the news. After struggling with stage-four pancreatic cancer since March of 2019, Trebek passed away at the age of 80, leaving behind a legacy never to be forgotten. 

The official Jeopardy! Twitter account shared, “Jeopardy! is saddened to share that Alex Trebek passed away peacefully at home early this morning, surrounded by family and friends. Thank you, Alex.” 

Many fans of the show were left with multiple questions and concerns, the biggest one being who the new host will be. People were quick to give their own ideas of who would best fill the position. LeVar Burton was quickly announced by many as the perfect person for the job, even starting a petition with over 100,000 people on board already.

Joshua Sanders, who started the petition to make Burton the new host explains, “LeVar Burton has inspired and shaped the minds of several generations of trivia-loving nerds.”

From hosting the Reading Rainbow and starring in Star Trek, Burton clearly has a massive fanbase ready to support him in anything, especially in this case. 

Burton tweeted a sweet message stating, “Of course while I’m very flattered by the petition, my thoughts are definitely with Alex Trebeck’s family and his millions of fans and the devastating loss of this irreplaceable legend.” 

While this message is kind and thoughtful, it would make more sense to find a new host that can actually spell Trebek’s name correctly. Taking on the role of being the Jeopardy! host would come with a lot of responsibility and careful knowledge of the show, so who better than Ken Jennings who already knows almost everything he can about the show. 

Jennings is a well-known name to Jeopardy! fans as he has won the most money on the show and was even recently crowned the winner in the “Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time” tournament. Fans already have known and grown close to Jennings, making him perfect for the position. 

In 2019, the Morning Consulate held a poll demonstrating that 50% of fans “couldn’t imagine watching ‘Jeopardy!’ without Alex Trebek as the host.” 

With half the viewers wanting nothing to do with the show without him, having a familiar face would more than likely keep them watching. Jennings is a trivial genius and would make the perfect host after years of watching and learning from Trebek. Since fans are already familiar with him, it would be like nothing ever changed. 

Speaking with Meaghan Darwish with TvInsider, Jennings explains his thoughts on the position, “It’s really hard for me to answer that question because it requires envisioning a version of Jeopardy! without Alex Trebek.”

Trebek and Jennings have had a close connection through the years and their friendship is very strong, no wonder he has not said much on the topic, he lost a friend. While it is clear he is not ready to think about the position yet, there is plenty of time for him to make a decision as Trebek’s last episode will air on Christmas day.

Jennings is way too kind to say the words, but it is clear that he is the best and only option. Having such a strong connection to Trebek and years of experience on the show already, there is no reason why anyone else should even be considered. Fans already know and love Jennings, and he would without a doubt make Alex proud as the next Jeopardy! host.