The current version of the fan-favorite game show Jeopardy! started on this day in 1984. More importantly, today marks the moment when the game show’s longtime host, Alex Trebek first stepped onto the Jeopardy! stage; beginning what would turn out to be a decades-long run hosting the wildly popular television show.
Jeopardy! first found its way onto the television airwaves almost exactly twenty years before Alex Trebek turned it into the popular game-show favorite it is today.
During the game show’s original run, Jeopardy! found itself moving on and off the airwaves quite regularly between 1964 and the early 1980s, as the show struggled to find its niche.
It wouldn’t be until the gameshow’s reboot in 1984 that this niche would be discovered. The show had found its spot on the airwaves, being welcomed into homes across the country as soon as the late great Alex Trebek took the stage. Ending the hiatus Jeopardy! had been on before Trebek took over.
Everyone Loves The ‘Jeopardy’ Twist
The popular answer-question game show provided a fun twist to the classic quiz shows of the time.
Jeopardy! contestants were given the answers to questions responding, in turn, by answering in the form of a question. And, Trebek’s unique blend of game show host appeal and a certain sophistication that only Trebek can deliver gave the show that extra boost with audiences.
During his years hosting Jeopardy! Alex Trebek became a sort of “pop culture” icon. The game show host made multiple appearances as himself in television and film over the years. Also, during his time hosting Jeopardy! the show went on to win an unprecedented number of awards.
In the spring of 2019, thirty-five years after stepping into his Jeopardy! role, Alex Trebek shocked fans with some devastating news. Trebek announced in a video that he had recently been diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer.
Sharing Some Emotional News
In the emotional video, the longtime Jeopardy! host told fans that he planned to finish out the season. Trebek acknowledged that the prognosis of this particular cancer is usually “not very encouraging;” however, he had every intention of fighting cancer as hard as he could. He also had no plans to step down as Jeopardy! host any time soon.
Alex Trebek began his treatments, battling stage four pancreatic cancer. It wasn’t long before Trebek announced that doctors were feeling positive about his treatment, stating that the cancer was approaching the remission stage.
The ever-positive Jeopardy! host credited his doctors and the treatment regimen along with the “positive energy” that fans were sending his way as part of the reason for his successful treatment.
This news, however, didn’t last long, as Alex Trebek soon announced that he was still battling stage four cancer, continuing chemotherapy a year after diagnosis. Trebek lost his battle with cancer in the fall of 2020. He passed away on November 8 of that year.
