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‘Jeopardy!’: Alex Trebek Revealed the One Iconic Game Show He Wanted to Host

In a 2014 interview, late Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek revealed the one game show he’d want to host aside from Jeopardy! Trebek said on The Dan Patrick Show that he’d want to host Hollywood Squares.

“I hosted a show very similar to Squares once,” Alex Trebek said, “It was called Battlestars, and instead of squares, we had triangles. We couldn’t come up with the same budget Hollywood Squares had, so we had six celebrities instead of nine.”

Hollywood Squares was an iconic game show that ran from 1966 to 2004. Often, celebrities would answer questions in the form of joke answers. Trebek went on to say he loved the jokes.

“It was an ideal show because you asked a question and a celebrity gave you funny answers and you reacted and laughed.” This is in stark contrast to the more serious persona Alex Trebek would put on for Jeopardy!.

“What a great way to make a living!” Trebek joked, “You tell a joke and I laugh. Give me a check please! thank you very much!”

Alex Trebek on ‘Jeopardy!’

While Battlestars was one of the many game shows Alex Trebek hosted, nothing resonated quite like Jeopardy!. Trebek received a daytime Emmy for outstanding game show host seven times for his work on the show.

Trebek began his Jeopardy! run in 1984 after his friend Art Fleming declined to return to the show’s revival due to creative differences. With Alex Trebek at the helm, the revival was picked up, and the beloved host worked on the show up until his death in 2020.

Following his death, those who knew Alex and participated in the show released an outpouring of admiration and love-based statements about the host.

Buzzy Cohen, former Jeopardy! Champion and upcoming Tournament of Champions host told Good Morning America, “I think Alex’s genius was he made the contestants the center of the show. It wasn’t about the show or the game or anything, and you felt like when you were on the stage or when you were watching that he was really rooting for the contestants, and everyone at home was sort of playing along and being a contestant themselves. And so you knew that Alex in some way was rooting for you.”

While Alex Trebek may have joked about wanting to host other shows, it’s clear his passion was in Jeopardy!. While the host is irreplaceable, the show will continue on. They are currently running through a season full of guest hosts such as Anderson Cooper and Katie Couric. If you want to tune into Jeopardy!, Anderson Cooper is currently at the helm with episodes airing Monday through Friday at 7 p.m.