The new range “Jeopardy!” the hosts are so long that they could use their own category now.
The producers of the long-running game show announced on Wednesday that Katie Couric, Aaron Rodgers, Bill Whitaker and Mayim Bialik will be guest guests this season, replacing Alex Trebek, who died in November at the age of 80 of pancreatic cancer. .
Couric, 64, will be the first woman to ever receive the chandelier as a host, the television show said. Rodgers, 37, announced his concert as a host on Tuesday, calling Trebek one of his “idols.”
“Alex was a legend, revered by all of us,” said executive producer Mike Richards. “I want to thank our guest hosts, who will not only help us all celebrate his great legacy, but will also bring their own note to the show.”
Ken Jennings, who holds the record for the longest “Jeopardy!” series of victories, served as the first host since Trebek’s death. Trebek’s last episode was filmed 10 days before he died and aired on Friday, January 8th.
Richards himself will also serve as a host for two weeks of shows, once the episodes filmed by Jennings run out, so that the invited hosts can “prepare for their appearances.”
In addition to the screen time for the game show, guest hosts will also help raise funds for their favorite charities.
“As part of each guest’s appearance, a donation will be made to a charity of your choice,” a press release said. “The amount donated will be equal to the cumulative winnings of competitors competing in the weeks they serve as the guest host.”
There will also be other guest hosts announced later in the season, according to a press release.
A permanent replacement has not been officially announced for Trebek, who has hosted the show for more than 8,200 episodes since 1984. However, Jennings has been rumored to be the leader, among several other candidates, including George Stephanopoulos. Jennings, 46, even apologized for “insensitive” tweets from the past, which many believe was a strategy to erase her name. Trebek would have even made a few suggestions of his own behind the scenes, although he was largely reluctant to appoint a potential successor.
Jennings, who hosted an emotional show Monday after Trebek’s latest episode, said she received some very valuable advice before Alex died.
“I talked to him on the phone, actually, last weekend and it was – he was fragile, but he was still very much Alex,” Jennings told Good Morning America. “I remember he was very confident in me being a guest host if he ever needed it.”
Trebek also reminded him that “the host is not the star” Jeopardy! ””