The last few years have been eventful ones for the world of game shows. Both Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! have introduced new themes and shakeups to their formats, but both also had to bid farewell to their longtime hosts. Now, with Alex Trebek no longer at the helm and Pat Sajak wrapping up his final season, fans of both are worried about each program’s future.
For many, both men were the face of those shows for as long as they can remember – and in Sajak’s case, as long as the show’s existence. Sadly, Trebek died in November 2020 at the age of 80, leaving behind 37 years of game show history. Sajak, meanwhile, is calling his 41st season his last. Can these shows endure beyond these iconic names?
History repeats itself back to back for ‘Wheel of Fortune’ and ‘Jeopardy!’
Part of the issue is just how synonymous Sajak and Trebek became with their respective shows – even though Trebek had insisted that the audience is the real star of the show. That stems from the unique format. These games weren’t just for the contestants or the live audience. Viewers from home could follow along – and they did, for decades. Not just a limited handful of spectators, enough to fill one room, but an entire nation of television owners could see these shows and see those faces of Sajak and Trebek all the while.
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Even when they weren’t a part of the program, they were integral to each show’s success. Jeopardy! technically debuted way back in 1964. But its presence was transient, and it was put on pause by 1975. Trebek was, specifically, a part of the show’s revival in 1984. Trebek and a Jeopardy! comeback – one where it would be here to stay – were irrevocably linked. The idea of the show without him, for some fans, can feel irreconcilable.
‘Jeopardy!’ and ‘Wheel of Fortune’ will endure without their former hosts
First Jeopardy episode without Alex Trebek. Guest host Ken Jennings chokes up saying “Like all Jeopardy fans I miss Alex very much” “No one will ever replace the great Alex Trebek but we can honour him by playing the game he loved” pic.twitter.com/RL6T51QjeJ
— Richard Southern (@RichardCityNews) January 12, 2021
When current Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings filled in for the first time, he was aware of the remarkable legacy left by Trebek – and the fact that nothing can ever quite replace that.
“Like all Jeopardy fans I miss Alex very much,” he said in an emotional statement that day. “No one will ever replace the great Alex Trebek but we can honor him by playing the game he loved.”
Similarly, Vanna White, longtime letter-turner and co-host of Wheel of Fortune, said she didn’t even want to “think” about the show without Pat Sajak.
But for how iconic Sajak and Trebek each were as host of Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!, change is actually a part of each show’s success story too. For instance, as Collider notes, Chuck Woolery was the first face of Wheel of Fortune in 1975, to be replaced by Sajak, while White took over from Susan Stafford. Change has happened before and each program some iconic parts of the game, from this to when Trebek replaced actor Art Fleming. In time, it may be that when people think of both shows, they see entirely new faces – or at least, see newer ones right alongside the older ones as equally instrumental and iconic.
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