Sunday, November 8, 2020

My journey through the career of Alex Trebek

Alex had long been established as the avuncular sage of game show hosts, the wise authority figure you never wanted to disappoint should you have the honor to appear before him on the beloved cultural institution that is Jeopardy!


But I grew up with a different Alex, one who was fun and freewheeling rather than the icon of trivia experts. So let's take a look at his U.S. game show career, during which Trebek demonstrated the versatility that made him the greatest game show host of all time.


The Wizard of Odds (NBC, 1973-74) - Can you imagine Alex Trebek as host of The Price Is Right? Alex's first game in the States was clearly inspired by TPIR, as contestants were brought up from the audience for guessing games that revolved around probabilities rather than prices. This was Trebek's only true audience participation show, and while at this point he was no Bob Barker or Monty Hall, this was mildly successful and set him on his way here.


High Rollers (NBC/Syndicated, 1974-76, 1978-80) - Alex was never looser than with this casino-themed dice show, which did have a quiz component but was mainly about Trebek having fun with the contestants as they tried to hit their numbers. This would have been very bland with a different host (see the late 80s version with Wink Martindale), and Alex's terrific performance established him as a true game show star.


Double Dare (CBS, 1976-77) - This was Alex's first U.S. show that featured true trivia experts, and he was easily able to shift into a more serious mode and allow his intelligence to shine through. 


The $128,000 Question (Syndicated, 1977-78) - Alex hosted the second season of the revival of the smash hit quiz of the 1950s. Time had clearly passed this format by, and there was little Trebek or any other host could have done to salvage it.


Pitfall (Syndicated, 1981-82) - Probably the worst game show Alex ever hosted, in which contestants were called upon to guess audience survey results, memorize light patterns and answer trivia questions. This is the show for which Alex famously never got paid, as the production company went under. Clearly the low-point of his career.


Battlestars (NBC, 1981-82, 1983) - Easily the fluffiest game show Alex ever hosted, essentially a remake of "Hollywood Squares", except the stars sat in triangles instead. Alex was completely at ease cutting it up with celebrities and helped make this trifle very enjoyable.


Jeopardy! (Syndicated, 1984-2020) - Need I say more?


Classic Concentration (NBC, 1987-91) - This is "fun" Alex at the very peak of his mastery of the form. He made the contestants relaxed and interesting, treated the game with just the right level of seriousness and engaged in hilarious interplay with wacky model Marjorie Goodson. The greatest version of a game show classic.


To Tell the Truth - (NBC, 1991) - Alex took over for the final few months of this version of the venerable panel show. Cited by Trebek as one of his favorite hosting jobs because it was the only one in which he was sitting down.


When we look at this overview, we can see that Alex was always respected, but his career had stalled out a bit in the early 80s with several flops on his resume. Had Art Fleming not turned down the chance to return to the Jeopardy! revival, Alex might be better known today for his TV commercials than anything else. 


Thankfully for him, and for us, Merv Griffin knew who was the right person for the Jeopardy! job. I will always be grateful to Alex for the education, entertainment and providing America with an oasis where we can be a little more civilized.


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