Last night (1/11) was Jeopardy’s first episode without iconic host Alex Trebek, and as expected, it was emotional. Past contestant Ken Jennings took the podium as the first guest host until a permanent one is chosen.
Jennings, who has the longest winning streak in Jeopardy history, acknowledged the gravity of his new role. “Sharing this stage with Alex Trebek was one of the greatest honors of my life,” Jennings said. “Not many things in life are perfect, but Alex did this job pretty much perfectly for more than 36 years, and it was even better up close.”
It was odd not seeing Alex as host, but Jennings pointed out that continuing on is what Trebek would have wanted. “No one will ever replace the great Alex Trebek. But we can honor him by playing the game he loved.”
Alex Trebek passed away in November, after a battle with stage IV pancreatic cancer.
GALLERY: The Legendary Alex Trebek