Alex Trebek, the late host of Jeopardy, while not the game show’s first host was definitely the one who viewers remember. He presided over the answer and question show for 37 seasons and an astonishing 8,200 episodes! Trebek revealed in 2019 he was facing pancreatic cancer and he passed away on November 9, 2020. Producers began a search to find someone to host Jeopardy, but the task was great. Trebek had been a staple in people’s homes for more than 5 decades as a reassuring presence even as many things shifted and changed around them.
I don’t think any of us would say the last two years have been normal. Things keep changing. A global pandemic has brought us unprecedented events. Life’s just been weird. What we thought back in March 2020 was going to be over in a few months has lasted far longer than any of us anticipated.
And now, we have spent a year without Trebek.
Producers have tried out a few different people to host the long-term game show including Katie Couric, Aaron Rodgers, and a past Jeopardy champion, Ken Jennings. Other hosts have included Mayim Bialik and Levar Burton. If you are a fan of the show, I am sure you have a strong opinion about which of these people should be in the running for permanent host and which should be scratched off the list immediately.
Some of the choices for host have stirred up controversies for one reason or two…
Life’s weird right now.
We can’t even find a game show host that we can agree on. Opinions are strong. We must let our voices be heard! We must have THE right host.
Weary. Of it all. So many things are not normal. And maybe it never will be again…
Well, that’s a yucky thought. I guess I need to start embracing that idea though. The normal that once was may never be again. As much as you or I may wish it, Alex Trebek won’t be hosting any new episodes of Jeopardy. If the show must go on, then another person will step behind that podium. Maybe you are a long-time viewer of Jeopardy, or maybe you aren’t. But we can all agree that grieving what once was but can’t be again is a human experience that all of us face. Grieving Alex Trebek’s loss or the loss of what once was is not anything we want to do. We may instead choose to focus on our opinions of who should host instead of facing the pain of loss. We may choose to focus on other things instead of grieving the losses of these last two years. But trying to ignore it won’t make it go away. Another host will take over. Another day will come.
Life’s weird right now. I wanna go back to normal. But Jesus never promised me normal. He never said things would be easy. He never said game show hosts would live forever on earth. He never said we wouldn’t face sickness, masks, mandates, or strong opinions.
Life’s weird right now. But Jesus is still on the throne. And for that, I will choose to be thankful.
