How Jeopardy! Will Be Paying Tribute to Alex Trebek This Fall

What is...nostalgia?

This fall, Jeopardy! will honor former host Alex Trebek with tribute episode. Executive producer Michael Davies and producer Sarah Whitcomb Foss said the special will come on Nov. 8, the second anniversary of Trebek's passing—which also happens to be Election Day.

"Overall, we owe him a fantastic episode of Jeopardy! on that day," Davies told the Inside Jeopardy! podcast. "It may well break the internet. I don't want to give too much away."

Trebek passed away in 2020 after battling pancreatic cancer for over a year.

Ken Jennings and Mayim Bialik, who were named permanent Jeopardy! co-hosts July 25, shared their excitement at the prospect of ushering the show into a new era.

"It's very exciting to get to share this honor and this platform with Ken, who is such a legend," Bialik shared. "It's overwhelming, but in a really good way."

"I'm just such a fan of the show—to this day, I feel like a fan—I wouldn't be the person I am without all the Jeopardy!," Jennings added. "I watched as a kid, and then, of course, it changed my life in a big way 20 years ago. It's just an honor to be associated with the show in any way, and now with Mayim double the perks."

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The updates come on the heels of the news that Celebrity Jeopardy! will have a "somewhat new format," which Davies revealed on Aug. 30. The popular special will be turned into a 13-week long tournament, with hour-long episodes instead of the typical 30-minute ones.

"What people want," Davies explained, "is to see is celebrities put under the same pressure."

Celebs like Simu Liu, Michael Cera, BJ Novak, Ray Romano, Constance Wu and Patton Oswalt will compete to win prize money for the charity of their choice.

Season 39 of Jeopardy! premieres Sept. 12 on ABC.

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