'So Long, Everybody': Last Show Honors Trebek

Episode ends with clips of 'Jeopardy!' host through the decades
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 9, 2021 3:30 PM CST
Jeopardy! Honors Alex Trebek on Last Show
Alex Trebek attends the Daytime Emmy Awards in 2019.   (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)

Alex Trebek left his fans a handful of Jeopardy! episodes taped just before his death, the last of them intended to air Christmas week. But they were rescheduled, CBS reports. The final show with Trebek as host ran Friday, ending with a tribute in clips that was emotional but included humor. He didn't know it would be last episode, a statement on the show's website said. The episodes were taped in late October, weeks before Trebek died after battling pancreatic cancer. "He performed his responsibilities without complaint, just as he’d always done–with humor, generosity and pride for the game he loved," the statement said. Saying Trebek was "in enormous pain" during the taping, executive producer Mike Richards called Trebek "an absolute warrior," per Today.

The 90 seconds of clips showed Trebek, who began hosting in 1984, dressed as the Statue of Liberty and a Trojan soldier. They included joking and the rarity of a blown line. On one show, Trebek walked onto the set not wearing pants. He danced even as he said, "I don't dance." He arm-wrestled a contestant. They reflected his changing appearance and suits through the decades. In the background during the clips, Hugh Jackman sang, "Once Before I Go." The montage ended with Trebek repeatedly saying, "So long, everybody." The screen then displayed the message: "Dedicated to Alex Trebek, Forever in our Hearts, Always our Inspiration." A permanent replacement as host has not been announced. (More Alex Trebek stories.)

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