Game of Jeopardy About Alex Trebek's Life
Few television personalities commanded as much respect as Alex Trebek, the late "Jeopardy!" host who made the prime-time game show a joy to watch for 36 long years. Trebek died on Nov. 8, 2020, at the age of 80 after a hard-fought battle with pancreatic cancer.
While the world mourns the loss of one of the nicest men in media, we'd like to remember his life and work fondly and in the same kind of format that he lived and loved: Jeopardy-style quizzes.
Take a look through these answers and questions (in that order) and see how those who knew and loved Trebek remember him.
Alex Trebek Was Born Here
What is Sudbury, Ontario, Canada?
Trebec was born in Sudbury, Ontario, Canda on July 22, 1940. his father was a Ukrainian immigrant, and his mother was a Franco-Ontarian. They lived in the Flour Mill section of town, in a small apartment.
As a young boy, Trebek loved to read and was fascinated by geography, losing many hours to studying maps, especially of Africa. He voraciously read National Geographic whenever he went to a doctor's office or could visit the library.
Remembering Alex Trebek
Trebek Had This Job When He was 13 Years Old
What Is a Bellhop?
Trebek's first job was a bellhop at a hotel called the Nickel Range in Trebek's hometown. He was 13 years old, and his father was employed at the hotel as a chef.
"A big tip was 25 cents," Trebek told the "Jeopardy!" audience in 2019. "An average top was 10 cents."
Trebek would have been 13 in 1953. A 25-cent tip would be equivalent to about $2.44 today, while a 10-cent tip would be worth about $1.
Remembering Alex Trebek
Trebek Studied the Works of People Like Aristotle, Hegel and Schopenhauer for This College Major
What Is Philosophy?
Trebek studied at the University of Ottowa and graduated with a degree in philosophy in 1961.
Remembering Alex Trebek
Trebek Didn't Get Bent Out of Shape When He Had to Sell This Car
What Is a 1956 Bentley Mulliner Park Ward Convertible?
Trebek's first car was a 1956 Bentley Mulliner Park Ward convertible, which he purchased for $34,000 in 1973 — a very expensive purchase at the time. It was a left-hand drive, too, which also was unique.
Later, after his divorce from Elaine Trebek Kares in 1981, Trebek sold it for $54,000 in order to have money to buy a house.
"If I wanted to buy it back today, it would have cost me a million and a half," he recalled in the biography "Who is Alex Trebek?" by Lisa Rogak.
Remembering Alex Trebek
Trebek's 'Fortunate' Appearance on This Show Was a Lucky Break
What Is Wheel of Fortune?
Trebek secured his spot as the "Jeopardy!" host in 1981, when he was host of the short-lived game show "Battlestars."
During that time, NBC execs asked Trebek to fill in for former "Wheel of Fortune" host Chuck Woolery. Trebek did, then went back to "Battlestars," which was canceled after six months in 1982.
Those executives remembered Trebek when they wanted to expand the "Wheel of Fortune" time block to a full hour, which would open it up to being broadcast in more markets. To do so, they decided to revive "Jeopardy!" (which first aired on NBC from 1964 to 1975), and the first person they thought of was Trebek.
Remembering Alex Trebek
Trebek Padded His Initial Salary by Also Doing This Job for 'Jeopardy!'
What Is a Producer?
When Trebek accepted the job as "Jeopardy!" host in 1984, he asked game show legend and "Jeopardy!" creator Merv Griffin if he would be getting paid.
They said yes, of course, but "Then I found out what they were going to pay me," Trebek recalled in Rogak's book. "Like I said, Merv was stingy. So I asked if I could produce the show as well and receive extra payment as the producer, and they agreed.
Even then, I made less than I had made in previous shows I'd only hosted."
Remembering Alex Trebek
This Was Alex Trebek's First Hosting Job
What Is 'Music Hop'?
Trebek's first hosting job was for a Canadian music television show called "Music Hop," a show aimed at Canadian teenagers that ran from 1963 to 1967.
Trebek hosted it for the first season, from 1963 to 1964. He was 23 years old.
Remembering Alex Trebek
In This Year, $8,855 Was a Very Good Starting Salary
What is 1961?
According to his biography, Trebek was hired for precisely $8,855.41 per year in 1961 as a staff announcer for the Canadian Broadcasting Company. That's equal to roughly $77,100 in 2020 dollars. That's a fantastic salary for someone straight out of college.
At the CBC, he announced anywhere they needed him — sports, blood drives, farm reports and live events.
He was fluid in English and French, which opened up even more opportunities for him at the CBC.
Remembering Alex Trebek
Number of Game Shows Alex Trebek Hosted
What is 14?
These are the game shows that Trebek officially hosted throughout his career (we're not including one-off hosting appearances):
- "Reach for the Top"
- "Music Hop"
- "The Wizard of Odds"
- "High Rollers"
- "Stars on Ice"
- "The $128,000 Question"
- "Pitfall, Double Dare"
- "Pillsbury Bake-off"
- "Classic Concentration"
- "Battlestars"
- "The New Battlestars"
- "To Tell the Truth"
- "Concentration"
- And of course, "Jeopardy!"
Remembering Alex Trebek
During a Stint of Unemployment and After Winning $50,000 as a Game Show Contestant, Trebek Did This With His Money
What Is Buy Washers and Dryers for Charity?
After his success in Canada, Trebek moved to Los Angeles in 1973 to host the NBC game show, "The Wizard of Odds." After that was canceled, he was hired to host the game show "High Rollers." That gig only lasted two years, and Trebek was out of a job for a year after it was canceled in 1976.
To make ends meet, Trebek took whatever gig he could find, including emceeing supermarket openings. "There were weeks and months where I didn't have a dime," he recalled in his book.
But he was also a game show contestant himself, and won $50,000 on the show "Card Sharks." After he caught up on bills, he bought "a load of washers and dryers to donate to several nonprofits in Los Angeles," Rogak writes in Trebek's biography.
Remembering Alex Trebek
Percent of Time That Trebek Talked During the Only Government Debate He Moderated
What Is 41 Percent?
In 2018, Trebek moderated a gubernatorial debate between Pennsylvania's Democratic governor, Tom Wolf, and his Republican challenger, Scott Wagner.
Trebek, his usual cheery and garrulous self, wanted to make the debate a more conversational affair and ran with it. He made jokes, talked to the audience and led questions.
After the dust settled, Trebek spoke for nearly 41 percent of the debate, taking up 18 minutes out of the debate's 45-minute run time.
We could have used him during that first 2020 presidential debate.
Remembering Alex Trebek
Trebek Branched Out to This Type of Show When 'Jeopardy!' Was Far From Its Peak
What Is Home Shopping?
In 1986, Trebek joined a now-defunct shopping program called "Value Television," or VTV, to help hock products through the boob tube.
VTV was the competitor to QVC, but it couldn't compete in the ratings with the shop-at-home juggernaut. When ratings tanked, the network wanted Trebek to hard-sell the products. Trebek said forget it. He was fired after 13 weeks on the job and was replaced by Richard Simmons.
Trebek later referred to the products sold on the channel as "crap."
Remembering Alex Trebek
Trebek Kind of Land Formation for $1.5 Million
What Is a Mountain?
In 1990, Trebek plopped down $1.5 million for 35 acres of undeveloped land located north of the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles. "Jeopardy Host Buys Mountain," the Los Angeles Times' headline read.
Trebek planned to build his home at the top of that mountain. He found love with his new wife, Jean, and the two planned to have a family. They had two kids together, and Trebek stayed with her until his death.
Remembering Alex Trebek
Number of Viewers That 'Jeopardy!' Averaged in 1990
What Is 15 Million?
"Jeopardy!" became very popular in 1990, with 15 million people across 191 stations watching the game show every night. Over 250,000 people took the test for a chance to compete.
"People like 'Jeopardy!' because it's a good show and because it's tough," Trebek recalled in Rogak's biography. "The viewers are competitive, and they want to compete against the contestants themselves. We want to aspire to the better things in life, even though we may watch 'The Gong Show' on a regular basis."
Remembering Alex Trebek
Number of Acres Trebek Donated To Los Angeles
What Is 62?
Those 35 acres of land he bought in 1990 weren't the only acres Trebek, a generous conservationist, purchased. Throughout the 1990s, he bought and then donated to Los Angeles 62 acres in the Santa Monica Mountains.
"This was not only a gift to urban Angelinos who thirst for open space and outdoor activity, but a gift to native animals such as our local mountain lions that require large amounts of open space in order to survive, and a gift to future generations who will have to reckon with climate change in the years to come," wrote Jamie Hall, president of the Laurel Canyon Land Trust, in a Facebook post. "Thank you Alex Trebek, and may you rest in peace."
The park is called the Trebek Open Space, and it's located at 2500 Nichols Canyon Road in Los Angeles.
Remembering Alex Trebec
Number of Days Per Year Alex Trebek Taped Episodes for 'Jeopardy!'
What Is 46?
In game show land, a working day consists of five episodes being shot back-to-back.
Even after Trebek was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, he kept working, and fought through the pain of chemo and cancer. His vision sometimes blurred and his bones hurt. He felt slower when ad-libbing lines, and sometimes he would curl up on the floor of his dressing room, crippled by the pain.
When the staff would suggest shutting down production so he could take a break, Trebek would answer "No, we're here, we're doing the shows," according to the biography.
Remembering Alex Trebek
Amount Trebek Earned Every Day of Taping
What Is $391,000?
Trebek earned $391,000 per day of taping.
For comparison, "Wheel of Fortune" host Pat Sajak makes $312,500 per workday, and hostess Vanna White makes $208,333, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
Remembering Alex Trebek
Alex Trebek's Last Salary for Jeopardy
What Is $18 Million?
Alex Trebek made $18 million per year for hosting "Jeopardy!" which may have made him the highest-paid game show host of all time.
Pat Sajak earned $15 million for "Wheel of Fortune," Steve Harvey makes $10 million for "Family Feud" and Drew Carey makes $12.5 million per year for "The Price is Right."
Remembering Alex Trebek
When Not Racing Through a Day of 'Jeopardy!' Taping, Trebek Also Enjoyed This Thoroughly Expensive Hobby
What Is Horse Racing?
Trebek bought this 724-acre property in Creston, California, in the mid-1990s for $4.1 million.
Originally intending to use the sprawling property to breed horses for clients, Trebek ended up racing them. He owned a dozen racehorses, including Reba's Gold, a horse that earned over $250,000.
Trebek sold the farm in 2005 for $10 million.
Remembering Alex Trebek
Alex Trebek Left This Much Behind to His Family
What Is $75 Million?
Trebek had an estimated net worth of $75 million at the time of his death.
With his wife Jean, they had two biological children, Matthew and Emily. With his first wife, Elaine, he had an adopted daughter, Nicky.
His family, friends and fans will miss him.
Remembering Alex Trebek
