<![CDATA[Game Show Network to honor ‘Jeopardy!’ icon Alex Trebek with 6-hour marathon]]>

<![CDATA[Game Show Network to honor ‘Jeopardy!’ icon Alex Trebek with 6-hour marathon]]> https://usagag.com/2020/11/10/game-show-network-to-honor-8216-jeopardy-8217-icon-alex-trebek-with-6-hour-marathon/ Tue, 10 Nov 2020 17:20:14 +0000 hourly 1 https://usagag.com Game Show Network to honor ‘Jeopardy!’ icon Alex Trebek with 6-hour marathon What better place to pay tribute to “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek?

The Game Show Network has announced it will honor the iconic showman with a six-hour marathon on Saturday.

“Join us as we celebrate Alex Trebek and his legacy,” the channel wrote in a tweet about the tribute Tuesday afternoon. “He was truly in a category of his own.”

The marathon will kick off at 9 a.m. EST Saturday and wrap at 3 p.m.

Trebek, who died Sunday at age 80 following a battle with pancreatic cancer, joined the show in 1984 and went on to captivate a devoted audience and win seven Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Game Show Host over nearly 37 seasons. He also received a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011.

On Tuesday, “Jeopardy!” executive producer Mike Richards paid somber tribute to the show’s “beloved” longtime host in a message at the outset of the most recent episode.

“This is an enormous loss for our staff and crew, for his family and for his millions of fans. He loved this show and everything it stood for. In fact, he taped his final episodes less than two weeks ago,” he said. “He will forever be an inspiration for his constant desire to learn, his kindness and for his love of his family.”

The consummate host’s last day in the studio was Oct. 29. Richards added that all of Trebek’s remaining 35 pretaped episodes will air — the final one on Christmas Day.

“That’s what he wanted,” said a choked-up Richards before the studio lights were dimmed. “On behalf of everyone here at ‘Jeopardy!’ thank you for everything, Alex.”

There’s no word yet on how the show will move forward without Trebek, although plenty of host possibilities — from George Stephanopoulos to Betty White to champ Ken Jennings — have been floated in recent days.

Meanwhile, social-media tributes have flowed forward from Ryan Reynolds, John Legend, Steve Harvey, Viola Davis and more since Sunday. Ryan Seacrest, who knows a bit about hosting TV shows, called him “a big influence and one of a kind,” while “The Bachelor” host Chris Harrison labeled him “a hosting legend” and “a real gentleman.”

Alex Trebek on "Jeopardy!" circa 1984

©ABC/Courtesy Everett Collection

Alex Trebek on "Jeopardy!" circa 2002

©ABC/Courtesy Everett Collection

Alex Trebek on "High Rollers"

Courtesy Everett Collection

(From left) Bea Arthur, David Leisure, "Jeopardy!" creator Merv Griffin, Betty White and Alex Trebek on a 1992 episode of "The Golden Girls," in which Trebek hosts a game show called "Questions and Answers."

©Touchstone Television/Courtesy Everett Collection