It’s a bittersweet week for Danger! fans while Alex Trebek’s final five episodes air on Monday. The presenter died two months ago and, according to the show’s executive producer, Trebek’s last days on set were “unbelievable”.
Mike Richards joined the Today show on Monday to reflect on Trebek’s final work, including an emotional speech he made on unity that gave crew members “chills”.
“He was an absolute warrior,” Richards told Savannah Guthrie. “And what he was able to do when he gave himself back on set, recording those final episodes … we didn’t know it would be his final episodes and neither did he. But it was Herculean. He was in enormous pain. “
Trebek died of pancreatic cancer on November 8. He was on the film set just ten days before his death.
“You will not experience any of this in any of these episodes,” continued Richards. “He’s strong, he looks great, he’s funny and he’s incredible.”
“What do you think it meant for him to do that? Why do you think he wanted to appear in those final days, when he could have easily said, ‘You know what? I think I’ve had enough ‘, ”asked Guthrie.
“I think a normal person would have said that I won’t be there a year and a half before the final episodes,” replied Richards. “I mean, he was receiving chemotherapy once a week. So, I think there was a level of professionalism. I think he really understood the importance of the show and what it meant to people, and to make what I always said, he made being smart something cool. So, you know, I think all of those things were for him. And I think it’s about, you know, he wrote an autobiography that described his childhood, and that kind of handyman, laborer, I’m going to come in and work. And that is what he did ”.
Trebek, with his sense of humor intact, was in the hospital a week before recording his final episodes.
“This man was unbelievable,” said Richards. “He calls me and says, ‘Mike, I’m going to be fine. I will record. I managed to eat gelatin today! ‘And I said,’ Alex, this is great, but it doesn’t mean that you’re going to be ready to present five episodes of a game show ‘, which is a huge effort. And he said, ‘Don’t cancel. I’ll be there.'”
Not only did Trebek appear, but he left an impression. According to Richards, what Trebek does on tonight’s show “is just a big testament to him.”
“He leaves. He usually said something about what was going on in the news or about the game that was going on. And in this very special and unbelievable final week, he goes out and gives a talk about the importance of unity and unity and that the world is struggling, but we have to overcome this together. And we got chills, ”shared Richards.
“And, you know, there are specific times when Danger! when you clap your hands and there are times when you are quiet, ”he continued. “And usually in his monologue, he went out, gave a statement and they went to the categories. Well, there are not many people in the studio because of COVID. And we all burst into applause. And you don’t see it on camera, but as he’s going to the categories, he sees us starting to applaud and kind of looks at us like, what are you doing? And we were so moved that we had to applaud. “
When asked if Trebek ever mentioned who he thought his successor should be, Richards was a little shy.
“He mentioned a few names, but he wanted to stay out of it,” he said. “And he knew that we would do a good job looking for people and that we would find someone – no one would replace him, and he knew it. Humble as he was, he knew there was no chance of that. He’s someone intelligent and trustworthy who loves the show. This is what he wanted. “
Danger! champion and consultant producer Ken Jennings appears to be the favorite for the show, despite some controversy. Jennings, who has the longest winning streak in the show’s history, is the first in a series of guest hosts, with these episodes starting on January 11.
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