The schedule for the new “Jeopardy!” hosts is so long that it could use its own category now.
The producers of the long-running game show announced on Wednesday that Katie Couric, Aaron Rodgers, Bill Whitaker and Mayim Bialik will serve as guest hosts this season, replacing Alex Trebek, who died in November at the age of 80 from pancreatic cancer.
Couric, 64, will be the first woman to grace the pulpit as a presenter, noted the curiosity program. Rodgers, 37, announced his show as a guest host on Tuesday, calling Trebek one of his “idols”.
“Alex was a legend, revered by all of us,” said executive producer Mike Richards. “I want to thank our invited hosts, who will not only help us celebrate their great legacy, but will also add their personal touch to the program.”
Ken Jennings, who holds the record for “Jeopardy!” Longest winning streak, he served as the first host since Trebek’s death. Trebek’s last episode was filmed 10 days before his death and aired on Friday, January 8.
Richards himself will also host two weeks of shows as soon as the episodes filmed by Jennings are over, so that guest hosts can “prepare for their performances”.
In addition to screen time on the game show, the invited hosts will also help raise funds for their favorite charities.
“As part of the presentation of each invited host, a donation will be made to a charity of your choice,” said a press release. “The amount donated will be equal to the cumulative earnings of the competitors who compete during the weeks in which they act as guest hosts.”
There will also be additional guest hosts announced at the end of the season, according to a press release.
A permanent replacement has not been formally announced for Trebek, who has hosted the show for more than 8,200 episodes since 1984. However, Jennings is rumored to be the leader, among several other candidates, including George Stephanopoulos. Jennings, 46, went so far as to apologize for “insensitive” tweets from the past, which many believe was a strategy to clear her name. Trebek even made several suggestions behind the scenes, although he was quite reticent about naming a potential successor.
Jennings, who presented an exciting program on Monday after Trebek’s last episode, said she received valuable advice before Alex passed away.
“I spoke to him over the phone the weekend he was gone and he was – he was fragile, but he was still very Alex,” said Jennings in “Good Morning America.” “I remember him just having a lot of confidence in me to be a guest host, if he needed that.”
Trebek also reminded him that “the host is not the star of ‘Jeopardy!’”