No. Nope. Absolutely not.
What is: Are we over the Nov. 8 passing of Alex Trebek? Truth be told, it's going to take a minute for us to accept the loss of America's Canadian dad, the guy with all of the answers who was far too humble to come off as a know-it-all.
"People think because I'm the host of a fairly serious, intelligence-based quiz show that I must know all the answers," he shared with Vulture in a November 2018 interview. "I do—because they're written on a sheet of paper in front of me. And audiences are always surprised when they discover that I like to fix things around the house, that I'm not a nerdy person who spends all his time researching information that might come in handy on Jeopardy!. But I don't mind surprising people in that way."
He also didn't mind being pigeonholed as the face of Jeopardy!, the quiz show he'd helmed since it was rebooted in 1984.
"You have to set your ego aside," he reasoned to Vulture. "The stars of the show are the contestants and the game itself. That's why I've always insisted that I be introduced as the host and not the star. And if you want to be a good host, you have to figure a way to get the contestants to—as in the old television commercial about the military—'be all you can be.' Because if they do well, the show does well. And if the show does well, by association I do well."
It's that humble take that gives us hope someone will be able to fill Trebek's formidable shoes, even as we get misty-eyed over each new tribute for the television icon.
Because while our grief continues, the show, as they say, must go on. And with Trebek having filmed enough episodes to get us through Christmas, Jeopardy! producers are going to have a decision to make come 2021.
"Game show hosting is a skill," Adam Nedeff, a game show historian and author of the book Game Shows FAQ told Today of the challenge they face. "Alex was always introduced as the host of Jeopardy! not the star. Contestants are the star. So while there might be thinking that he was such a giant they'll need a 'name,' I don't think the show is suited to be a vehicle for someone. It has to be somebody who's willing to let the game take center stage."
With just dozens of Trebek's 8,000-plus episodes remaining, the show will resume production on Nov. 30, with interim hosts—including GOAT Ken Jennings—set to helm the big board. But who could possibly fill in full time? We dissect the short list of candidates.