A week after both game shows opted to continue filming without a live audience, both Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune will suspend production out of concern over “the health and well-being of our contestants, staff and crew†due to coronavirus. Honestly, thank god they did. Alex Trebek is 79 and a year into treatment for Stage 4 pancreatic cancer, and Vanna White had to step in to host Wheel of Fortune back in November after poor 73-year-old Pat Sajak had emergency surgery. Unless both men can host from inside a hermetically-sealed glass orb (and if anyone could, it’d be them), it just does not seem worth the risk.
“With the increasing concern surrounding COVID-19, we have decided to temporarily suspend production on Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune,†the official Jeopardy! Twitter account tweeted Monday. “The health and well-being of our contestants, staff, and crew are our top priority, and we will continue to monitor the situation as it develops.†Don’t worry about going without for the duration of your social distancing, though. Previously-recorded new episodes of both shows will still be airing for the time being.