A new era of clues and awkward anecdotes is upon us: On January 11, Ken Jennings made his debut as Jeopardy!’s first interim guest host in the aftermath of Alex Trebek’s death, using the start of the episode to confirm that, yes, he’s not a Canadian legend who’s been hosting the show since 1984. However, Jennings hopes that viewers will be willing to accept him and his GOAT-ness behind the lectern for the next month or so, even if he’s never had a mustache. “Sharing this stage with Alex Trebek was one of the greatest honors of my life. Not many things in life are perfect, but Alex did this job pretty much perfectly for more than 36 years, and it was even better up close,†he explained. “We were dazzled by his intelligence, his charm, his grace. Really, there’s no other word for it. Like all Jeopardy! fans, I miss Alex very much, and I thank him for everything he did for all of us. Let’s be totally clear. No one will ever replace the great Alex Trebek. But we can honor him by playing the game he loved.â€
Upon the completion of Jennings’s guest-host duties, Katie Couric, who has presented a few Jeopardy! clue categories throughout the years, will be his successor for a week. No dates have been announced for the length of Jennings’s tenure or the start of Couric’s, and the remaining hosts have yet to be confirmed, so we’ll just say this now: Don’t let that punk Watson anywhere near the show again.