‘Jeopardy!’ Plotting Internet-Breaking Alex Trebek Tribute in New Season

Jeopardy! producers are plotting an internet-breaking Alex Trebek tribute in the show’s upcoming new season. Speaking on the Inside Jeopardy! podcast, executive producer Michael Davies and producer Sarah Whitcomb Foss explained that they are planning a tribute to the last quiz show host on the second anniversary of his death, Nov. 8. which coincidentally happens to be Election Day in the United States. “Overall, we owe him a fantastic episode of Jeopardy! on that day,” Davies said. “It may well break the internet. I don’t want to give too much away.”

Trebek died on Nov. 8, 2020, after fighting Stage 4 pancreatic cancer for more than a year. In a statement the same day, Jeopardy! producers confirmed the tragic news. “Jeopardy! is saddened to share that Alex Trebek passed away peacefully at home early this morning, surrounded by family and friends,” read a tweet on the show’s official Twitter page. “Thank you, Alex.”

Earlier this year, Trebek’s wife Jean spoke out about her husband’s final days, saying that the show helped keep him alive. In an NBC special, Inspiring America: The 2021 Inspiration List, Jean sat down to speak with Savannah Guthrie about her husband’s legacy, and shared that working for as long as he could is what kept him going. Trebek died in November after having previously been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.

Following Trebek’s death, Jeopardy! featured rotation of celeb interim hosts, which included names like Levar Burton and Aaron Rodgers. Eventually Jeopardy! champ Ken Jennings and Big Bang Theory alum Mayim Bialik were named interim co-hosts, but recently the show revealed that both will continue on as permanent co-hosts. “It’s very exciting to get to share this honor and this platform with Ken, who is such a legend,” Bialik previously said of the announcement, per E! News. “It’s overwhelming, but in a really good way.”

“I’m just such a fan of the show-to this day, I feel like a fan-I wouldn’t be the person I am without all the Jeopardy!,” added Jennings. “I watched as a kid, and then, of course, it changed my life in a big way 20 years ago. It’s just an honor to be associated with the show in any way, and now with Mayim double the perks.” Jeopardy! Season 39 is set to premiere on Sept. 12, on ABC.