The series new “Jeopardy!” hosts are so long that it can now use its own category.
Producers of the long game show announced on Wednesday that Katie Couric, Aaron Rodgers, Bill Whitaker and Mayim Bialik will serve as hosts this season in place of Alex Trebek, who died of pancreatic cancer in November at the age of 80.
The trivia show said Couric, 64, is the first woman to ever host the lesson. The 37-year-old Rodgers announced his guest host on Tuesday, calling Trebek one of his ‘idols’.
“Alex was a legend honored by all of us,” said executive producer Mike Richards. “I want to thank our hosts, who will not only help everyone celebrate his great legacy, but will also bring their own play to the show.”
Ken Jennings, who holds the record for the longest “Jeopardy!” finish line, serves as the first host since Trebek’s death. Trebek’s last episode was filmed ten days before he died and aired on Friday, January 8th.
Richards himself will also host programs for two weeks once the episodes that Jennings filmed are up so the hosts can prepare them for their appearance.
In addition to the screen time on the game show, hosts will also help raise funds for their favorite charities.
“As part of each host’s appearance, a donation will be made to a charity of their choice,” a press release said. “The amount donated will be equal to the cumulative profits of the participants competing during the weeks they host.”
According to a press release, additional hosts will be announced later in the season.
No permanent replacement has been formally announced for Trebek, which has offered the program for more than 8,200 deliveries since 1984. However, Jennings is said to be the frontrunner, among several other candidates, including George Stephanopoulos. Jennings, 46, has even gone so far as to apologize for ‘insensitive’ tweets in the past, which many believe was a strategy to clear his name. Trebek apparently even made several suggestions behind the scenes, although he was largely reluctant about the nomination of a potential successor.
Jennings, who presented an emotional program on Monday following Trebek’s last episode, said he received very valuable advice before Alex passed away.
“I talked to him on the phone over the weekend of his passing and he was – he was fragile, but he was still very much Alex,” Jennings said in “Good Morning America.” “I remember he just had a lot of confidence in me to be a host if he ever needed it.”
Trebek also reminded him that ‘the host is not the star of’ Jeopardy! ‘Is not. “