Since 1984, this Canadian-American has hosted over 7,000 episodes of the quiz show Jeopardy!
If you answered, “Who is Alex Trebek?” then you know what today’s episode is going to be about. If you’re a little confused right now—that’s okay, I’ll explain in a little bit.
Hi again, this is Jeff, JR is the producer. And it’s time for my favorite part of the week, once again. That would be when I get to sit down here, turn on my mixing board , turn on my digital recorder , plug in like 27 cables, and talk to all of you—the best audience in the world. It really is my favorite time of the week. If you’re new to the show, this is Plain English, the best podcast for learning English through current events. Today is episode 141 for Thursday, March 28, 2019. You can find the full transcript of today’s program at PlainEnglish.com/141. As always, our transcripts include instant translations from English to Portuguese, Spanish, Japanese, Italian, French and Chinese.
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Jeopardy! host keeps us company each weeknight
Every Monday through Friday for the last 35 years, Alex Trebek keeps millions of Americans company around dinner-time. He is the host of a quiz show called Jeopardy! A lot has changed in the world since September 17, 1984, but through it all, Alex Trebek has been a steady voice in our living rooms, bedrooms and kitchens.
Why are we talking about Alex Trebek and Jeopardy! today? Unfortunately, the 78-year-old game show host announced in a video to his viewers that he has stage-four pancreatic cancer . Fans around the country are devastated to know that this one mainstay of evening time in America may not be with us forever, after all. Alex—and everyone calls him Alex, so I will here too—has been the host of Jeopardy! ever since this version of the show premiered in 1984. He has hosted over 7,000 shows.
In most parts of the United States, Jeopardy! comes on at 7:00 in the evening, usually after the national news on ABC. The catchy theme song , the announcer’s voice at the show’s opening, Alex Trebek’s steady voice, and even the show’s sound effects have been our companions as we make dinner or settle down for the evening .
It is hard to overstate what a big part of American life this show has become. The theme song is practically synonymous with thinking up the answer to a hard question. The show almost represents the wholesomeness of family life. Some people would watch it religiously : every night, they’d make sure to put Jeopardy! on and watch all the clues . My grandmother was like that. Other people would have it on in the background as they prepare dinner or do the dishes , calling out the responses before the contestants . Of course, millions of Americans think they’re good enough to be on the show, even if only a couple hundred are in any given year. “You should be on Jeopardy!” is a great compliment to give someone who knows a lot of trivia .
Because it’s such a ritual , and such a rock in daily life , people notice the slightest change to the show’s rules or format. Alex sent shockwaves through the nation when he shaved his mustache . Alex is someone people like and trust. He seems timeless ; he doesn’t seem to age —he always seems to be this grandfatherly authority figure that’s just always there.
By the way, here’s how Jeopardy! goes. There are two rounds of 30 clues each, followed by a final question to decide the winner . The clues are arranged in categories . The categories might be “ chemistry ” or “movies” or “French phrases” or “ geography ”, things like that. But here’s the tricky thing about Jeopardy! The clues are statements and the contestants have to respond by asking a question that the clue answers. The clues are written in a way that there is really only one correct response. For example, the answer given on the screen might be: “This is Africa’s longest river.” Then, the contestants would have to answer, “What is the Nile River?” Got it? The contestants have to form a question that the clue answers. The clue was, “This is Africa’s longest river.” The only question that could correspond to this answer is, “What is the Nile River?” so that is the correct response. Let’s try another one. Imagine the clue is, “This technology CEO demonstrated his company’s new touch-screen phone in January 2007.” The correct response would be, “Who is Steve Jobs?”
Here are some characteristics of Alex Trebek, in no particular order. He is always impeccably dressed . He’s prepared for every show. His pronunciation is excellent; he has to know how to say all kinds of difficult words and names of people and places and he never stumbles . He never gets it wrong. Alex Trebek is always nice to the contestants. He tries not to be too hard on people when they get an answer wrong. There’s a brief time for interviews with the contestants and he’s always gracious toward them , asking about them and giving the viewers a little window into their lives . Here’s a big thing. He doesn’t make the show about himself. He has said in interviews that people watch for the clues and the answers, so the most important thing is the content of the show , not the host. He never makes it about himself. He is the authority figure on the show, though. He’s in command of what goes on and he keeps the show moving.
Alex Trebek has never been the subject of any kind of public scandal . You have never, ever seen his name associated with any type of gossip or controversy ; he doesn’t get involved in politics or make any type of controversial statements . That’s something in today’s world, especially in show business .
In keeping with his preference not to be the topic of gossip or news articles, he released a video announcing his health news himself. He was his usual self—well-dressed, speaking in a clear, even voice, announcing to the world that he has stage four pancreatic cancer. He even cracked a bit of a self-deprecating joke , saying that he has to beat this cancer since he is required by his contract to host Jeopardy! for three more years.
Alex did take a little time off for treatment , but he’s back recording new episodes of the show. He sent another video out to supporters thanking them for the outpouring of support they showed.
I remember when I was growing up, we didn’t watch a whole lot of TV, but my mom would put on the local news starting at around 5:00. That would be on in the background for a couple of hours and then we’d go and have dinner, and by 7:00 as we were doing dishes or whatnot , Jeopardy! would be on. I think that’s how a lot of people watched it— going about your business and catching bits and pieces of it most days.
On the Jeopardy! web site, they have test you can take to see if you might have some talent to be on the show. I took the quiz as I was preparing this episode. There were 30 questions and I got 13 of them right, so less than half. For the record , I have never thought I knew enough to be on the show!
Hey I wanted to remind you about MosaLingua. And I wanted to tell you about one of the great features. So I’ve mentioned before that they have a huge library of vocabulary for you to learn, six thousand words. But it’s not always good to memorize a word without any context. The great thing about MosaLingua’s vocabulary programs is that they put a word in a real context , kind of like what we do here with the expressions. The reason you remember them is because it came up in the context of a program, so it’s easier to remember. And that’s the way MosaLingua’s vocabulary is like with its MosaLingua Web program. You can learn all about this program by going to PlainEnglish.com/learn .
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