Alex Trebek’s name is synonymous with the Jeopardy! game itself. Despite a recent stage four pancreatic cancer diagnosis, the man has refused to slow down and continued to keep contestants on their toes.
Longtime viewers of Jeopardy! will note, though, that Trebek is known to throw shade at competitors on a fairly regular basis. Here are some of Trebek’s most notorious moments.
Sad Final Jeopardy
It’s easy to assume that most people who go on Jeopardy! are some kind of genius because most games move at a pretty quick pace from question to question. What some people may not know though is that the contestants never know what categories they’ll be facing until Trebek announces them to the audience. So if you haven’t studied Middle East Geography and it comes up on the show, despite whatever amount of prep you’ve done beforehand, you’re out of luck.
One episode, in particular, was savage to not just one, but all three contestants. By the end of the show going into Final Jeopardy, Trebek declared, “OK, low scores as we get set for Final Jeopardy! Not a big winner coming up.” Way to pour salt into that wound, Trebek.
Getting To Know Too Much About You
One of the regular segments of Jeopardy! features Trebek talking to each contestant and learning a little bit more about them before jumping back into the game. Some people are more interesting than others and that’s OK. But sometimes, Trebek doesn’t mind dropping some shade here as well.
In one episode, a contestant described her love for nerdcore hip hop, a unique genre of music if there ever was one. At the conclusion of the contestant’s description of the genre and the people who like it, Trebek quipped, “Losers, in other words?” Oh, snap!
Sports Are Not Your Strong Suit
Jeopardy! contestants can’t be knowledgeable about everything. One thing that may trip up some contestants more often than perhaps any other category is sports. In this episode, everyone was struggling with questions relating to football.
Clue after clue, none of the contestants responded to questions in the football category. Trebek eventually asked them, “Should we just cut to commercial?” Oof, that must have hurt.
What Is You Doing, Baby?
The Final Jeopardy round is always the most fascinating because it’s usually the biggest toss-up. Contestants have a chance to physically write in their answer, and you never know what they might write.
One contestant decided to go with a phrase from a popular meme for a change. Upon seeing the contestant’s response, “What is you doing baby?” Trebek quipped, “Well, I’m responding incorrectly! And I’m going to lose $1,000.” The contestant had the last laugh by winning the game with $14,000 in his pocket.
Don’t Diss Big Bird
You never know what might get Trebek to make a snide comment. Apparently, speaking ill of Big Bird will do it.
After one contestant described a childhood letter regarding the iconic Sesame Streetcharacter, Trebek referred to her as “weird”, causing her jaw to visibly drop. Trebek noticed and responded, “Oh yeah! Give me the look. You disrespected Big Bird! You’re lucky to be here!” Yikes! Who knew Trebek had such an affinity for the big guy?
Trebek And The Real Goat
In another segment with getting to know about the contestants, Trebek might have bitten off more than he could chew. This contestant decided to briefly talk about her pets in college, particularly her pygmy goat. Yes, a goat. “Well, there are other things that are cute. What about a cat?” Trebek asked.
The contestant went on to describe some experiences with the goat and its untimely death by a bag of concrete. “Was it a 60-pound or 80-pound bag?” Trebek asked with a smile. Oof, remind us not to talk about the death of our pets if we ever make it on Jeopardy!
Trebek And Weirdos
Trebek is fully aware of the audience when he is doing the show, but not very often does he treat the camera like he’s in a documentary. In another instance where Trebek is checking in with the contestants, one of them described their trained goldfish.
Naturally, Trebek wonders how one would be able to train a goldfish. The contestant detailed the process discussing the use of food as a motivator. At the end of the contestant’s description, Trebek turns to the camera and says, “Not only do we get some smart people on Jeopardy!, we get some weirdos.” Well, they can’t all be winners, Alex!
What Kind Of Experience?
At almost 80 years old, Trebek has undoubtedly had plenty of interesting and unique experiences in his life. But there are some that he can’t relate seem to relate to.
One poor contestant, Kara Spak, got the following clue: “If Andy yearns for Brenda & Brenda cares about Charlene who pines for Andy, the 3 of them form these.” She responded with, “What is a threesome?” The correct answer, given by another contestant, was “What is a love triangle?” After the correct response, Trebek responded, “Kara has clearly had much more experience than I.” Say what, Trebek?
Another Dimension
Sometimes Jeopardy! contestants will clap back at Trebek. In one instance, as the contestants came to Final Jeopardy, one of the contestants was left with $1. Before asking for the answers, Trebek quipped to that contestant, “You had $1. Looking solid to me.”
The contestant’s answer for Final Jeopardy was, “What is Kebert Xela?” The contestant followed up with, “I heard it sends you back to another dimension.” Well, who got the last laugh this time Trebek?
Ken Jennings And Tool Time
Trebek makes no bones about his love for smart people and his distaste for those he considers not so smart. But even the GOAT Ken Jennings has not managed to entirely avoid Trebek’s shade.
All the way back in 2004 when Jennings was first on Jeopardy!, there was a category that seemed harmless, but quickly got dirty with this clue: “[A] term for a long-handled gardening tool can also mean an immoral pleasure seeker.” Jennings responded, “What is a hoe?” The audience thought it was hilarious, but Trebek not so much. “They teach you that in school in Utah, huh?” We’re sure Jennings has moved on now that he’s the GOAT.
