On Sunday, legendary Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek passed away at age 80 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Trebek hosted the beloved game show for 36 years, so people are naturally curious to know who will be stepping into the role. Many people are rooting for Ken Jennings, the highest earner in the show’s history, while others are hoping to see Star Trek: The Next Generation and Reading Rainbow‘s LeVar Burton take up the mantle. In fact, there’s even a petition going around in favor of Burton. However, if you’re into gambling, the odds seem to be in Jennings’ favor. According to CBS News, an international gambling website as posted odds for Trebek’s replacement and Jennings is in the lead.
SportsBetting.ag has declared Jennings as the most-likely hopeful. According to sportsbook manager Adam Burns from BetOnline.ag, Jennings is a “no brainer,” especially considering the show hired him as a consulting producer earlier this year. CBS shares that Burns has called the odds “volatile.” For example, Burton went from being in the middle of the pool to the number three spot after the petition starting making the rounds.
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In between Jennings and Burton sits ABC News chief anchor George Stephanopoulos. Other contenders on the list include Neil deGrasse Tyson, Drew Carey, Pat Sajak, Neil Patrick Harris, Katie Couric, Jane Lynch, Jimmy Kimmel, Nick Cannon, and more. Surprisingly, some folks are even betting on Donald Trump now that Joe Biden has been projected to win the 2020 election. However, Trump has the worst odds on the list “by a large margin.”
“It was pretty much the highest odds I think I could enter my system… And believe it or not, people bet on it,” Burns explained.
Before his passing, Trebek had made it clear that he planned to stay on Jeopardy! “as long as [his] skills have not diminished”. In fact, he filmed 35 episodes that had yet to air before he died. However, Trebek had been asked in the past whether or not he will take part in deciding his eventual replacement. “It’s not a decision that would be up to me. And I would not make myself available to presenting an opinion,” Trebek told TVLine at the Television Critics Association winter press tour in January. “I would leave it up to the people in charge.”
However, Trebek did suggest one particular pop culture icon as an option.
“When people ask me who I’d like to see replace me, I say, ‘Well, it’s probably going to be a woman, and she’ll have to be bright, she’ll have to have a good sense of humor…’” Trebek explained. “Uhhhh, let’s see…. Betty White! Betty White is my choice.”
Who would you like to see as Jeopardy!‘s host? Tell us in the comments.
