Behind the Scenes: Jeopardy! College Championship Chicago special, 1999 interview with Alex Trebek

ByABC7 Chicago Digital Team WLS logo
Thursday, November 12, 2020
Behind the Scenes: Jeopardy! College Championship Chicago (1999)
ABC7's Janet Davies goes behind the scenes at the 1999 Jeopardy! College Championship Chicago.

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Alex Trebek, the beloved host of "Jeopardy!," died on November 8 after an open and public battle with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. He was 80.

Trebek died early in the morning at his home with, with family and friends surrounding him, "Jeopardy!" studio Sony said in a statement.

RELATED: Trebek's closest friends reflect on final conversations with TV icon

For nearly four decades, with style and a sense of humor, he was the man with all the answers who asked for questions and earned a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most game show episodes hosted by the same person.

RELATED: 'Jeopardy!' returns with touching tribute after Alex Trebek's death

In 1999, "Jeopardy!" came to Chicago for a college championship tournament. ABC7 followed along through the tryouts and competition, got a behind the scenes glimpse of how the show came together, spoke to loyal fans of the program and ABC7's Janet Davies even sat down with Alex himself for a one-on-one interview.

In honor of Trebek's esteemed career and important place in our living rooms, we've brought "Behind the Scenes: Jeopardy! College Championship Chicago" out of the archives for his fans to enjoy.