Ken Jennings' first episodes as 'Jeopardy!' guest-host air this week
'Jeopardy!' has yet to announce a permanent replacement for longtime host Alex Trebek, who died earlier this month following a battle with cancer
LOS ANGELES -- "Jeopardy!" will air its first episodes this week with guest host and game-show veteran Ken Jennings.
The show resumed production at the end of November with a series of interim guest hosts, producers said, following the death of longtime host Alex Trebek.
"Sharing this stage with Alex Trebek was one of the greatest honors of my life," Jennings said in a promotional video for Monday's show. "Like all 'Jeopardy!' fans, I miss Alex very much."
Jennings is a familiar face to "Jeopardy!" viewers, having been dubbed the show's "Greatest of All Time" earlier this year. He also holds show records for most consecutive games won and highest winnings in regular-season play.
Producers have yet to announce a permanent replacement for Trebek, who hosted more than 8,200 episodes in his 36 years on the show.
"Alex believed in the importance of 'Jeopardy!' and always said that he wanted the show to go on after him," Mike Richards, the show's executive producer, said in a news release. "We will honor Alex's legacy by continuing to produce the game he loved with smart contestants and challenging clues. By bringing in familiar guest hosts for the foreseeable future, our goal is to create a sense of community and continuity for our viewers."
More than two months after his death, fans of "Jeopardy!" finally got the chance to say goodbye on Friday.
A video tribute to the host closed the episode of the quiz show, the final one that Trebek taped.
The 90-second montage, set to Hugh Jackman singing the Peter Allen song "Once Before I Go," is a lighthearted and laughter-filled remembrance showing Trebek's changing look through his 36 years as host, with moustache and without, with black hair and with grey, with suits from several decades.
It celebrated the wackier moments of the usually strait-laced Trebek, showing him verbally sparring with contestants and arm-wrestling with one.
The video in the media player above was used in a previous report.
