More than two months after the death of Alex Trebek, fans of “Jeopardy!” he finally had a chance to say goodbye. A video tribute to the host closed Friday’s episode of the contest, the last one Trebek recorded before pancreatic cancer he claimed his life on November 8th.
The 90-second montage, with Hugh Jackman singing Peter Allen’s song “Once Before I Go,” is a cheerful, laugh-filled memory that shows Trebek’s changing gaze during his 36-year-old host, with a mustache and no , with black and gray hair, in dresses from several decades.
He celebrated the craziest moments of the usually narrow Trebek, which showed him verbal fights with contestants and arm wrestling with one.
“It really makes me feel inadequate,” he tells a child contestant. “I’m sorry,” he replies with tuna.
Trebek is shown walking through his pants undressed in one clip, dressed as the Statue of Liberty in another and dressed in the costume of a Trojan soldier in another.
A clip of the host declaring “I don’t dance” in the middle of scenes of him dancing over the years is shown.
The tribute is still very sad and sentimental, but as Jackman sings “it’s very hard to say goodbye, when there are so many that don’t speak to your eyes” and “once before you go, I would like to do “Let me tell you, I would do it all over again.”
And in his final moments, he shows Trebek through the firm over the decades, repeatedly saying, “Long time no see.”
Trebek died on November 8 at the age of 80, but had recorded several weeks of shows that have continued to air. He continued to work almost two years after his diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, remaining in the place where he became an institution since it began in 1984.
The show will continue next week with a series of makeshift hosts, starting with the veteran “Jeopardy!” champion Ken Jennings.
The final episodes of Trebek’s week began Monday with the host instantly watching viewers give them to other people who were suffering during the coronavirus pandemic.
“We’re trying to build a kinder, kinder society, and if we all participate a little bit, we’ll get there,” Trebek said.
Their last shows had originally been scheduled to air on Christmas week, but were postponed until this week to give more visibility to the submission.
The episode includes holiday items, such as the “Christmas Movies” category.
In one of the last of the more than 500,000 tracks Trebek delivered to contestants in his more than 8,200 episodes, he says:
“Basically, this classic and exciting Frank Capra classic is about a dishonored financier who has an incredibly tough Christmas night.”
The correct answer: “What is ‘It’s a wonderful life’?”
Apparently, Trebek wasn’t sure if Friday’s episode was the last when it was recorded.
The show’s executive producer Mike Richards told NBC’s “Today” on Monday that Trebek was “an absolute warrior” in his final recording sessions, despite suffering “enormous pain.”
At the end of the episode, before the tribute video, Trebek says, “See you next week.”