At the end of my interview with Alex Trebek on the set of Jeopardy, he grabbed the mic and proceeded to ask me a question.
‘Jim Heath, what is the number one newscast in the desert southwest?” he asked.
Without hesitation I responded: “Alex, I believe that answer is Nightside!”
He gave me that legendary Trebek look, like I was the biggest idiot on the planet, and responded: “You didn’t phrase that in the form of a question Get him out of here, can we have somebody else?”
I was genuinely embarrassed, but it made a fantastic promo for our three-part Behind-The-Scenes at Jeopardy series.
As we remember Trebek, who died today at age 80, I’m reminded of my special time with him in 2002, when we recorded an interview from the campus of UCLA in Los Angeles.
Jim Heath interviews Jeopardy host Alex Trebek in Los Angeles
With Jeopardy’s ‘Clue Crew’
In front of the Jeopardy traveling bus.
Trebek holds the Guinness World Record for most game show episodes hosted by the same presenter.
The only time Trebek missed out on an episode in its 30 seasons was when he and Wheel of Fortune’sPat Sajak switched hosting gigs for April Fool’s Day.
Alex Trebek, 1940-2020
Watch Jim Heath Behind-The-Scenes With Alex Trebek on Jeopardy!