‘Jeopardy!’ Celebrates Alex Trebek’s 85th Birthday With a Look Back at His Funniest Moments
Jeopardy!/Instagram
Happy birthday, Alex! Alex Trebek would have turned 85 on July 22. The Jeopardy! host died in November 2020 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. The game show made a special tribute for his birthday by compiling a compilation of his funniest moments on set.
“Celebrate Alex’s birthday with some of his funniest moments and catch even more on our YouTube 💙 #Jeopardy! #AlexTrebek,” the game show wrote on their Instagram page.
The first moment consisted of Alex Trebek picking up a megaphone and saying into it, “Look at me! Use this device to really get your point across.”
The next clip had a contestant talk about how she was into “nerdy things” like video games and science fiction, which made it hard to meet people and form romantic relationships. The camera then panned to Trebek as he said with a straight face, “Losers, in other words?” The crowd laughed as the contestant said, “Well…” but then couldn’t hold back her laughter.
In the third clip, a crew member shared that Alex Trebek stayed in Elvis Presley‘s former dressing room at a Hilton Hotel. After knocking on the door and telling the host he had 30 seconds, the door was opened to reveal Trebek dressed head to toe like the king of rock ‘n roll. He had on tan bell-bottom pants with gems and a matching poncho. “Thank you, John. Thank you,” he said in his best Elvis impersonation.
Trebek shocked a player with his use of words in the next clip. “Two players have done me,” the host said. The contestant’s eyes got wide as he said, “You’ve done me in college.”
“I wouldn’t put it that way, Alex,” the contestant replied.
“Oh,” the host replied and began to laugh. The contestant explained that he didn’t play Trebek in the games he played in college.
A contestant’s Final Jeopardy answer from 2015 made Trebek reply with a sassy remark in the next moment. The clue was “A Christian hymn & Jewish holiday hymn are both titled this, also the name of a 2009 Tony-nominated musical.” The contestant wrote, “What is Kinky Boots?” The host laughed as he said, “What is Kinky Boots? Yes, indeed. Whenever people go to the temple or go to church, they sing Kinky Boots!” The correct response was Rock of Ages.
A short clip with a soldier had Trebek asking how much he weighed. “About 225.” “I can’t take you,” the host declared.
During one game, where none of the contestants knew the answer, Trebek said that it was “the conga.” He then proceeded to make a “bum bum bum” noise with his mouth and do a little dance move with his fingers. The audience laughed. Trebek said, “Leave me alone! I don’t dance. I’m not a dancer.”
In the final clip, Alex Trebek walked out on stage in his boxers and the top half of a suit after Johnny Gilbert announced him for the Ultimate Tournament of Champions. Trebek explained that he was informed backstage that the three male contestants wanted to “relieve some of the tension” and said, “We must do the program without trousers.” All three contestants had their pants on and cracked a laugh at the host.
“The trousers scene is my favorite,” an Instagram user wrote.
“Alex had such a great sense of humor! We miss you ❤️,” said another.
“Man had comedy genius like no other,” added a third.
What was your favorite Alex Trebek moment? Let us know in the comments.
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