Remembering Alex Trebek With All of His TV Cameos (VIDEO)
This… Is… Jeopardy!
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Wednesday, November 8, 2023 marks the third anniversary of Alex Trebek‘s death. The beloved host of Jeopardy! died after battling pancreatic cancer on November 8, 2020, leaving behind a historic television legacy.
With his 36 years on-air as the face of Jeopardy! (he started in 1984 and hosted until 2020), Trebek remains a fixture of pop culture. It’s a happy thing that he got to see the love audiences had for him for years during his long career on-screen, a love that continues today. Away from the game show he also made a slew of TV cameos.
From scripted shows to talk shows to variety program appearances, Trebek appeared as himself in over 100 episodes of TV. In honor of his memory, we’re listing the scripted programs and highlighting some of our favorites, both in the list below and the video above. First, we’ll name our 10 favorites in no particular order. Below that collection you’ll find the rest of Trebek’s TV cameos on scripted shows.
What’s your favorite Trebek TV cameo? Let us know in the comments section below.
1. Trebek Appears on Saturday Night Live for Will Ferrell’s Final Episode
Will Ferrell‘s Trebek impression and Darrell Hammond‘s Sean Connery impression are part of some of SNL‘s all-time great sketches. Trebek helped make a special event out of Ferrell’s last SNL episode by appearing at the end of his final Jeopardy sketch as a full-time cast member on May 18, 2002.
2. Trebek on Blossom
From being a contestant on @Jeopardy (well kinda..) to guest hosting @Jeopardy, this has truly been a dream come true. I hope I made Alex Trebek proud. My last episode airs tonight! Tune in #FBF #Blossom #MayimOnJeopardy pic.twitter.com/ZHEMhw0I13
— Mayim Bialik (@missmayim) June 11, 2021
Long before Mayim Bialik would become one of Trebek’s replacements on Jeopardy!, Trebek appeared on her hit sitcom, Blossom, in an episode where Blossom Russo competed on the game show.
3. Trebek on Arthur
Even kids love Jeopardy!
4. Trebek on Orange Is the New Black
While the host had a largely wholesome image, everyone loved when he would be shady towards Jeopardy contestants. That snarky energy was hilariously deployed in Season 6 Episode 1 of Orange Is the New Black.
5. Trebek on The X-Files
“Alex Trebek?! The game show host?!” Those were our thoughts exactly when seeing him take a dramatic turn on the hit Fox sci-fi series.
6. Trebek on Cheers
This episode of Cheers is so famous, the character Cliff Clavin (played by John Ratzenberger) has been adopted as a term for the most regrettable of Jeopardy wager blunders.
7. Trebek on The Simpsons
Again, we love a villain turn.
8. Trebek on Baywatch
An episode of TV where a character tries to make it onto Jeopardy is a delightfully meta moment.
9. Trebek on Family Guy
Trebek having an animated nemesis in Adam West‘s character was kooky and fun.
10. Trebek on Conan
This Conan appearance technically doesn’t fall under our scripted TV description, but it needed a mention regardless. Trebek was always a team player when shows wanted him to join in the joke at his expense.
Here the list of Trebek’s TV cameos:
1978: Vega$ (under the name Alex Trebeck) Season 1 Episode 2, “The Games Girls Play”
1987: Mama’s Family Season 4 Episode 19, “Mama on Jeopardy!”
1990: Cheers Season 8 Episode 14, “What Is… Cliff Clavin?”
1990: The Earth Day Special
1991: WrestleMania VII
1991: Pacific Station Season 1 Episode 6, “Miata Es Su Ata”
1992: The Golden Girls Season 7 Episode 16, “Questions and Answers”
1993: The Larry Sanders Show Season 2 Episode 15, “Hank’s Wedding”
1993: Rugrats (as Alan Quebec) Season 2 Episode 37, “Game Show Didi”
1995: The Nanny Season 3 Episode 2, “Franny and the Professor”
1995: Beverly Hills, 90210 Season 5 Episode 25, “Double Jeopardy”
1995: Blossom Season 5 Episode 14, “Who’s Not on First”
1995: Dave’s World 2 Episode 16, “Bear With Me”
1995: Ellen Season 2 Episode 13, “Ellen’s Improvement”
1996: The X-Files (as a Man in Black) Season 3 Episode 20, “Jose Chung’s From Outer Space”
1996: Seinfeld Season 8 Episode 9, “The Abstinence”
1996: The Magic School Bus (Voice of Announcer) Season 2 Episode 6, “Shows and Tells”
1997: Ned and Stacey Season 2 Episode 7, “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Eric”
1997: The Simpsons Season 9 Episode 10, “Miracle on Evergreen Terrace”
1997: The Weird Al Show Season 1 Episode 4, “Back to School”
1997: Men Behaving Badly Season 1 Episode 20, “Testing, Testing”
1998: Baywatch Season 9 Episode 8, “Swept Away”
1999: Mad About You Season 7 Episode 20, “The Dirty Little Secret”
2000: Arthur (as Alex Lebek, the host of Riddle Quest) Season 5 Episode 1, “Arthur and the Big Riddle/Double Dare”
2000: Pepper Ann Season 5 Episodes 11 and 13, “Unhappy Campers/The Search for Pepper Ann Pearson” and “The Finale”
2000: Ladies Man Season 2 Episodes 2, 3, 6, and 8
2002: Saturday Night Live Season 27 Episode 20, “Winona Ryder/Moby”
2004: Married to the Kellys Season 1 Episode 12, “Whose Pants Are Smarter?”
2006: Family Guy Season 4 Episode 21, “I Take Thee Quagmire”
2010: How I Met Your Mother Season 6 Episode 12, “False Positive”
2010: FCU: Fact Checkers Unit Season 1 (eight episodes)
2012: The Simpsons Season 24 Episode 5, “Penny-Wiseguys”
2013: How I Met Your Mother Season 8 Episode 15, “P.S. I Love You”
2014: Hot in Cleveland (as Narrator) Season 5 Episode 1, “Stayin’ Alive”
2014: The Colbert Report (as “the man who knows all the answers” in Santa’s sleigh) Series Finale
2017: Who Framed Wrangler Season 1 Episode 3, “The Stolen Frame,” Season 1 Episode 14, “Framing Revolution”
2018: Orange Is the New Black Season 6 Episode 1
2020: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Season 7 Episode 18, “Conspiracy Theories”
2020: Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? Season 2 Episode 14, “Total Jeopardy” (aired posthumously)
