We’ll take “Veritable TV Institutions” for $600, Alex.
It almost seems silly that nightly game shows “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy!” must deal with such mundane trivialities as contracts. The shows, and their hosts, seem to exist in a bubble unaffected by such human concerns as the passage of time.
But alas, they must, and trivia buffs and word nerds can rest easy for now: Deadline reported Tuesday that Alex Trebek, Pat Sajak and Vanna White have renewed their contracts, ensuring the three will continue their reign on “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune,” respectively, through 2020.
The renewal will make the 2019–20 season the 36th year for “Jeopardy!” and the 37th for “Wheel” in their current versions. In short: That’s a whole lot of on-screen guessing over the years.
Here’s how our favorite hosts looked around their shows’ early years.
And here are our game show pals now.
They haven’t aged a day, TBH.
With 33 Emmys under its belt, “Jeopardy!” holds the record for most wins by a TV game show, while “Wheel of Fortune” regularly pulls in the highest viewers of any show on television, averaging 10.2 million a week.
Other than offering viewers a regular opportunity to shout things at their television screens, the two shows keep us coming back with contestants’ epic “Streetcar Naked Desire” fails and sneakily lewd gestures — and “Jeopardy!” host Trebek’s unparalleled rapping skills.
Before You Go
