WHO IS ALEX TREBEK?

An entertaining if superficial biography of the host of America's best-known quiz show.

As in previous biographies of Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, and Rachel Maddow, among others, Rogak relies almost entirely on secondary sources to piece together the story of Trebek’s steady rise through the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the game show circuit, and, eventually, in 1984, Jeopardy! The author has combed through the likes of People and TV Guide, along with articles from multiple daily newspapers, for pithy quotations and amusing anecdotes. Trebek fans will enjoy stories about his one-month stint at a Trappist monastery (“I'm not one to keep my big mouth shut,” he noted), a brief early marriage to a former Playboy Bunny, and his surprising fondness for musk oxen. Hints about a more complicated family history—e.g., a half brother who was conceived and secretly given up for adoption after Trebek's parents divorced—will leave readers wanting more. Although the Trebek that emerges in these pages has a few flaws, including a hot temper, a colorful vocabulary, and a tendency to overspend at Home Depot, he generally comes across as the bright, steadfast father figure generations of Jeopardy! fans have come to depend upon. Rogak forgoes any hint of scandal to dutifully show her subject as a loving husband and father and generous philanthropist. Followers of the show will appreciate the details of the production; the conception, based on an idea by producer Merv Griffin's wife; the incremental changes over the decades; and the examination of the impact on the show of big winners Ken Jennings and James Holzhauer. Rogak also touches on—but does not dwell on—Trebek's ongoing battle with pancreatic cancer, which he announced to the public in 2019.

A genial look at a beloved figure.