A Brand In Jeopardy
I usually ignore cultural kerfuffles. They’re almost always much ado about nothing and it’s not like I have any influence over them anyway. But the latest one, involving the search for the replacement host for the hit game show, Jeopardy, did get my attention. For those who may not know, Jeopardy is a long-running television quiz show where the game supplies the answers and contestants have to provide the correct, corresponding questions. It’s wildly popular for a number of reasons. It’s intelligent; the questions range from smart to quite challenging and you learn something new in every half-hour show. The contestants are awesome; not just with their range of knowledge but with their game-play strategies, their quick reactions and their facility with the “backwards” format of the game. But another reason for the show’s success is clearly America’s great love for its long-time host, the genial and gentlemanly Alex Trebek (pictured), who passed away almost a year ago. Ever since, the show has been on a search for someone to fill his impossible-to-fill shoes. It was a mission-critical task. The brand was literally in jeopardy.
