'Jeopardy!' GOAT Ken Jennings joins Alex Trebek for new season in a new role

Erin Jensen, USA TODAY
·3 min read

Better start brushing up on your "Potpourri" – "Jeopardy!" returns for its 37th season in just a few days.

Amid the pandemic, the 37th season of the syndicated quiz show is already being taped with Alex Trebek, who has been battling pancreatic cancer, but without a studio audience.

"On a personal level, I’m excited because it gets me out of the house," Trebek said in an announcement of the new season from Sony Pictures Television, which starts Sept. 14. "It gives me something to do on a regular basis, and I was missing that.”

The "Jeopardy!" set for the new season that begins airing Sept. 14, 2020.
The "Jeopardy!" set for the new season that begins airing Sept. 14, 2020.

Champion Ken Jennings, who in January triumphed over James Holzhauer and Brad Rutter in "The Greatest of All Time" tournament, has been recruited as a consulting producer this season. He'll "present his own special video categories, develop projects, assist with contestant outreach, and serve as a general ambassador for the show, Sony said. (His first video category airs Sept. 15.)

Fans of the show will notice changes to the set: More space between the contestants and a safe distance between them and Trebek. Behind the scenes, the casting has become a virtual process, relying on an online test and Zoom. And a new executive producer, Mike Richards, replaces longtime chief Harry Friedman, who retired in May.

In a video shared to YouTube in July, Trebek gave fans an update about his health. "I’m doing well," the iconic TV host, 80, said. "I’ve been continuing my treatment and it is paying off. Though it does fatigue me a great deal, my numbers are good. I’m feeling great."

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"Jeopardy!" champ Ken Jennings will serve as a consulting producer.
"Jeopardy!" champ Ken Jennings will serve as a consulting producer.

Following his victory, Jennings told USA TODAY he didn't think he would win the tournament.

"I actually told 'Jeopardy!' I did not want to do it. They were very persistent. They did not want the empty podium," Jennings said. "I was 15 years on (from a 74-game win streak on the syndicated quiz show in 2004); I can kind of feel that I'm not longer as sharp as I used to be. And clearly James is. I've seen him plenty on TV looking younger and better at 'Jeopardy!' than me" during his 32-game streak last year.

The 46-year-old Washington state native and resident went into the tourney "deciding, 'You know what? I'm going to have a good time. This is almost certainly my last time playing 'Jeopardy!' Let's let me just enjoy every minute of it.' And I ended up enjoying it a lot more than I planned."

Contributing: Bill Keveney and Rasha Ali

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Jeopardy!' Season 37 returns soon; Ken Jennings joins Alex Trebek