The line-up of new “Jeopardy!” hosts is so long that it could now use its own category.
Producers of the long-running game show announced on Wednesday that Katie Couric, Aaron Rodgers, Bill Whitaker and Mayim Bialik will be guest hosts this season, replacing Alex Trebek, who died of pancreatic cancer in November at the age of 80.
Couric, 64, will be the first woman to ever grace the lectern as a host, according to the trivia show. Rodgers, 37, announced his guest host on Tuesday, calling Trebek one of his “idols”.
“Alex was a legend, revered by all of us,” said executive producer Mike Richards. “I would like to thank our guest hosts, who will not only help us celebrate his great legacy, but also add their own touch to the show.”
Ken Jennings, who set the record for the longest “Jeopardy!” winning streak, served as the first host since Trebek’s death. Trebek’s last episode was filmed 10 days before his death and was broadcast on Friday, January 8.
Richards himself will also host two weeks of shows once the episodes that Jennings filmed run out, so the guest hosts can prepare for their performances.
In addition to screen time on the game show, guest hosts also help raise money for their favorite charities.
“As part of each guest host’s performance, a donation will be made to a charity of their choice,” said a press release. “The amount donated is equal to the cumulative winnings of the participants who participate during the weeks they serve as guest hosts.”
Additional guest hosts will also be announced later in the season, according to a press release.
A permanent replacement has not been formally announced for Trebek, who hosted the show over 8,200 episodes since 1984. However, it is rumored that Jennings is the front runner, alongside several other candidates, including George Stephanopoulos. Jennings, 46, went so far as to apologize for “ insensitive ” tweets from the past, which many believe was a strategy to clear his name. Trebek reportedly even made several behind-the-scenes suggestions, though he was largely reluctant to name a potential successor.
Jennings, who hosted an emotional show on Monday after Trebek’s final episode, said he had received very valuable advice before Alex died.
“I actually spoke to him on the phone the weekend he passed and he was – he was weak, but he was still very much Alex,” Jennings said of “Good Morning America.” “I remember he was just very confident that I would be a guest host if he ever needed it.”
Trebek also reminded him that “the host is not the star of ‘Jeopardy!'”