Ken Jennings reveals keeping Alex Trebek's one tradition alive on 'Jeopardy': 'He always had...'

Ken Jennings was the "Jeopardy!" champ when his predecessor, Alex Trebek, was hosting the show, and he was reluctant to replace the legend at first. While a lot has changed ever since Trebek passed away, Jennings has carried forward some traditions of the late host. In a recent interview with PEOPLE, Jennings opened up about following a particular backstage tradition that Trebek established on the show back in his time.

At the TCM Classic Film Festival, Jennings was asked by the publication if he is a big old movie fan. In response, he explained that Trebek had set a tradition of watching Turner Classic Movies (TCM) in the dressing room, and it has remained unchanged after he took over from him. “Absolutely. From my childhood on, and it's part of our 'Jeopardy!' tradition because Alex always had TCM on in the dressing room, and that's something I'm gladly keeping going,” he said.

Further, when Jennings was asked if he had ever considered changing up the show, the host revealed that the game has a "very tight format" and a "tradition-observant, change-resistant audience." “So I don't think anybody suddenly wants to…What would it even be? A catchphrase? ‘Jennings out!’” he said. He went on to add that there would be very little change under his watch. “I'm a fan first and foremost. I want to see the Jeopardy I grew up on," he said.

Trebek hosted more than 8,200 episodes of "Jeopardy!" and set a Guinness World Record for hosting the most episodes of a single game show. He passed away in 2020, at the age of 80, after battling stage 4 pancreatic cancer. During his final episodes on the show, he issued several public service announcements and raised awareness about the disease. Before his death, the show had several guest hosts for trials, one of whom was Jennings. 

Shortly after Trebek's death, Jennings opened up about the conversation he had with the legendary host about the show "The Last Podcast on the Left". “I actually ended up talking to him, (on) what turned out to be the night before the day he passed away, about guest-hosting for him,” Jennings shared. “We thought, ‘Oh, he’s going to get better. He’s going to bounce back. He’ll be hosting again.’ I was just going to fill in," he added.

Jennings was also open about taking over from Trebek in a recent PEOPLE interview. “It was very tricky after Alex passed because, of course, we all missed him,” he said. “No one had seen anybody else host Jeopardy for nearly 40 years. It was a tricky adjustment, and I didn't want to be there," he added.

Jennings explained that he was lucky enough to be alongside Trebek on the show, and since he watched him for years, he understood what he needed to do as a host. "And that's really the only thing that got me through,” he continued. “And a few years on, I've gotten enough reps that I feel a little more comfortable out there," Jennings told the publication.