Alex Trebek is revealing plans for how “Jeopardy!” will be taped when production on the syndicated game show resumes in a few weeks.
“We’ve redesigned our set to separate the contestants and myself a little bit more from them,” Trebek said in an interview Tuesday on “Good Morning America.” “So we are taking all kinds of precautions. Our testing procedure now is done online.”
The host, who is battling stage four pancreatic cancer and is soon to release a new memoir called “The Answer Is…: Reflections on My Life,” explained that the plan is to tape five shows a day, two days a week, without an audience.
“We’ll do three and take a short break, and then do the last two. And we’ll see how that goes,” he said. “And if it’s too much for me, we can always cut back a little bit, maybe do four a day.”
Reps for Sony Pictures, the show’s studio, did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment on when new episodes will start airing on TV.
Trebek, who has hosted “Jeopardy!” for 36 years, added that he is excited to return to work.
“It’s the best kind of reality television I feel. And people watch it, and if they come up with one or two correct responses in that half hour, they feel pretty good about themselves,” he said. “And that’s great.”
Trebek would not reveal whether there have been talks about finding his replacement, but he did reveal an old friend who he thinks would do a good job.
“I joke with the audience all the time and I say, ‘Betty White,’ because they want somebody younger, somebody funnier,” he said. “Betty and I have been friends for a long, long time.”
Until then, Trebek said, fan support is keeping him going.
“They are the most important elements in my life outside of my family and friends,” he said. “Because they have expressed their feelings about me in so many positive ways that I can’t help but be touched by what they have to say and by what I mean to them. It’s humbling,” he said. “It’s nice to be humbled.”
Watch a portion of the interview here.