7 pop culture references by Alex Trebek that made 'Jeopardy!' 10 times cooler
Alex Trebek should have added 'part-time rapper' to his resume.
November 9, 2020 4:18 p.m.
Latest Update November 11, 2020 11:00 p.m.

Not only did Trebek inspire many people, but he also became a pop culture icon. He made guest appearances on shows including How I Met Your Mother, Hot in Cleveland, The Colbert Report, Orange is the New Black, The Simpsons and RuPaul's Drag Race. He even has his own collectible Funk Pop! Toy dressed up as the host and holding a Final Jeopardy! card in his hands.The beloved Jeopardy! legend, who holds the Guinness World Record for most episodes of a game show hosted as of June 2014, always kept his cool on-air but he had many fun moments we can look back on, including those viral little pop culture references that seem all the more clever when they come from a sharp dressing white-haired gameshow host.Here are some of Trebek's most memorable pop culture references during his 36-year reign on Jeopardy!.Jeopardy! episode last week:
Alex Trebek: “Any family members back home cheering you on?”Contestant Burt Thakur: “I learned English because of you. My grandfather who raised me...I used to sit on his lap and watch you every day.”pic.twitter.com/5kygDSi3fZ— Jon Erlichman (@JonErlichman) November 8, 2020
Alex Meets Auto-Tune
Trebek tapped into his inner T-Pain and Travis Scott with his Alex Meets Auto-Tune category in 2010. Contestants had to identify the song he was performing "with technological help." Unfortunately, Trebek wasn't singing songs from the hit auto-tune musicians but he did sing songs like "The Farmer and the Dell," "Oh! Susanna" and "Go Down Moses." Contestants tried not to laugh as they rang in their answers to guess which songs he was performing.Alex Trebek Making Fun of Contestant's Music Preference
During an interview portion of Jeopardy!, Trebek introduced contestant Susan's music preference as something "that doesn't sound like much fun." Susan replied, "I think it's very fun. It's called nerdcore hip-hop. It's for people who identify as nerdy, rapping about the things they love. Video games, science fiction, having a hard time meeting romantic partners. You know.""Losers, in other words," Trebek quipped. It's like when your grandpa roasts you at dinner.Alex Trebek's Hip-Hop Feuds
Jeopardy!'s Hip-Hop Feuds category shines the spotlight on rappers and their beef within the industry. None of the contestants on this particular episode rang in to answer, "He has ended his feud with 50 Cent and also changed his physique, making his rap name less accurate." Trebek shared the answer with the contestants, saying, "That would be Fat Joe," and raised his eyebrows as contestant Sayeed laughed.MC Trebek rapping on Jeopardy!
One of Trebek's most iconic categories on Jeopardy! goes to Let's Rap, Kids! The host rapped lyrics from Drake's "Started From the Bottom," Kendrick Lamar's "m.A.A.d. City," Lil Wayne's "6 Foot 7 Foot," Desiigner's "Panda" and Kanye West's "Famous." Trebek had a Shakespearean-like delivery of the hit songs but the most notable recitation goes to "Panda" where the host repeated the word seven times."They mad they ain't famous, they mad they still nameless... but we still hood famous. Yeah, we still hood famous," Trebek said as he rapped West's lyrics. A contestant rang in and said, "Who is Kanye West?" Trebek responded, "Yes, and I hope I don't get an email from him."Alex Trebek rapping on Jeopardy is still one of the all time great moments on the show. He will be missed - a true TV icon. #StillHoodFamous pic.twitter.com/LPAAR6Uhth
— Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) November 8, 2020