Jeopardy! fans slam game show for snubbing beloved figure from Valentine's Day tribute
Michael Green
Published Aug 21, 2026
JEOPARDY! has shared a buzz-worthy Valentine's Day tribute on their Instagram but not all fans were so sweet on one detail.
The game show's custom cards featured its current hosts and more than 10 fan-favorite contestants but not Alex Trebek.
6
6
6
Jeopardy! celebrated the Hallmark holiday on February 14 with custom cards that fans could send to their significant others.
Each had a "to" and "from" space to fill out if interested. In Ken Jennings' card, the 48-year-old donned a signature suit and included the text: "You're the GOAT in my heart."
Co-host Mayim Bialik, 47, scored a card that referenced her neuroscience degree: "It doesn't take a Ph.D. to understand why I love you."
Professor and 2022 Tournament of Champions contender Sam Buttrey, and 40-time winner Amy Schneider got cute mock-ups too.
Read more on Jeopardy!
As did Season 38's beloved Uber Driver-turned-16-time winner Ryan Long and legend James Holzhauer.
The game show also made a subtle dig at contestant Matt Amodio for famously responding to clues with "what's" instead of "what is."
"A #Jeopardy! #ValentinesDay. Send these out to your True Daily Double," the show captioned the two-part post.
'WHERE'S ALEX TREBEK?'
Fans loved the sentiment and many picked their favorites in the comments section.
Most read in Entertainment
"Love it!!!! I would send these to my fellow Jeopardy! buddies!!! And everyone else on my list!" one wrote.
"Love Sam, Matt, and Amy. They were unforgettable and worthy contestants," commented another.
But multiple other followers had to clock the game show for seeming to forget their roots.
"Where’s the one with Alex Trebek on it???" one user commented.
"Maybe one with alex on it" wrote another which received a dozen likes.
"Part III?" craved another seemingly hoping the game show was working on it.
BIALIK'S BACK
As one more commented: "Please don't put Mayim back as host. Ken is such a great host. Leave him on all the time. Let her do just the Celebrity version please!"
Over the summer, Ken and actress Mayim were announced as the replacements for the late longtime host, Alex Trebek - who helmed the show starting in 1984.
Alex died from pancreatic cancer at age 80 in 2020, leaving huge shoes to fill, and it took two drama-filled years to fill them.
Mayim hasn't been seen on the regular show this season - she's only handled Celebrity Jeopardy!.
Mayim will finally be back behind the host podium starting on February 20 with a High School Reunion Tournament.
After that, Mayim will continue to host the regular show, as execs earlier announced, and host Ken may be off until next September or at least for the foreseeable future.
The quiet consensus is that fans are not emotionally ready for Ken to go - since only he has hosted the past five months and many have gotten quite used to seeing him up there.
"Producers will watch the ratings drop considerably beginning February 20th" one wrote in a vicious recent Facebook thread.
"Keep Ken Jennings!" begged another harsh critic, as another agreed: "Ken needs to stay."
"I will go on vacation then!!" a fourth even planned. "She is unwatchable" mocked a fifth critic.
Read More on The US Sun
A sixth defended: " So, let me get this straight..all you so-called Jeopardy! lovers don't watch the show for the game, knowledge, and interesting contestants? You only watch for who is reading the questions??"
In the meantime, Ken will still be on-air - hosting the new Jeopardy! Masters spinoff, which is scheduled to air during the spring in primetime on ABC.
6
6
6
