Question: What did the leaked Sony emails reveal about "Jeopardy!"?
Helicopter Mom Almost Causes Alex Trebek to Quit
by Anonymous | reply 56 | November 9, 2020 2:49 PM |
Alex Trebek refused to give in to the demands of a whiny stage mom — warning Sony he would end his 30-year run as “Jeopardy” host if they had a problem with it, hacked emails revealed Tuesday.
The “Jeopardy! Kids” contestant’s helicopter mother had blown a gasket because the beloved game show icon didn’t move a muscle as her “visibly upset” daughter stormed offstage when she was eliminated prior to the Final Jeopardy round, according to messages leaked by the Guardians of Peace hacker group.
An exchange between Trebek and Sony producers in which the longtime host passionately defends his actions was uncovered by RadarOnline.com.
“If I’m making mistakes and saying things you don’t like, maybe it’s time for me to move on,” Trebek wrote to producers. “It’s not a threat, but I want to let you know how I’m feeling.”
The game show icon warned Sony he would call it quits because producers had asked him to re-tape the emotional segment.
Toward the end of the show, the young girl had been in the red — making her ineligible to play the Final Jeopardy round, RadarOnline.com reports.
This was ultimately the reason why she fled the stage in tears, according to the emails.
Eventually the youngster calmed down and returned to the set to watch another episode as an audience member. But her nagging mom wasn’t going to let Trebek slide — she complained in a scathing letter to producers in which she called out the longtime host.
“If he had taken the time, he would have known, like you do, that my daughter is not a sore loser, and does not become emotional solely over losing a game,” she wrote, adding that she “was quite a bit taken [aback]” by his reaction.
“She was upset about not being able to completely play the game to the end,” she continued. “I don’t think I’ll ever forgive him for that.”
Producers responded by saying “Alex’s intentions were good” and that they would ask him to re-tape the segment “to appease an upset mother who could start another feeding frenzy about Alex’s perceived insensitivity,” according to the emails.
But Trebek wouldn’t go down so easily, firing back at Sony with some complaints of his own.
“If you all think I should retape the opening, I will,” he wrote. “But I want to say that for 30 years I’ve defended our show against attacks inside and out. But it doesn’t seem to operate both ways. When I’m vilified, corporate (and certainly legal) always seems to say ‘don’t say anything and it’ll blow over,’ and I’m not feeling support from the producers, and that disappoints the s—t out of me.”
Trebek was eventually calmed down by “Jeopardy!” executive producer Harry Friedman, the emails added.
by Anonymous | reply 1 | December 17, 2014 7:03 AM |
[quote]“If he had taken the time, he would have known, like you do, that my daughter is not a sore loser, and does not become emotional solely over losing a game
But she is, Blanche!
by Anonymous | reply 2 | December 17, 2014 7:08 AM |
Alex Trebek is my new hero!!
Typical frau behavior. "But little Mikayla and Austin deserve to be in the finals!!! They're so upset!!!! Pay attention to them!!!!! Coddle them!!!!"
Fuck that shit. Trebek has always been no-nonsense. He probably could have used a slightly kinder tone because he was dealing with children, but he's not wrong.
THE BITCH STORMED OFF THE SET. That is just not done in television, and he was completely right. Fucking SONY should have backed him up and put that stupid frau in her place.
by Anonymous | reply 3 | December 17, 2014 12:16 PM |
"Jeopardy!" has always been a dignified, no frills show when it comes to emotions. Trebek is the host who keeps it going. He's never been the sympathizer, feel better type. It's not who he is or how it fits the show.
This mother is ridiculous.
by Anonymous | reply 4 | December 17, 2014 12:22 PM |
Alex comes from a time when these precious little snowflakes didn't get medals just for showing up, and blow emotional gaskets when they didn't get one.
We need to go back to that time.
by Anonymous | reply 5 | December 17, 2014 12:26 PM |
[quote] “If he had taken the time, he would have known, like you do, that my daughter is not a sore loser, and does not become emotional solely over losing a game,”
I truly loathe this type of entitled parental thinking. They think they're making an argument when they're actually proving the point.
by Anonymous | reply 6 | December 17, 2014 12:27 PM |
God, this is hilarious. Alex is many things, but warm and huggy he is not.
Wish they'd just get rid of the kid's tournament. Between that kid a couple of years ago who went to the media and cried because he spelled his Final Jeopardy answer wrong and was ruled incorrect and now this nonsense, the entitled brats and their parents are starting to make the whole thing suck.
by Anonymous | reply 7 | December 17, 2014 12:28 PM |
Retape the segment? Give me a break.
Anybody remember an episode when a girl stormed off crying?
by Anonymous | reply 8 | December 17, 2014 12:31 PM |
[quote] She was upset about not being able to completely play the game to the end,” she continued. “I don’t think I’ll ever forgive him for that.
Um, correct me if I'm wrong, but the RULES OF THE GAME dictate that if you have a negative score at the end of the Double Jeopardy round, then you are INELIGIBLE to compete in the Final Jeopardy round.
THOSE ARE THE FUCKING RULES!
So this frau is asking for the rules to be changed for her precious little snowflake?
Or perhaps Alex should have let her participate in Final Jeopardy because she was crying? And because she wasn't good enough to make it to the Final Jeopardy round?
O.M.G.
This helicopter parenting shit has become fucking ridiculous.
I weep for the future.
by Anonymous | reply 9 | December 17, 2014 12:35 PM |
If a celebrity had made an embarrasing scene, they would have retaped it.
Or if Alex himself had embarrased himself, they would have retpaed it.
But not so for a little kid.
by Anonymous | reply 10 | December 17, 2014 12:57 PM |
Before piling on to the mom too much, at least let me say this: Alex Trebek is an awful person. I was a Jeopardy contestant eons ago (won 2 games!), and Alex never eased up one bit from his condescending, smug attitude, and never let contestants forget that he was richer and smarter than they could ever hope to be.
If you go onto any Jeopardy forum you can see tons of former contestants with their Alex stories.
Not to mention, I seriously doubt the facts of this story are correct as reported above. It doesn't make much sense that the Jeopardy mom was complaining that her daughter didn't get to play final Jeopardy because she was in the red. Those are the rules. I think the writer is kind of making things up about the 'why' of the girl and the mom's behaviors (ie because the writer doesn't know the Jeopardy rules, and is sensationalizing the story).
Seems to me that the real story was that the mom was upset that Alex didn't do anything to try comfort a girl who was upset that she wasn't going to the finals. In all likelihood this is a very bright girl not used to any kind of failure, particularly in a knowledge arena.
Alex is a total dick. I am just not inclined to believe his side of the story is the right one in most of these contestant issues.
by Anonymous | reply 11 | December 17, 2014 1:02 PM |
It's not the host's job to comfort a girl who lost. I am sure there are plenty of handlers behind the scenes.
The mom was directly quoted as well.
by Anonymous | reply 12 | December 17, 2014 1:27 PM |
I want to see the video...but the Post doesn't have it
by Anonymous | reply 13 | December 17, 2014 1:28 PM |
Mom is a cunt, fuck her.
by Anonymous | reply 14 | December 17, 2014 1:31 PM |
R10 = Frau Fraulina.
Think of the CHILDREN!
Fuck her. She shouldn't have gone on television if she couldn't take it. Little cunt.
by Anonymous | reply 15 | December 17, 2014 1:31 PM |
I don't watch the show. You mean they showed the kid running off crying? R10 is making it sound that way.
by Anonymous | reply 16 | December 17, 2014 1:36 PM |
The poor girl!
by Anonymous | reply 17 | December 17, 2014 1:40 PM |
Why should they cater to the psycho mom? Her daughter is DUMB and lost out. End of game. Sounds like the mother is money hungry and is using this to get her dumb dumb daughter back on the show, which is unfair to the other contestants. Fuck her. Ignore her. Why are they even making a big deal about this? What a bunch of assholes.
by Anonymous | reply 18 | December 17, 2014 1:41 PM |
The mom comes off as completely unhinged. Little wonder that her spawn is an entitled nightmare.
by Anonymous | reply 19 | December 17, 2014 1:41 PM |
If you READ the note, it wasn't the helicopter mom who caused him to quit but the repeated lack of corporate support from his employer.
by Anonymous | reply 20 | December 17, 2014 1:45 PM |
R20, If you READ the article you would see that Trebek didn't quit.
by Anonymous | reply 21 | December 17, 2014 1:47 PM |
R11, he can be a douche and the mother can be entitled.
by Anonymous | reply 22 | December 17, 2014 1:48 PM |
Does mommy also berate teachers to let her precious retake tests she doesn't do well on?
by Anonymous | reply 23 | December 17, 2014 1:51 PM |
At least [bold]she[/bold] actually got on. They told [bold]me[/bold] America wouldn't root for me.
by Anonymous | reply 24 | December 17, 2014 1:58 PM |
Oh for fuck's sake, you goddamned drama queens. The girl isn't a cunt and the mom isn't a psycho. If this is all it takes for some of you to think of a person as a cunt or a psycho, lord help us all. You must have a dozen meltdowns every day. "That cunt didn't wait two seconds at the stop sign! That psycho took six whole ketchup packets!"
Meanwhile, in the real world, the rest of us know that producers aren't going to waste money just to condescend to a helicopter mom. There was clearly a reason for asking for reshoots instead of just editing the show. That you guys (and Trebek) would act as though the production is going to be put on hold for no good reason is patently ridiculous. That's not how shows work. That's not how they make money.
by Anonymous | reply 25 | December 17, 2014 1:59 PM |
[quote]THOSE ARE THE FUCKING RULES!
Some children transcend rules.
by Anonymous | reply 26 | December 17, 2014 2:05 PM |
You know the rules, and so do I.
by Anonymous | reply 27 | December 17, 2014 2:06 PM |
I love you, R27.
by Anonymous | reply 28 | December 17, 2014 2:10 PM |
I know how she feels.
by Anonymous | reply 29 | December 17, 2014 2:11 PM |
You know what I would like to see happen. I'd like to see some fucking frau's kid get hit and killed by a drunk and young driver, and the DRIVER's parents say, "but my special snowflake shouldn't go to jail or have ANY fines or ANYthing happen to him; he didn't MEAN to hit and kill YOUR precious snowflake! He struggled in school! He's not to blame for ANYthing!
And then see what the dead snowflake's parents would say to THAT.
(Yes, I sound vindictive, sorry.)
Re Trebek, though: fucking closet case; we ALL know this (used to LOVE the on-point SNL sketch about this!). Must have paid the beard well to marry him and have 2 kids; Christ, he used to, even in recent years, rich and famous LIVE WITH HIS MOTHER!!!; ANYway:
I'm glad these Sony emails were leaked; what a fucking pussy drama queen Trebek is, to threatened to quit over this...not sure WHO is the bigger asshole here, him or the parents.
by Anonymous | reply 30 | December 17, 2014 2:14 PM |
This is what happens when you turn into a society that gives everyone a trophy.
by Anonymous | reply 31 | December 17, 2014 2:33 PM |
Where's the video?!
by Anonymous | reply 33 | December 17, 2014 3:46 PM |
I am a faithful viewer, but missed that show. Would like to see how it was handled.
by Anonymous | reply 34 | December 17, 2014 3:57 PM |
[quote]my daughter is not a sore loser, and does not become emotional solely over losing a game
[quote]She was upset about not being able to completely play the game to the end
So... which is it? She was upset, but not emotional?
I'm not sure what Mom expected Alex to do. Chase the child off-stage to bring her back? Not really his job, IMO.
I know not everyone is a Trebek fan, and I'm neutral on him myself. But he seems pretty consistent and even-handed with the contestants, which is all you can ask for.
by Anonymous | reply 35 | December 17, 2014 4:07 PM |
So did the reshoot it?
by Anonymous | reply 36 | December 17, 2014 4:18 PM |
Okay, now I think I see what set Mom off. The link below is what Alex said at the beginning of the game after the one where the girl bombed out before Final Jeopardy.
by Anonymous | reply 37 | December 17, 2014 4:20 PM |
He can be a cunt sometimes, but I'm totally Team Trebek this time.
by Anonymous | reply 39 | December 17, 2014 4:41 PM |
Gabby is so dumb! Dumb cunt bitch.
by Anonymous | reply 40 | December 17, 2014 4:41 PM |
What am I missing? I didn't see the girl cry or run off the stage or anything like that. So, does that mean that the ending was reshot?
by Anonymous | reply 41 | December 17, 2014 5:28 PM |
I am pretty sure the mother wanted the ending reshot so that it didn't show her kid bursting into tears and storming off the set. Once she was composed, she probably wanted to re-do the ending, wrong answer and all, so she could have made a gracious exit. On the one hand, I can see how this could be horribly embarrassing for the girl and her family. It could really be one of those life-altering moments. It wouldn't have killed Alex to agree. On the other hand, you can't go coddling everyone, and making life painless. If it was a life-altering moment, I hope it was a positive experience where she learned not to take everything so seriously and that she's not always going to win.
by Anonymous | reply 42 | December 17, 2014 5:51 PM |
R41, I think the mom was upset about what Alex said at the beginning of the next game, about how young people are more emotional and unaccustomed to losing. Alex's rant references retaping the opening, so that's got to be what set the mom off.
by Anonymous | reply 43 | December 17, 2014 5:57 PM |
There are no bad kids, just shitty parents.
by Anonymous | reply 44 | December 17, 2014 6:18 PM |
Alex is the best dressed man on television.
He is also MENSA.
He also does not have a sense of humor.
I love Jeopardy.
by Anonymous | reply 45 | December 17, 2014 6:21 PM |
Usually the third place contestant comes back for the ending shot under the credits and Alex is talking to everybody.
Gabby was MIA for the final shot....just the two other kids.
As I said in the other JEOPARDY thread, at least she didn't have to waste any time on Final Jeopardy, she could get started on that cancer cure sooner.
by Anonymous | reply 46 | December 17, 2014 6:22 PM |
And R44 is correct.
For every Nellie there is a Harriet. Don't be a Harriet.
by Anonymous | reply 47 | December 17, 2014 6:24 PM |
Cerulean is going to be President one day.
by Anonymous | reply 48 | December 17, 2014 6:26 PM |
[quote]“If I’m making mistakes and saying things you don’t like, maybe it’s time for me to move on,” Trebek wrote to producers.
He's just NOW realizing that?
by Anonymous | reply 49 | December 17, 2014 6:34 PM |
My co-worker thinks Alex is hot! He watches the show for him, thinks there is something weirdly sexy about him. I hear about Alex everyday...
Bet Alex is into all kinds of weird sex shit.
by Anonymous | reply 50 | December 17, 2014 6:35 PM |
The RULES Mr Kotter, Vinnie isn't following the RULES.
by Anonymous | reply 51 | December 17, 2014 6:37 PM |
R50, you have no idea.
by Anonymous | reply 52 | December 17, 2014 6:38 PM |
Did anybody see the "Price Is Right" backstage episode they put online a few months ago? It's genuinely very cool, it's a multi-camera live feed of a PIR taping in real time so you see what happens during commercial breaks and in the producers' booth when contestants are playing, etc. Totally worth an hour of your life if you're into TV Production at all.
But the thing that struck me about it is how generally uninvolved in everything Drew Carey is. The show is run by countless other producers and wranglers and warmup people and what-have-you - Carey shows up when it's time for the shot, reads what's on the cards, and goes backstage for commercials.
If you watch the show, it's all Carey all the time. But in actuality he's just a prop who's there to read the lines. I imagine Trebek is probably in a similar position at this point - at home we think he's the host and is in charge, but he's probably just hitting his marks and doing his thing. I don't think he cares one whit about any single contestant that's ever been onstage.
Anyway, totally team Trebek. And check out the PIR ep below.
by Anonymous | reply 53 | December 17, 2014 6:38 PM |
I'm glad he didn't give in to the frau. There are rules for the show, the kid lost, sorry but the kid isn't as smart as the rest. Why should that kid be given a second chance when no one else is?
by Anonymous | reply 54 | December 17, 2014 7:24 PM |
Alex is excellent at his job and he speaks proper English, which I appreciate.
by Anonymous | reply 55 | December 17, 2014 7:27 PM |
In today's world he'd be dug up and forced to retape it.
by Anonymous | reply 56 | November 9, 2020 2:49 PM |