Ken Jennings opens ‘Jeopardy’ with emotional farewell to Alex Trebek

Ken's obviously known as the greatest "Jeopardy!" contestant of all time, but when it comes to his hosting chops. he's previously made it clear, "There will only ever be one Alex Trebek". 'I know exactly how they feel when they see anybody else behind this lectern.

The short answer is he's serving at the pleasure of Jeopardy and will host for as long as the show wants him or needs him to.

Jennings, a Jeopardy! super champion who went on a 74-game winning streak will pick up season 37 of the game show.

Trebek, who had hosted Jeopardy! for 36 years, kept working for almost two years after his diagnosis with pancreatic cancer. A longtime friend of the game show, Jennings, 46, knows the tics and rhythms of an episode, and loved Trebek as much as (or more than) the rest of us.

In an interview with Good Morning America on Monday, Jennings revealed that he spoke to Trebek on the weekend he died.

"I'm just happy to fill in and help out", Jennings, who won the title of Greatest of All Time previous year, said.

A video tribute to Trebek closed Friday's episode of the quiz show, the final one that he taped before pancreatic cancer claimed his life on November 8.

He's also the host of new series "The Chase" along with his fellow "Jeopardy!".

Trebek's final day of filming was October 29, just 10 days before he died, according to a statement from the show.

"I don't want to have it because it means we don't get Alex", Jennings says. "The Greatest of All Time" competition which aired last January.

"It's just hard to imagine that in the TV landscape today, a star of his size saying, "Hey, the game is not about you" - but that was great advice".