CULVER CITY (CNS) - Episodes of “Jeopardy!” hosted by “Good Morning America” anchor Robin Roberts begin airing tonight, with contestant winnings during her weeklong tenure matched by the game show and donated to the bone marrow registry Be The Match.
“A stem cell transplant saved my life in 2012,” Roberts said in an interview posted on the “Jeopardy” website. She was diagnosed with the bone marrow disease myelodysplastic syndrome.
“(I'm) grateful my sister was the donor. So many times that is not the case. People think a family member is automatic. It doesn't happen but 30% of the time so 70% of the time you need someone off a registry like Be The Match.”
A contribution of $147,396 was made to No Kid Hungry, a campaign of the nonprofit organization Share Our Strength committed to ending childhood hunger in the United States, for the one-week stint of Roberts' fellow “Good Morning America” anchor George Stephanopoulos as guest host, which ended Friday.
“Jeopardy!” has donated $2,041,416 to its guest hosts' charities of choice. The amount is determined by the cumulative winnings of the contestants during their weeks as host.
The show also matched the $250,000 grand prize for the 2021 “Jeopardy!” Tournament of Champions and donated that amount to the Hope of the Valley Trebek Center for the Homeless at the former site of the Skateland roller rink in Northridge.
The purchase of the rink was financed in part by a $500,000 donation from the late “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek and his wife Jean.
Roberts said that as guest host she hoped to bring “a little of the spirit that (Trebek) brought each and every time he was here in the studio.”
“Jeopardy!” has turned to guest hosts to fill the role held by Trebek since its syndicated revival began in 1984. Trebek died Nov. 8 from pancreatic cancer at the age of 80. Actor LeVar Burton will follow Roberts as guest host, with his episodes airing July 26-30.
“Our goal has been to present a wide variety of guest hosts with different skill sets and backgrounds on our path to finding a permanent host,” executive producer Mike Richards said.
“Our passionate fans are telling us what they like and we are listening. All of the guest hosts have brought individualism, energy and an authentic love of our show to each of their episodes.”