Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune will not have studio audiences present amid coronavirus concerns … as Alex Trebek is fighting stage 4 pancreatic cancer
- Sony-produced shows are due to film in mid-April in Culver City, California
- CBS last week halted production on The Amazing Race
- Demographics indicate audience has an average age of more than 60 years old
- CDC says people 60 and older stand at an extra risk of contracting virus
The gameshows Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune will not have studio audiences present for the immediate future as a precautionary measure to the coronavirus prevention.
The stalwart television shows, which are produced by Sony, are due to film in mid-April in Culver City, California, insiders told The Hollywood Reporter Monday.
The decision comes as Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek, 79, is fighting stage 4 pancreatic cancer, which includes chemotherapy treatments.
Change of plans: The gameshows Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune will not have studio audiences present for the immediate future as a precautionary measure to the coronavirus prevention. Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek, 79, is fighting stage 4 pancreatic cancer, which includes chemotherapy treatments
CBS last week halted production on its long-running show The Amazing Race in response to growing concerns about the ailment.
Demographics indicate that audience members for the shows have an average age of more than 60 years old, a group the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says stands at an additional hazard of contracting the virus.
The CDC says that the coronavirus can exacerbate conditions in pre-existing conditions of older adults.
The World Health Organization said that most people can recover from the illness in two weeks if it’s mild, while those who are impacted by a more severe strain can take between three and six weeks to heal.
Adapting: White and Sajak will film the show without a studio audience present
Stalwart: Trebek was snapped in Hollywood in November
Stalwart: Trebek has been the host of the syndicated game show for more than 35 years
Trebek a year ago revealed his cancer diagnosis in a video clip, telling his fans, ‘Hi everyone, I have some news to share with all of you. And it’s in keeping with my longtime policy of being open and transparent with our Jeopardy fan base.’
Trebek said he ‘wanted to be the one to pass along this information’ in an effort to shield his fans ‘from reading or hearing some overblown or inaccurate reports’ in regards to his health.
Speaking to ABC News in December, he said he was grateful and fulfilled for all of the well-wishes he received in the wake of the announcement.
‘I have learned something in the past year and it’s this: We don’t know when we’re going to die,’ he said. ‘Because of the cancer diagnosis, it’s no longer an open-ended life, it’s a closed-ended life because of the terrible survival rates of pancreatic cancer.
‘Because of that, and something else that is operating here, people all over America and abroad have decided they want to let me know now, while I’m alive, about the impact that I’ve been having on their existence.’