Ken Jennings? LeVar Burton? Steve Kornacki? As ‘Jeopardy!' Airs Alex Trebek's Final Show, a Look at Who Could Succeed the Legendary Host

As difficult as it may be for some viewers to see someone other than Trebek at the helm, the show will go on.

Friday evening marks the final posthumous "Jeopardy!" episode for beloved host Alex Trebek. Trebek died on Nov. 8 after being diagnosed and treated for pancreatic cancer.

A permanent "Jeopardy!" successor hasn't been named. Longtime "Jeopardy!" champion Ken Jennings will be the first of a planned series of guest hosts on episodes that begin appearing next week. As difficult as it may be for some viewers to see someone other than Trebek at the helm, the show will go on. Here's a look at some of his possible replacements.

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Ken Jennings

Ken Jennings (Ron Batzdorff/ABC via Getty Images)

The aforementioned Jennings at one point appeared to be a consensus choice among viewers of the show. But in recent months the one time contestant has had a few bumps in the road. Jennings recently got drawn into a social media quagmire involving John Roderick, a musician now known as #BeanDad. Roderick, a friend who co-hosts a podcast with Jennings, became an online pariah after posting a Twitter thread about refusing to help his hungry young daughter open a can of baked beans. Jennings was slammed for coming to his defense.

He later took to Twitter to apologize after past tweets that he described as "unartful and insensitive" surfaced online. He added, "Sometimes I said dumb things in a dumb way and I want to apologize to people who were (rightfully!) offended. It wasn't my intention to hurt anyone, but that doesn't matter: I screwed up, and I'm truly sorry."

LeVar Burton

LeVar Burton (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)

Tens of thousands of fans have already made their feelings known about Burton via the petition site Change.org calling for the Emmy-winning "Reading Rainbow" host to be the next "Jeopardy!" host.

The children's TV mainstay, director and "Star Trek: The Next Generation" star responded to the petition, tweeting: "Of course while I’m very flattered by the petition, my thoughts are definitely with Alex Trebek’s family and his millions of fans and the devastating loss of this irreplaceable legend."

Katie Couric

Katie Couric (Photo by Rachel Murray/Getty Images for MAKERS)

Seem like an odd fit? Perhaps. But former "Today" co-host and "CBS Evening News" anchor Couric is one of the personalities who will fill in as a guest host in the coming weeks, leading to speculation she could be considered for a permanent role.

Steve Kornacki

NBC News Journalist Steve Kornacki (Photo By: NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

He's the MSNBC political correspondent who has become an unlikely heartthrob in khakis with a rabid cult following because of his election night analysis. There's a groundswell of supporters who would love to see Kornacki take up the "Jeopardy!" mantle.

George Stephanopoulos

George Stephanopoulos (Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images)

The news journalist who co-anchors “Good Morning America” on ABC reportedly expressed interest in the role last year, telling Howard Stern whoever takes over for Trebek would have “big shoes to fill.” “I think it would be a lot of fun,” he told Stern. “But I like what I’m doing, too.”

Ryan Seacrest

Ryan Seacrest (Photo by FOX via Getty Images)

Perhaps because it's the only job he doesn't currently have, Ryan Seacrest's name has also been floated as a possible replacement. But hard to see how he'd manage both this and his current gig co-hosting "Live with Kelly and Ryan" with Kelly Ripa.

Neil deGrasse Tyson

Neil DeGrasse Tyson (Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images)

Despite saying he wasn't interested in the role in September, Neil deGrasse Tyson has still been cited by fans of the show as a potential successor.