Who Is Alex Faust? New Details About The Man Rumored To Be Alex Trebek's Replacement On 'Jeopardy'
He's only 28 years old.
instagram We all know Alex Trebek as the host of Jeopardy! Trebek has been a staple of the show since 1984, but he has announced his plans to (most likely) retire when his contract is up in 2020.
While appearing on TMZ’s show OBJECTified, which airs on Fox News, Trebek told host Harvey Levin that there’s a “less than 50 percent chance” of him extending his contract to continue as the host.
But even more interesting is who Trebek wants to replace him. He named Alex Faust as his pick, but just who is Alex Faust? Here are 9 things to know about the potential Jeopardy! replacement.
1. He’s a sports announcer.
Faust has called college football and basketball games for ESPNU. He was also a radio broadcaster for the Utica Comets and was the voice of Northeastern University’s men’s basketball program. In 2016, he became one of the youngest commentators to work on an NCAA tournament.
2. He’s young.
Faust is only 28 years old, making him probably one of the youngest sports announcers in the industry.
According to Faust, there’s something that sets him apart from others, “I don’t like to be pretentious. I think there’s a difference in the way that I call the game that folks may not be used to. I don’t necessarily do as much of a mechanical radio style as you may see elsewhere. And that’s evolved into my style on TV.”
3. This isn’t his first rodeo.
When Bob Miller, the broadcaster for the LA Kings, retired after 44 seasons with the team, Faust replaced him.
He told the Los Angeles Times, “The expectation isn’t that I’m going to replace Bob Miller because that’s just impossible to do. When you’re there for 44 years, you build up a rapport with the audience and you build a relationship with the audience, and I know he developed a relationship even beyond the TV sphere of going out and meeting people at events or meeting fans at games. That’s part of the job responsibility for me, for me to get to know fans, for fans to get to know me, and hopefully it all works out over the long haul.”
4. He’s a college graduate.
Faust has a degree in political science and economics, which he obtained from Northeastern University.
5. He’s engaged.
Upon finding out that he had gotten the job with the LA Kings, Faust proposed to his now-fiance, Carolyn Costa. How sweet is that?!
6. He grew up watching hockey.
Which is good news for him, since that’s what he gets to report on! Faust is a Brooklyn native, so it’s no wonder he spent a lot of time at Madison Square Garden watching hockey. It’s also one of the venues he’s broadcasted from.
7. He didn’t always work in sports.
After getting his degree, he worked as a data analyst for a time to get his finances in order. Thankfully, he eventually got his foot in the door and has been a sports broadcaster ever since.
8. He’s modest.
When he began working for the LA Kings, it’s normal that he’d get upgraded flights and some kind of special treatment. But he certainly wasn't used to it.
“I'm so used to commercial travel. Even though the meals are great, the first-class seats are nice — I've flown enough where I get the first-class upgrades on Delta — but I love that the Wi-Fi is free! That's what I'm looking forward to! Five hours of uninterrupted free Wi-Fi working. We had a little taste of it with the charter to San Jose and that was my first charter experience. Even that was fun and I can't wait for the big cross-country flight,” he joked.
9. He was flattered by Trebek’s recommendation.
Faust was quick to tweet about his reactions to seeing his name in the news:
Samantha Maffucci is an associate editor for YourTango. In her free time, you can find her obsessing about cats, wine, and all things Vanderpump Rules.