If “Who Is Alex Trebek?” was your answer to the above clue, then please add some money to your total Jeopardy! winnings because Trebek has indeed returned to the new season of Jeopardy! with a stylish silver beard. This is a huge change for the traditionally low-key game show, which tends to reject any attempts to step outside of the norm (just ask most Jeopardy! fans how they feel about Daily Double hunters), so it seems like Trebek is setting up season 35 to be Jeopardy!’s most controversial year yet.
As noted by The Wrap, the show’s social media accounts have been playing up the whole beard thing, first with a little clip of bearded Trebek and then by directly asking fans whether or not they prefer beard Trebek or babyface Trebek.
It may seem like a tough call, since Jeopardy! viewers hate change, but there’s really no contest here. Classic mustache Trebek was obviously better than babyface Trebek, and beard Trebek is just the natural evolution of that iconic variation, so it’s obviously the only choice worth considering. Plus, beards are cool and Alex Trebek is cool, so we see no reason to support the clean-shaven option. Oh, and while we’re here: Jumping across the board to find the Daily Doubles or avoid hard categories is a totally legitimate way to play the game.