Article from The Detroit Free Press posted on Friday, November 20, 2009.

DEARBORN -- Let's try "Celebrities in town" for $200. Answer: The host of a beloved game show who visited metro Detroit Thursday.

Who is Alex Trebek of "Jeopardy!"?

Yes, that's correct. The host of the knowledge competition spent most of Thursday in Dearborn filming video clues at Ford Motor Co. locations, including the Ford Research and Innovation Center.

Auto-themed questions aren't something "Jeopardy!" features a lot, "but this year, it's going to change, because we've just done two whole categories here," said Trebek during a break in taping.

Trebek said the shows featuring the clues should air in January or February on WDIV-TV (Channel 4), where the syndicated program is a ratings hit at 7:30 p.m.

The "Jeopardy!" Clue Crew usually handles such filming tasks, but Trebek said he got involved in this trip as a way to demonstrate support for local viewers.

"We just wanted ... to show you folks here in Michigan that, hey, we understand what you're going through."

Ford spokeswoman Kelli Felker said there is no advertising tie-in connected to the visit.

Before filming outside the Research and Innovation Center, Trebek joked that he was here to help Ford build a new car. He reminisced about his ties to metro Detroit (two aunts lived here in the 1950s, and his mother worked here as a governess) and trips for past events, like the time he played against his hero, Red Wings legend Gordie Howe, at a celebrity hockey match.

Asked whether people from Michigan make good "Jeopardy!" players, he said diplomatically that there are good players everywhere, noting that a well-known champion, Chuck Forrest, was from Grand Blanc.

Calling himself "a car guy, sort of," Trebek admitted he had his eye on a certain vehicle.

"I took one look at that Raptor and I'm thinking, yep, that's the way to go," he said.