Jeopardy! recently aired its first episodes without Alex Trebek, and while Ken Jennings was the first replacement host, he will not be the last. Another prominent champion from Jeopardy will return to serve as a guest host, though it's fair to say his accolades as a champion outside the show are far greater. NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers will step behind the podium and work on saying "Daily Double" as opposed to "discount double-check."
Aaron Rodgers has played for the Green Bay Packers since he was drafted by the team in 2005 and has accumulated several accolades and a Super Bowl title in his time there. Now, he has revealed to The Pat McAfee Show that he'll be one of Jeopardy's guest hosts, returning for the first time since his win on Celebrity Jeopardy!.
One of my idols growing up was Alex Trebek and being able to be on Jeopardy! years ago, even though my outfit wasn’t the greatest choice … they’re doing some guest hosting spots, and it’s going to be released here pretty soon, but I have the opportunity to be one of those.
Aaron Rodgers' last appearance on Jeopardy! as a contestant was back in 2015, where he took on Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary and former astronaut Mark Kelly. The quarterback emerged from the competition victorious, which netted him a $50,000 check he donated to the Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer Fund. The check was a blanket donation not reflective of Rodgers' final total on the episode, which was $8,399. Rodgers did originally head into the final question with $12,800, but a wrong answer cut into his final total considerably.
The announcement of Aaron Rodgers as an upcoming Jeopardy! host is a bit surprising and may really have some wondering who else is on the list of names that will guest host the game show. Past notable winners of the show and celebrities were a given, but I'd wager there were very few who expected a prominent NFL player to lend his talent to the show. Of course, Aaron Rodgers' stint will presumably be a short one, and he will likely not be the actual host of the program after this period of guest hosts is up.
This means that the hunt for someone to fill Alex Trebek's shoes is still on, though Jeopardy! may be in no rush to find a permanent replacement. Cycling in and out guest stars and notable celebrities may help the show distance the eventual successor from quite so many Trebek comparisons. Still, that may be impossible to avoid no matter how much time passes. As Ken Jennings said in his debut, no one will ever be able to replace Trebek, so the best they can do is honor him by continuing to play the game.
Now that Aaron Rodgers has emerged as a guest host of Jeopardy! few may have expected, who do you think would be a good fit? Let us know in the comments, and continue to stick with CinemaBlend for more on the show and other news in television and movies.
