NFL star Aaron Rodgers will guest host Jeopardy!
Sure, he's a Super Bowl champ and two-time MVP, but Aaron Rodgers is finally fulfilling another lifelong goal: hosting Jeopardy!
Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday, the NFL star said "one of my idols growing up was Alex Trebek."
"They're doing some guest hosting spots and it's going to be released here pretty soon, but I have the opportunity to do one of those," Rodgers said. "I'm excited about that opportunity with Jeopardy!"
While some may find Rodgers an unconventional choice, the athlete is a fan of the show and actually won his game of Celebrity Jeopardy! in 2015. He dominated over Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary and retired astronaut (and now senator) Mark Kelly to earn $50,000 for Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer.
As you can see below, Rodgers proved himself a formidable trivia buff, especially sweeping the floor with his competitors in the Leaders of the Pack category.
At a Packers press conference later on Tuesday, Rodgers admitted he might have "jumped the gun" on his announcement due to his excitement.
"I just got so excited on the show earlier. It just went down the last couple of days, us figuring it out. It is very exciting," he told reporters, adding that he'd be hosting during the off-season.
"The show has been so special to me over the years. It's been a staple at my house here in Green Bay for the last 16 years — six o'clock watching Alex and trying to get as many questions as I can," he added.
"When the opportunity came up in 2015, I mean that was a dream come true to be on there," Rodgers said. "To get to meet Alex was just such a special moment, and we're all obviously sad about his passing.
"There's this nostalgic connection to certain figures in our life based on our childhood and where we were and those times we had those memories. It almost makes these people feel like family, like you know them," he said.
Jeopardy! champ Ken Jennings made his guest host debut on Monday, and he got choked up talking about Trebek.
"Like all Jeopardy! fans, I miss Alex. Very much. And I thank him for everything he did for all of us," he said. "Let's be totally clear: No one will ever replace the great Alex Trebek, but we can honor him by playing the game he loved."
Like Jennings, Rodgers will be among a series of interim hosts before a permanent replacement for Trebek is selected.
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