NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers prepped with "intensity" for his "Jeopardy!" guest host role in hope of landing the gig after the death of longtime host Alex Trebek, a former producer said.
Show executives decided to test out a number of guest hosts in 2021 to find a replacement for Trebek and better gauge audience interest. Rodgers, the fifth host, began his two-week stint in April.
"Aaron Rodgers was definitely the most prepared," former producer Mike Richards told People magazine. "I was blown away by that, the intensity in which he prepped, and he was so lovely to everyone on staff."
But ultimately, Richards worried Rodgers' other "pretty high level" career would pose challenges to his hosting "Jeopardy!" permanently.
"I was like, 'How are you going to work this out with football scheduling?' He said, 'You'll figure it out!'" Richards recounted.
Rodgers "really wanted the job" because he was a fan of the game show. He won "Celebrity Jeopardy!" in 2015, defeating "Shark Tank" panelist Kevin O’Leary and Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz.
"There's a lot of nostalgia, I think, wrapped up in this show for me because I used to watch it when I was a kid," Rodgers said in a "Jeopardy!" interview in 2021.
"It's been a staple in my house, whether I watch it live or it's recorded. I think probably 90% of my TiVo is wrapped up in 'Jeopardy!' episodes," he joked.
