What We Learned from Aaron Rodgers’ First Week Hosting ‘Jeopardy!’

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We are now halfway through the two weeks that Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers will be the guest host on “Jeopardy.”

Rodgers had already been on the show as a contestant on “Celebrity Jeopardy” when the late Alex Trebek was the host. Now, he took his turn as one of several rotating guest hosts after Trebek’s untimely passing from cancer.

Here are five things we learned from Rodgers’ first week as guest host on “Jeopardy”:

  1. Rodgers Has a Sense of Humor

One contestant chose to play a little joke on Rodgers during a Double Jeopardy question. Although he knew the right question, the contestant decided to poke fun at Rodgers and wrote, “Who wanted to kick that field goal?” a direct reference to Matt LaFleur’s controversial decision to kick a field goal late in the NFC Championship Game.

Rodgers responded, “That is a great question, should be correct, but unfortunately for this game today, it’s incorrect,” Rodgers responded.

Rodgers enjoyed the joke and later said it was his favorite moment of his first week as guest host. You must give him credit for keeping his sense of humor.

  1. His Fiancée Loved Watching Him

Rodgers’ fiancée Shailene Woodley has been supportive of Rodgers during the week. She was excited about this opportunity and referred to him as “sexy” on social media.

Clearly, Woodley is enjoying seeing her significant other hosting the show and that only adds to the enjoyment the Packers quarterback is having while hosting the show.

  1. Rodgers Has Raised Money for Charity

As guest host, Rodgers gets to raise money for charity for his efforts. He chose to support the North Valley Community Foundation, an organization that supports local small business in and around his hometown of Chico, California, that were hurt by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Through the first week of Rodgers’ hosting, “Jeopardy” has donated $117,725.00 to this charity. Rodgers indicated he was pleased with the impact this money can make.

“[That donation] is an incredible amount of money that’s going to go so far and change so many people’s lives,” Rodgers said. “People who have lost hope. Businesses that are on the brink of bankruptcy. This cause means a lot to me, and I’m very, very thankful for the money that we raised.”

The amount is determined by the money won by the contestants during the week Rodgers is the host. Hopefully, the donations from the second week will be at least as high as what they contestants were able to help raise in his first week on the job.

  1. Preparation Is the Key

Rodgers used many of the same traits that have made him a successful NFL quarterback to get ready for his guest appearances on “Jeopardy.”

In the NFL, Rodgers studies film, works on reading defenses and spends a lot of time practicing before he plays in a live game.

He used similar tactics to prepare to be a game show host. Here’s how Rodgers discussed his preparations for hosting “Jeopardy.”

“I would watch the show on mute. That was a good way to practice. So, you watch the show on mute, and you practice reading the clues and then calling on the contestants,” Rodgers explained. “That was a fun way of doing it because it’s different from when you’re sitting on the couch playing to when you’re controlling everything. You’ve got to learn the form. It’s looking down to read the clue and then looking up to call on a contestant and also understanding what the answer is in case none of the contestants get it right, and then realizing at that point that you’ve got to work on your posture and where you’re looking and know who you’re talking to when you give that response. There were so many little things that were important for Alex being so smooth that I just wanted to be sure I had down.”

We see Rodgers using the same hard work and attention to detail that made him so successful in the NFL to help him get ready for hosting a popular television game show. The preparation paid off and Rodgers has done a great job as guest host.

  1. Rodgers May Just Want the Job Long-Term

The Packers quarterback has indicated he may want the “Jeopardy” gig full-time. But don’t worry, Packers fans, he isn’t thinking of retiring just yet. Rodgers is confident he can easily handle both jobs.

“I’m not shy at all about saying I want the job,” Rodgers admitted. “I don’t think I’d need to give up football to do it. They film 46 days a year. I worked 187 this year in Green Bay. That gives me … 178 days to do ‘Jeopardy!’ So, I feel like I could fit 46 into that 178 and make it work. It would be a dream job, for sure.”

Rodgers is just one of several guest hosts who may be interested in the job. Other people who had a chance to host the show include former “Jeopardy” champ Ken Jennings, Anderson Cooper, Dr. Oz and Mayim Bialik.

So, even if Rodgers gets the full-time gig, he will still be back under center in 2021 and beyond.

It remains to be seen what we’ll see from Rodgers in his second week as host.

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