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Aaron Rodgers salutes Alex Trebek during 'Jeopardy!' guest hosting debut
He also had the perfect reaction to a contestant's Final Jeopardy answer.
NFL star Aaron Rodgers kicked off his first week of guest hosting "Jeopardy!" and before he could challenge the contestants, he took a moment to honor his hero, Alex Trebek.
The 37-year-old Green Bay Packers quarterback introduced himself as a "lifelong fan" and said it was "an incredible honor to guest host."
Rodgers isn't only a dedicated fan of the game show; he also won "Celebrity Jeopardy!" in 2015 -- an experience he said he will cherish forever.
"Now, I've had the opportunity to do a lot of amazing things, but winning 'Celebrity Jeopardy!' and getting to share the stage with the legend Alex Trebek is something I will never forget," the athlete said. "Alex was such a gentleman. So smart, so precise, I was in awe."
Rodgers promised he will "work hard to honor his legacy."
His debut episode also ended on a memorable note when one contestant opted to tease the quarterback instead of jotting down the correct response in the Final Jeopardy round.
Scott, the two-day reigning champion, referenced the controversial decision made by Packers coach Matt LaFleur that fans say handed the NFC Championship to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
LaFleur directed the team to score a late-game field goal from the 8-yard line and, consequentially, Tom Brady regained the ball.
When Rodgers called on Scott to see if he had the correct response, the poker-faced contestant instead wrote, "Who wanted to kick that field goal?"
"That is a great question," Rodgers chuckled. "It should be correct, but for this game today, that's incorrect."
Trebek died Nov. 8, 2020, from pancreatic cancer. Until the game show selects a permanent replacement, celebrity guest hosts like Rodgers will be manning the podium.
