Filling Alex Trebek’s shoes is most likely an impossible task. But Jeopardy! is looking for a new permanent host. And Anderson Cooper is the latest to take on the role of guest-hosting.
The position is never an easy thing to do. There is already a lot of pressure to perform well, but when the bar is set to Alex Trebek’s standards, there is even more pressure.
Nonetheless, Anderson Cooper will certainly do all that he can to honor the late Jeopardy! host’s legacy. However, when he first stood behind Alex Trebek’s podium, it was overwhelming. He had to take a moment, just to breathe and find his footing again.
Cooper has gotten to be on Jeopardy! four times over the years, all with Alex Trebek as the host. Even though the CNN host has his own popularity, he was still star-struck in Trebek’s presence.
So, even though Anderson Cooper is on television a lot nowadays, the moment felt huge for the guest host. Recently, he sat down to a virtual chat with Ken Jennings to talk about the game show. During the interview, the two covered a lot of topics, including Trebek’s legacy.
Anderson Cooper Was Taken Aback When He Stepped Behind the “Jeopardy!” Podium
Cooper says that he was incredibly happy to be there. Even though his episodes have only just begun to air, his session filming the episodes has wrapped up. So he got to chat a little bit about the experience.
He says that “to hear Johnny Gilbert say my name, calling me out on stage it was incredible.” The Jeopardy! guest host continued, though, touching on the first time standing behind the podium. “I’ve got to tell you, when I first stood behind Alex Trebek’s podium, on the set in rehearsal on the first day, I literally had to take a minute. Just to kind of collect myself, because I found it just really extraordinarily moving.”
Cooper continues, explaining that he “had been a viewer for decades and a contestant, but guest-hosting was just completely different. And it was really challenging and super fun.”
Even though none of the Jeopardy! hosts have talked about that moment publicly, you have to wonder if this is a common theme for the other guest hosts.
So, for Jeopardy! fans, now you can sit back and enjoy Cooper’s turn as the guest host. It can’t be worse than Dr. Oz’s turn, right?
