Maybe he really is a game manager!
Rodgers, the New York Jets’ star quarterback, was actually “the most prepared” of other big-name celebrities to succeed the late fired “dangerous” Alex Trebek. the host insisted.
Mike Richards, 48, former “Jeopardy!” producer who hosted the show the day after Trebek’s death, said Rodgers ticked all the boxes to be the frontrunner in 2021. However, he revealed that his on-field career was an obstacle.
“Aaron Rodgers was definitely the most prepared.” Richards told People. “I was struck by his enthusiasm for preparation, and he was so kind to all the staff.”
“But ultimately I was worried about this other job that he’s doing at a pretty high level. I thought, ‘How am I going to juggle my football schedule?’ He said, ‘You’ll understand!'” Richards added.
Aaron Rodgers is no stranger to “Jeopardy!,” serving as a guest host on the show for two weeks, and fans went wild for his fill-in performance.
The quarterback raised $236,725 on the show for the North Valley Community Foundation, a nonprofit based in his hometown of Chico, California.
Richards said Rodgers was a big fan of the show, which made him stand out from other guest hosts such as ABC’s Good Morning America host Robin Roberts and former CBS anchor Katie Couric. This is said to be a contributing factor.
CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, TV star Mayim Bialik and current host Ken Jennings also attended.
Rogers is also a contestant on the show and won the 2015 Celebrity Jeopardy! tournament against astronaut Mark Kelly and Shark Tank entrepreneur Kevin O’Leary.
Rogers said he would have accepted the offer if he had been asked to work full time.
However, Richards was ultimately given the job over Rodgers, and he left “Jeopardy!”. Fans are skeptical about how the show’s former producer managed to pull it off.
“No one was more surprised than I was,” said Richards, also the former host of the reality series “Beauty and the Geek” and “New Year’s Rocking Eve 2005.” “Everyone was so angry because it looked like I walked into the room and stood up on my own.”
“They said to me, ‘We want you to be the host of the syndicated version of Jeopardy!’ I stopped and said, ‘That’s amazing.’ thank you. What’s the media plan? Because I was very concerned that this would be scrutinized as intensely as the presidential election,” Richards said.
Richards was fired from his new hosting job after one episode in 2014 when the Anti-Defamation League called for an investigation into derogatory comments he made on “The Random Show.”
The former “Jeopardy! Although the host apologized for his remarks, he was also accused of unfair dismissal and discrimination lawsuits filed by models on the show.
