Was Aaron Rodgers a Contestant on 'Jeopardy!'?
Apr. 5 2021, Published 8:09 p.m. ET
NFL star Aaron Rodgers is next in line at the Jeopardy! podium as a guest host. The quarterback will be taking over for Dr. Mehmet Oz, whose hosting spot ended on April 2. Aaron will be the first athlete to take a turn guest-hosting Jeopardy! after longtime host Alex Trebek's death. Since Alex’s death last year, the iconic quiz show has been cycling through guest hosts while producers look for a permanent replacement.
So far, Jeopardy! champion Ken Jennings, executive producer of the show Mike Richards, journalist Katie Couric, and talk show host Dr. Oz have all filled in at the Jeopardy! host’s lectern this season. Aaron is a huge fan of the show and has been tuning in since he was a kid. While he may seem like an unlikely pick, Aaron has a relationship with the show. He was actually a contestant on Jeopardy! in 2015. So, how did he do?
Aaron Rodgers was a contestant on 'Celebrity Jeopardy!', but he did win?
Back in 2015 during a week of Celebrity Jeopardy!, the admired game show tested the knowledge of celebrities such as actress Debra Messing, retired astronaut Mark Kelly, Shark Tank entrepreneur Kevin O'Leary, and the show's sole professional athlete, Aaron Rodgers, among others. Well, it turns out that the Green Bay Packers quarterback not only held his own on the show but did win as a contestant, easily defeating his competitors.
Aaron didn't answer the question correctly in Final Jeopardy. However, neither did the other contestants, Kevin and Mark.
Aaron was crowned Celebrity Jeopardy! champion, winning $50,000 for his charity of choice, the MACC Fund, which stands for Midwestern Athletes Against Childhood Cancer. In an interview with Jeopardy! producers, he was asked how he prepared for being a contestant on Jeopardy! and shared, "I studied up a lot on the reaction time and when to buzz in, and read about different players and their strategies. Whether you go down a category or jump around."
He added that he'd read many negative comments about a guy who jumped from category to category a lot, so he made a point as a contestant not to do that. Aaron said he didn't want to jump a bunch around when selecting categories because he "didn't want to really piss off Mark and Kevin."
However, Aaron declares that hosting the show was a dream come true and a chance of a lifetime. When asked if he’d be interested in guest hosting Jeopardy! again he said, “Hosting the show has always been a dream of mine as well. It’s like my second dream job. My first one I’m thankful I get to do right now and I’ve done for the past 16 years, but it’s definitely a dream job for me.”
Before becoming a guest host, Aaron Rodgers wanted to be a 'Jeopardy!' contestant again.
Aaron wanted the opportunity to compete for a second time on Jeopardy!. He wanted to try to win again and go up against the best of the best of Celebrity Jeopardy!. In an interview with Sports Illustrated, he said, “For a long time, I just wanted to come back and compete against one of the great Celebrity Jeopardy! contestants."
A donation will be made to the charity of each Jeopardy! celebrity guest host's choice when it's their turn to host. Aaron has chosen the North Valley Community Foundation. The charity is located in his hometown of Chico, Calif., and exists to serve Chico and its surrounding areas. Aaron will guest host from April 5 through April 16.
