Anderson Cooper is up next as the guest host of Jeopardy! to fill in for the late, great Alex Trebek and the longtime CNN anchor admitted he's nervous to make his debut.
"In high school I became a Jeopardy! fan, I'm a two-time Celebrity Jeopardy! champ and this week, I'll be the newest Jeopardy! guest host," Cooper, 53, said in a promo, which was released on Saturday (April 17). "I'm actually kind of nervous."
Cooper will see his appearance raise funds for the medical center Hôpital Albert Schweitzer Haiti. He is scheduled to host until April 30 and follows a lengthy list of stars to take the podium, including Dr. Oz, Katie Couric, NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers and former 74-time Jeopardy! champ Ken Jennings.
On Friday, Cooper made an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and spoke about his past four appearances on the trivia game show. "First time, I crushed it. I panicked the night before because I sort of, agreed to do it without really thinking about it…and realized, oh my god, I don't know anything about geography — I don't know where the Baltic Sea or the Arabian Sea [is] — all these things run through your mind."
"The second time, I was playing against Cheech Marin, and I was like, oh my God, this is going to be a cakewalk," he recalled. "I've seen Cheech & Chong movies, the synapses can’t be firing that quickly. Turns out he’s the smartest guy, the quickest guy. He destroyed me. And do you know what it’s like to walk into the CNN newsroom the day after Cheech Marin has destroyed you on Jeopardy? Like, Wolf Blitzer reading the paper, giving you side eye as you walk by."
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