Savannah Guthrie has been channeling her inner Alex Trebek to make sure she was at her best while serving as a guest host on Jeopardy!
Guthrie, an anchor on The Today Show, knew exactly what she was getting into when she agreed to film her 10 episodes as the show’s guest host. She was preparing hard like it was her actual job. An approach like that only makes sense after the late and great Alex Trebek manned the lectern for so many years.
“I think what I tried to do was, I tried to approach it like I approach my job,” Guthrie explained in a Jeopardy! exclusive interview. “Which is to be prepared. To study hard, to care a lot, to work hard, and I think that’s what Alex Trebek did every day.”
Although she never actually met the legendary Trebek herself, Savannah Guthrie says that she greatly admires him and his excellence.
“I really admire how much excellence he brought to it, even though he did it decade after decade after decade,” she said. “It seems to me that he never slacked off, it never got easy for him. He always brought his A-Game and that’s the spirit that I was trying to emulate.”
You can watch the entire Jeopardy! interview with Savannah Guthrie down below:
Savannah Guthrie Does Not Want to Host ‘Jeopardy!’ Full-Time
And so continues the carousel of celebrity Jeopardy! guest hosts. But when it comes down to deciding who will officially replace Alex Trebek as the new full-time host, Savannah Guthrie is pulling her name out of consideration.
Like the other guest hosts, Guthrie will serve as a guest host on the show for two weeks. The Today Show co-anchor is just one of many celebrity guest hosts who have helped fill in while the show searches for a full-time host. Guthrie has already filmed her 10 episodes which run from June 14 to June 25. But she wants to be transparent with all of the Jeopardy! fans out there. She does not want the full-time hosting job.
“I was so nervous because I really just wanted to show how much respect I have for ‘Jeopardy!’ and Alex — who is a legend and an icon for a reason,” Guthrie explained. “He’s the maestro. And I know those ‘Jeopardy!’ fans are picky, but I have to say, I’m just the fill-in so don’t worry!”
As for her two weeks on the show and filming her 10 episodes, it seems like Savannah Guthrie had a blast. She may not want to be considered for the permanent hosting job, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t enjoy her time as a guest host.
“I loved it,” she added. “I had so much fun, but I have a day job.”
