Anderson Cooper is the latest personality to take a turn to host a beloved game show Danger!, with the first of its scheduled ten episodes airing Monday.
“I’m a dork, and I just have to own it,” he said hours before the quiz show’s theme song was played in much of the country. He came to that conclusion and looked a video the show was produced for him, which includes him talking about his love for the show and the tracks from his previous appearance.
The CNN anchor also explained that, although he rarely gets nervous, an exception was to stand where former host Alex Trebek once stood.
“It was a great honor and very moving for me,” Cooper said.
He remembers Trebek, who from 1984 until he died in November as host for the quiz show, as ‘the perfect host’, who treated him with ‘such intelligence, humor and grace’.
The journalist competed in special issues of Danger! four times – and he won twice! – so he knows what it’s like for participants. He received positive early reviews on Twitter.
Cooper took over from Aaron Rodgers, the quarterback Green Bay Packers, who won himself Celebrity Jeopardy! two times. In his resignation message, Rodgers mentions a section of Trebek’s memoirs for 2020, The answer is …: reflection of my life, on the importance of putting the players first. Rodgers added: “I hope so will my two weeks be remembered.”
Next on the schedule to present is 60 minutes correspondent Bill Whitaker, to be followed Danger! champion Buzzy Cohen, Call Me Cat actress Mayim Bialik, Today co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, and Cooper’s colleague, CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. On Saturday, the New York Post reports that Joe Buck, the voice of MLB and the NFL on Fox, will also get a chance.
Meanwhile, many fans of the program are still waiting to see Star Trek alum and Read Rainbow alum LeVar Burton at the helm. As of Monday afternoon, more than 244,000 people had signed a petition asking him to be the next host.
Reps for Danger! did not respond to Yahoo Entertainment’s request for comment.
Read more on Yahoo Entertainment: