Well, Aaron, thank you
again for joining us today.
We've really been looking forward to
this interview and I understand that
you studied hard in preparation for
this guest hosting gig on Jeopardy.
What specifically did you do to get ready?
And was it similar at all to getting
prepared for an NFL game? Well,
I think there is some similarities for
sure to be able to execute as the host
takes a lot of focus because you are in
control of the game, you handle the
contestants going to clues, you hit, you,
throw to break and come out of break.
You do interviews, you respond
to interview answers.
You have to throw in some
anecdotes every now and then.
I mean they would. Alex is
so so great at you. Have to be
able to read and annunciate and no one
to the pauses are to make the clue.
Slow the right way, so that's what I watched.
I went back and watched a number of episodes.
Netflix had some archived from the
last couple of years, so I went back
and watched those number of times.
Not as a fan now, but as the host and wrote
down a ton of notes on what Alex would do.
His affirmatives. You know how?
How many different ways you can
say that was a correct answer?
You know, I think that's what's important,
but not after like,
say yes the entire time or correct or good.
You know you're really trying to
mix those answers up how we threw
it to the first break.
How we came out of the first break.
What kind of interview style that he used,
how we threw it back to the board?
How we
went back to the second break coming
out of second break the daily double.
Just little things that he
would say that I really feel
like made the game more relatable.
Weather was talking about score
updates in between rounds or or,
you know, talking about the
possibility of a third place finisher.
Getting enough money to be
able to come first first place
going in double jeopardy,
whatever it might be.
There's little things you can
add to the game that Alex could
so easily in his 35 years that I just wanted
to kind of try and.
Pick up and and kind of lock into
my muscle memory for my time.
Aaron, I understand there's something
that happens in the show tonight
that could turn into a viral moment.
Can you give us a little
bit of a hint on that?
Well, I can tell you that the.
The returning champion.
Decided to not. Answer the
question he went a little rogue and
decided to make a little joke at.
The Packers expense and it's
related to what happened in our
last game of the season this year.
The answer championship.
So it made for a great moment really,
and I think that's a beauty that shows you
just never know what's going to happen.
You never know what the interview
responses are going to be,
or you have a James Holzhauer who
goes into incredible run and doing
these crazy bids or bets every
time to get to like a certain date
that was meaningful to him or his
wife or his family or history.
That's kind of one of those moments tonight.
You know, they're just special.
That's what makes the show.
The show is so much about the trivia.
Jordan and interaction.
But it's also about the contestants
and having great contestants makes for
a great show and I did appreciate it.
The answer,
even though I was a little stunned
when I read it the first time,
you have
to have a little bit of improv skills.
I would say to guest host is sort of
like what I do here in Atlanta and other
jobs I've worked as a news anchor.
You have to bring on the
improv skills a little bit.
Is there anything you learned
from your time as a contestant on
celebrity Jeopardy six years ago?
Or anything that Alex Trebek
said to you in the past that help
you prepare for this role.
Well, I think it was a lot
of things you know and Alex.
I got to meet him when I was there in 2015
and show and then later I was filming.
I was having some some film work
done and and the people who are
putting together this this foot
is asked if Alex would sit down,
do an interview and he did about an
hour interview talking about me and
sports in his life and what I just
learned from that and then talking
to so many crew members who have
been leipers in the set was just how
important it is to just be present.
Just be present in the job and to take
the time to it's things that I know
is as a leader on the football team,
but just how important relationships
are with not just the executive
producer or director,
but the hair and makeup people,
the security people, the parking folks.
Just 'cause that's what makes
this show just like that's what
makes a team and organization.
That organization isn't just to an owner
or a team president and general manager
and a quarterback in the top paid players.
It's everybody, it's.
Everybody from the folks
selling the hot dogs there.
The people checking in tickets
when you walk in the stadium to the
players on the field like that's
what makes the organization it.
It's a family type atmosphere and I
really appreciated about that about
jeopardy when I came in 2015 and
when I returned in 2021 and again
you know my focus was just to to
do right by the memory of Alex,
and in my mind that meant being
as prepared as possible and
as respectful as possible to.
Would you accomplished and that was
easy for me 'cause I have the most
amount of respect for Alex and the
job that he did because he was so
meaningful to me in my in my life.
Really watching the show
for so many years. He
was so meaningful to all of us.
I think many people will be happy
to hear that you were fighting off
nerves just like any of us would,
but I think your breathing routine in
helping to overcome overcome your nerves
is something we could all learn from.
So can you tell us how that works?
Here he know I just over
the years as a player.
I wanted to learn techniques that
would settle me a little bit.
There's certain moments in the game.
Whether it's starting a game or two
minute drive at the end of the first half
or the other game that are way more.
Anxiety field and nervni
than other parts of the game,
and I think that I learned this
technique of box breathing.
It's nothing special.
It's been done for thousands of years,
but it's a way to settle your heart rate.
And also a reminder to breathe in it
alot of times in nervous situations,
anxiety filled situations we actually
you know gas or hold our breath instead
of breathing through those moments.
And for me it's just something I've learned
to do as a player in those moments too,
just in heel and pause and Excel and pause.
And it really helps to slow down my thoughts.
Bring me back into my body more present,
bring my heart rate down and that's
what I was doing behind the big board.
But before every show was just to try
and relax. Find that center you know.
Slow my heart rate.
Remind myself to little mantras I wanted
to tell myself about the show slow down.
Talk slowly annunciate you know I
contact rhythm and then just focus.
So that's what really helped me.
I think throughout the 10 episodes.
Alright,
Aaron,
thank
you so much. I appreciate your time.
Thank you so much, appreciate
watching you over the next two weeks.