‘Jeopardy!’: Meet the Next Guest Host George Stephanopoulos

Jeopardy! is set to introduce a new face to its lineup of guests hosts this week, with ABC news anchor George Stephanopoulos to host the game show beginning on Monday, July 12. Stephanopoulos’ tenure will last one week, and he shared some behind-the-scenes footage from his time on set during Monday’s episode of Good Morning America.

“It feels like so long ago that we taped it, but I’m so glad it’s coming out this week,” the GMA co-anchor told his colleagues, adding that the experience was “so intense” and “so much fun.” He added that Jeopardy‘s crew members are “true professionals” and “amazing at what they do,” sharing that it was “a great privilege” to be a part of the show. The show also featured a brief clip of one of Stephanopoulos’ hosting stints and a voiceover from the host explaining that it was “such a privilege to step onto that iconic Jeopardy set that Alex Trebek made famous.”

In one of Stephanopoulos’ opening monologues, he shared that he had met late Jeopardy host Alex Trebek on multiple occasions, including several visits to GMA, and that Trebek “always made us smile” and “inspired us with his grace in the face of cancer.” “It’s a privilege for me to honor his legacy,” he added. The clip also featured footage of Stephanopoulos going over clues, getting some direction from the crew and greeting contestants.

“This is a lot harder than it looks, I’m just telling you,” he said from behind the podium at one point. “God bless Alex Trebek and everybody who’s been a guest host.” After several of the contestants were filmed complimenting Stephanopoulos’ hosting skills, he shared in a voiceover that he had “so much fun playing a small part in the enduring legacy of Jeopardy.”

Back on the GMA set, Stephanopoulos shared a few details about how the show is run, revealing that he taped five episodes per day and that the show’s writers “put so much work into making sure that each word is precise” and say that “you really have to read each clue as if it’s poetry to make sure you’re really giving a sense of the meaning.” “It was just a real learning experience and a lot of fun,” he shared, adding that the most difficult part was “moving things along” and that if he made a mistake while hosting, he was allowed a re-do.

Stephanopoulos’ hosting stint follows that of Dr. Sanjay Gupta, and he will be followed by his GMA colleague Robin Roberts, who will host from July 19 to 23. LeVar Burton, David Faber and Joe Buck will round out the lineup of guest hosts.