George Stephanopoulos has joined a slew of celebrities to guest-host "Jeopardy!" this week.
The TV personality will make his debut on Monday and will continue to host the popular game show for the remainder of the week.
It was "intense" pretaping the shows, but Stephanopoulos told his "Good Morning America" co-hosts on Monday that it was also an incredibly "fun" experience and he was looking forward to it finally airing.
A brief clip of one of Stephanopoulos' hosting stints was also previewed on the talk show. During an opening monologue, he recalled meeting Trebek several times on "GMA," saying that he "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 showed Stephanopoulos going through clues while getting comfortable as a guest host.
"This is a lot harder than it looks, I'm just telling you," he said from behind the podium. "God bless Alex Trebek and everybody who's been a guest host."
Speaking with his "GMA" co-hosts, Stephanopoulos revealed that he had taped five episodes per day, adding 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 continued, admitting that the most difficult part was "moving things along."
"GMA" co-host Robin Roberts, LeVar Burton, David Faber and Joe Buck will fill out the remainder of the lineup, although Burton appears to have set his heart on becoming a permanent host of "Jeopardy!"
"It's difficult to explain, but there's something inside me that says this makes sense," he told The New York Times in June. "I feel like this is what I'm supposed to do. I have been watching Jeopardy! more or less every night of my life since Art Fleming was host. Jeopardy! is a cultural touchstone, and for a Black man to occupy that podium is significant."
Burton further admitted he would feel "hurt" if someone else was chosen for the role.
"I'm not going to lie. But if that happens, I will get over it. I will be fine," he said. "Remember: Everything happens perfectly and for a reason. That is my default. It's all going to be OK. Because it always is."
Related Stories: