The Jeopardy! guest hosts, ranked

It’s understandable that the guest hosts stumble over a word or two during their first minutes behind the podium: This is a one-of-a-kind gig, and no matter how much you prepare, it has to be a little disorienting once you’re out there. But Savannah Guthrie slid into the role of Jeopardy! host without so much as a clipped syllable for the entirety of her opening episode (we watched it twice just to make sure). That’s already impressive, but she continued on as though she’d been hosting the program for years—efficient but not rushed, easygoing and warm during interviews, and exuding a sense of polished-yet-enthusiastic energy at the opportunity to be a part of the beloved quiz show. She wasn’t the best, but she was better than many.

Look, we were all rooting for him. It’s no secret the internet , but , there’s no telling who will excel in the job until they’re behind the podium. Burton’s supporters will probably appreciate the very thing that ended up turning many off: His intensity. The jumpy, awkward style and overly abrupt mannerism were entertaining, but they clearly rattled many a contestant, some of whom had to wait patiently for him to continue a game, or cut short interview responses interrupted by his patter. He improved slightly over the course of the week, but even by Thursday, he was still calling out correct answers as wrong, only to immediately walk it back. He may have a true enthusiasm for the game, but he also has a style seemingly at odds with the flow of play. He’s loved despite his unforced errors, so Burton is still in the top half of our rankings—but it also means there are people better suited for the job.

Sure, every guest host has talked about what a fan they were of the show, but Roberts’ genuine enthusiasm shone like a beacon throughout her stay. At first, her slower pacing seemed like too much of a hindrance; but it wasn’t long before her effusive support and obvious rooting interest in the success of the players overcame any other issues. She would unabashedly cheer when someone nailed a Daily Double, and laugh without rushing at contestant anecdotes during the interviews. With the possible exception of Mayim Bialik, she was the host most emotionally invested in seeing people do well—and it made for charming, engaging viewing.

Now we know what a kinder, gentler Alex Trebek might’ve looked like. Not kinder in personality, of course, just in tone: Sanjay Gupta is smiling, calm, and genteel in a way that conjures up warm memories of Jeopardy!’s longtime host at his friendliest. The medical expert and familiar CNN contributor has been an especially appealing guest host when compared with the many hosts who have taken a crisper, more traditionally “professional” approach to the gig—looking at you, Anderson Cooper—and Gupta’s reassuring, likable presence has made him a master of managing the oft-tense Final Jeopardy! round. It wouldn’t be the most inspired choice, but in terms of continuing the tone and spirit of Jeopardy! that Trebek pioneered, he might be one of the best. (Plus, he positively shines in comparison to that other guest host who goes by “Dr.”)

The other major Jeopardy! champion besides Ken Jennings to host, Buzzy Cohen’s stint behind the podium during this year’s Tournament Of Champions proved that his nerdy, occasionally wry demeanor was a good fit for the game show. Like Jennings, he brings a sense of hard-won expertise and former-contestant amiability, his experience as a former champ obviously informing his performance in an empathetic, helpful way. If you wanted Jennings but Jennings said no, turn to Buzzy next. Plus, he’s the youngest of the candidates, and would offer a more youthful face to a daily syndicated-TV institution now in its fifth decade (seventh, if you count the Art Fleming years), an issue about which producers are doubtless extremely aware.

After her early penchant for over-enunciation calmed down (nearly all the guest hosts displayed some evidence of nerves in their initial outings), what sets Mayim Bialik’s style of hosting apart is her distinctive enthusiasm for Jeopardy! The Big Bang Theory star has demonstrated a passion for the trivia-based game that elevates the proceedings, a form of hosting that admittedly goes beyond the more reserved technique that Trebek perfected, and that audiences have been conditioned to expect. But that’s what makes her a good candidate for taking over—she would make the show her own, and in doing so, craft a more upbeat, more invigorating, and more all-around exuberant tone to the series. The infectious energy on her episodes clearly spreads to the contestants—and the audience.

Of all the guest hosts thus far, by far the biggest surprise has been longtime Green Bay Packers quarterback (and guaranteed future Pro Football Hall Of Famer) Aaron Rodgers. It’s not just that Rodgers demonstrated such a remarkable facility for hosting Jeopardy!, a quality that’s exceedingly rare even among non-world-famous athletes; it’s that he did so with an air of preternatural calm and warmth that’s striking in comparison to his fellow guest hosts. Rodgers was downright laconic at times, but never in a way that felt detached or distanced from the oft-obscure knowledge being discussed. He exudes a reassurance and mellow generosity of spirit that made for a superb host, one who always placed the game itself front and center, and never made it about himself. On second thought, maybe his day job was the perfect training, after all.

There’s a good reason why the longest-running Jeopardy! champ of all time was also the longest-serving guest host. His tenure kicking off the post-Alex Trebek era of the game show demonstrated why he’s still the one to beat when it comes to selecting a permanent replacement. Dependably professional but just idiosyncratic enough to bring his own demeanor and style to the series, he made Jeopardy! feel like a game that could exist with a slightly different personality and tenor under his stewardship, yet retain all the qualities that make the series great. That’s everything you could want in a new host, and Jennings delivers it with ease, wit, and above all, empathy for the contestants and their competition. After all, he’s spent more time in their shoes than anyone else.