Ken Jennings

Streak on Jeopardy!

Prior to 2003, Jeopardy! contestants were limited to five consecutive games. At the beginning of the show's 20th season (in 2003), the rules were changed to allow contestants to remain on the show as long as they continued to win. After this rule change, and until Jennings' run, the record winning streak was set by Tom Walsh, who won $186,900 ($184,900 in his winning episodes) in eight games in January 2004.

Related Topics:
2003 - Jeopardy! - Tom Walsh - January 2004

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Jennings's run began with the episode aired on Monday, June 2, 2004, and spanned two seasons. Since he did not lose before the 2004 Tournament was taped (which then aired from September 20 through October 1), he had to wait until the 2005 season to compete in the Tournament of Champions. In theory, if Jennings had remained undefeated through the 2004-2005 season, there would not have been a tournament of Champions for that season, because Jennings would be the sole champion.

Related Topics:
June 2 - 2004 - September 20 - October 1

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On November 30, 2004, Jennings' long reign as Jeopardy! champion finally came to an end when he lost his 75th game to challenger Nancy Zerg, who initially did not appear to be a threat to the champion. The third contestant, David Hankins, completed the Double Jeopardy round with a negative amount and was not allowed to participate in Final Jeopardy. But Jennings proved to be his own worst enemy by 'missing' both Double Jeopardy! Daily Double questions (on which he had placed his usual high wagers) and the Final Jeopardy! question. The Final Jeopardy category was "Business and Industry"; the clue was: "Most of this firm's 70,000 seasonal white-collar employees work only four months a year." The correct response was: "What is H&R Block?"; Jennings responded with "what is FedEx?"

Related Topics:
November 30 - 2004 - Jeopardy! - White-collar employees - H&R Block - FedEx

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Jennings's final total, along with his second-place money, was $2,522,700. Zerg answered correctly, and she and Jennings shook hands and hugged as the audience gave the two of them a standing ovation. Immediately after she won, Alex Trebek dubbed her a "giant-killer" for her accomplishment of finally beating the long-standing champ.

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Jennings reported in an interview that the loss was "no fluke" and that Zerg was a formidable opponent. Most who saw the show would say this assessment was in keeping with his genial personality, since Zerg never appeared to be a serious contender until Jennings stumbled in the second half. Zerg was defeated the following day, finishing in third place with $2, while Jennings' running time period totaled 182 calendar days, including his first and last appearances.

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Along the way, Jennings defeated at least three contestants who are current quiz bowl players; in fact, according to a Washington Post article, at least one fellow NAQT employee was selected to appear on the show during Jennings' run (but, as someone with more than a casual acquaintance with Jennings, could not compete against him because of standards and practices rules).

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On December 1, the show broke with tradition by having Jennings make a "guest appearance" at the start of the broadcast, during which host Alex Trebek acknowledged his success and enumerated the various game show records he'd broken.

Related Topics:
December 1 - Alex Trebek

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Jennings's winning streak on Jeopardy! has made him something of a celebrity. Jeopardy! ratings went up 62 percent during his run on the show (11.1 million viewers was a ten-year high); for three weeks in July 2004 and for most of the latter part of Jennings's run, it surpassed traditional leader Wheel of Fortune to become television's highest-rated syndicated program.

Related Topics:
Celebrity - Ratings - July 2004 - Wheel of Fortune - Syndicated

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Other media appearances

Jennings has received a good deal of American media coverage. After his 31st win on Jeopardy!, during the summer break between tapings, Jennings made a guest appearance on Live with Regis and Kelly. There Jennings revealed that he had failed to qualify for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, also hosted by Regis Philbin. During that guest appearance, Jennings said that, "Jeopardy! is a man's game ... it's not like Millionaire."

Related Topics:
Live with Regis and Kelly - Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? - Regis Philbin

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Jennings appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman to present Letterman's "Top Ten List." He appeared again on the program on the night his final show was televised, in addition to interview segments airing that night on local 11 p.m. news programming and on Nightline. Barbara Walters selected Jennings as one of the "Ten Most Fascinating People of 2004" for her twelfth annual ABC News special, which aired on December 8, 2004. While on his media tour following his final game, Jennings taped a segment for a future episode of Sesame Street. TV Guide featured a segment of "The Top Ten TV Moments of 2004," in which Ken Jennings' loss placed third.

Related Topics:
The Late Show with David Letterman - Letterman - Nightline - Barbara Walters - ABC News - December 8 - Sesame Street - TV Guide

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A&E aired on December 1, 2004 an episode of the Biography television program on Jennings and other Jeopardy! notables, including Frank Spangenberg and Eddie Timanus.

Related Topics:
A&E - December 1 - Biography - Frank Spangenberg - Eddie Timanus

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On May 24th, 2005, Comedy Central announced that Jennings would be the host of a new comedic quiz show to replace the cancelled Chappelle's Show.

Related Topics:
May 24 - Comedy Central - Quiz show - Chappelle's Show

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