Ken Jennings: Jeopardy! Superstar
Here’s your Jeopardy! update: Ken Jennings is now a 16 time winner and has just crossed the half-million dollar mark in winnings. Watching him play this game is like watching a virtuoso playing a well-tuned instrument. The man has the buzzer down pat. Neither of the other two contestants could get in before he had practically swept through two categories last night. Late in the episode, he went on a slide when the other two figured out the buzzer and went on a slight tear. He was in trouble near the end when the woman in the middle almost drew to half his total. Then he hit a Daily Double and, instead of playing it safe, bet just enough to shut her out should he get the right answer. He did. He won.
In all fairness, the Vegas photographer on the far right looked scared to death on TV, and probably wouldn’t have done well against anyone.
I have to imagine that the only way he loses now is if he gets bored or too cocky. He took plenty of guesses last night, in part because he was so far ahead he could afford to lose the money. What will happen when he guesses at an inopportune moment?
From what I’ve heard, that won’t happen until next season. In the meantime, I’m going to enjoy watching the modern day Chuck Forrest work. (And there’s a reference about 3 of you might get. Yeah, I’m looking at you, tyg.)
Two other notes:
The latest edition of LINUX MAGAZINE (July 2004) has a letter to the editor from one “Ken Jennings, via email.” Could that be the same one?
Also, Chuck Forrest is hunting Iraqi war criminals now.
June 24th, 2004 at 3:56 pm
What I want to know is, with Trebek on the wane and the theme music sounding more dated than ever, where’s the scam? And is Rob Morrow on the case yet?
June 24th, 2004 at 9:55 pm
Hey, I’ve suggested that the J! rule change for next year be that past 5-time champs from before this season get their eligibility restored due to this season’s infinite games change. Just to have Ken greeted next season by a Murderer’s Row of Chuck Forrest, Frank Spangenberg, Leszek, Brad Rutter, etc. :-)
June 24th, 2004 at 9:58 pm
Oh, and having now followed the link to Bob Harris’ page; met him briefly last year at Worldcon, as he was escorting his girlfriend, Buffy scribe Jane Espenson, who was there to accept a Hugo. Nice guy, but I want to kill him and take over his life; 5-time J! champ, more published writer than me, won much more than I did on Greed, and has a cute, funny, and smart girlfriend. :-)
June 29th, 2004 at 7:41 pm
Who is Tom Galloway?
June 30th, 2004 at 3:46 pm
The thing I’d like to know is how Ken is doing this. My daughter speculates that part of it is that he jumps on the buzzer first and this gives him a few extra seconds to figure out the answer. Beyond that, however, he still is very knowledgeable and, as a former school board member, I’m wanting to know how he accomplished this. Is he just a high IQ individual, has a “photographic memory”, is well read, combination of the above. Anyone have any thoughts??
June 30th, 2004 at 10:01 pm
Chris — See the guy who posted above you. =)
York — Timing is a big part of Jeopardy!, no doubt. If you can time it out right to hit the buzzer at the perfect time, you can do amazing things. The producers at J! know this, though, and make sure to use different people to open the buzzers after each question for each show. So it’s not a consistent thing, necessarily. He’s good.
He also reads the question ahead of Alex, which buys him some time. I don’t know if it’s speed reading, or just some technique to let him see the key words he needs to know. Tonight, for example, he hit the Daily Double at the end of the Double Jeopardy! round and was nodding like he knew the answer before Alex had read half the clue. So he’s ahead of the game. Good for him.
When he’s done, I’m sure he’ll be talking to a lot of media.
July 5th, 2004 at 7:32 pm
Jeopardy has become BORING! Yeah, Ken is smart and, most importantly, fast on the draw, but come on, enough already!
D
July 7th, 2004 at 4:11 pm
I will not watch Jeopardy again until Ken is away. I am so tired of him. He is so snity.
Oh well Jeopardy has lost so many viewers because of Ken. Why have they let this happen?
July 7th, 2004 at 10:55 pm
Although he demonstrates a great a great knowledge of trivia, Ken’s success can be partially attributed to favoritism or at least positive bias on the part of the Alex Trebek and the Jeopardy judges. Several times he has given answers that would been have deemed incorrect if given by other contestants.
One example is his pronunciation of Orange Roughy as “Orange Roofy”. The arrogant Trebek (it is easy to appear to be all knowing when you have the answers on a card) has not been so tolerant of mispronunciations by past contestants.
Another example has to do with the category “initially” yours. Ken received points for responding with “Who is what is “Bean.” The correct answer should have been “Who is L.L. Bean?
Could it be part of Jeopardy/ABC’s plans to drum up publicity by having a contestant set a new Jeopardy winning record and perhaps reach the $1M mark. Ken is certainly creating a lot of press for ABC and Jeopardy.
July 8th, 2004 at 1:29 am
I completely disagree with the fact that Jeopardy has lost viewers because of Ken. I have many friends who have never watched Jeopardy in their lives, and ever since Ken started playing, they haven’t missed a game! In fact, we have had company parties just to watch jeopardy lately. Even though you start to get sick of Ken winning every day, you have to admit that it’s pretty impressive and quite entertaining to watch that GENIUS. The guy really deserves a lot of credit and in my opinion should receive full support from everyone to continue as far as he can go. Think about it, if someone knows THAT much, he/she SHOULD be allowed to have fun and keep on winning! GO KEN!
July 8th, 2004 at 7:15 pm
I think the whole jeoprady thing is another “21″ scam, it seems to good that noone can beat this guy, i know a lot of these questions that the other ppl dont get in time.
July 9th, 2004 at 11:02 am
What is snitty about Ken? Nothing! I find him bright, personable, friendly, and fun. One has to admire his great knowledge in a variety of areas. He is no fluke and is most enjoyable to watch. As a Jeopardy fan since way back in the beginning of the show, I find this as good as it gets.
July 12th, 2004 at 12:38 am
It’s nice to see some ACTUAL telligence on television for a change! What a novel idea…someone who can win a contest using their BRAIN instead of what passess for talent on that moronic American Idol. I hope Ken Jennings wins 2 million dollars!!! The guy deserves it and the fact that he is a regular guy makes it all the better. It’s time the pretty boys and no talent bimbos with big boobs (yes that means you Britney, Paris & Anna Nicole) get out of our faces and watch a master at work!
July 12th, 2004 at 8:53 am
Whoever thinks J! is losing viewers is nuts. They’re ratings are up over 30%… think about that before spouting off next time. I don’t care one way or the other how long he continues, but it’s definitely impressive.
-jE
July 12th, 2004 at 2:47 pm
I don’t know if all the hatred and jealousy towards Ken Jennings is more sad than it is funny or the other way around? Look, I’m just as arrogant and full of myself as the next guy, but how could you not be amazed and bewildered by KJ’s incredible and continuing genius and trivia-show skills? Also, the guy seems as mild-manered, modest, and likeable as it gets–I believe even the few times where he shakes his head and makes it look like he’s “guessing” is all staged because he doesn’t want to come off as your typical arrogant know-it-all type. Give the guy his due for &#$*&#$ sake!
KJ has done more for Jeopardy’s ratings than any contestant in HISTORY, and just for THAT, he certainly deserves a helluva lot more than the near $1 Mill he’s accumulated so far! If a bunch of haters so filled with jealousy want to
turn off their sets, I’m pretty sure the show will not miss them–maybe they can all get together and commit mass suicide to put themselves out of their miserable existences. If ya think you’re sooooo hott, step up to the buzzer boys and girls.
But as for the rest of us who do watch, I think the fascination is who will eventually beat him, and just how long will Jeopardy let this go on if it looks like nobody will?
July 12th, 2004 at 3:06 pm
IMO, some factors involved in KJ’s success:
5) Fear in opponent’s hearts (it’s the self-fulfilling prophecy thing)
4) Great reflexes, which can be greatly honed with experience in these types of events (as a former college brain bowl
participant, that has been my experience)
3) Supreme confidence in what you know–trust your mind, and never 2nd guess yourself in these types of events–getting
a couple wrong is far better than saying, “damn I knew that, why didn’t I buzz in?” (the “buzzer instinct”)
2) Very rapid thinking–a lot of the Jeopardy questions are not that tough, but you have to be able to piece the “clues”
provided in the question (”answer”)–it’s just like on the SAT or GRE or MCAT or any of those tests; closely related
to this is rapid reading skills–most of us try to follow the question as it is read out by Alex, maybe staying just
a few words ahead of him visually, but if you can read the entire question in the first 2 seconds, it gives your
brain that much more time to break it down while you listen to it simultaneously
1) A MASSIVE STORE OF INFORMATION–nothing beats that! Obviously if you possess a unique photographic memory that just might help. Even still, you need to have a pretty large supply of film and constantly taking photographs to do as well KJ’s been doing.
July 12th, 2004 at 8:03 pm
Could someone try to at least update us on how he is doing every or evry couple days, please. I have to work so I miss it usually. It would be greatly appreaciated.
July 12th, 2004 at 9:00 pm
ken is so awesome and he is a really nice guy!! i really hope he never loses, because he deserves to win!!
July 12th, 2004 at 11:05 pm
Well its Monday July 12th, and Ken has won again for the 29th time! He is amazing but I don’t see it as a big deal, I have been winning on Jeapordy for 5 years, and its been no picnic! This guy is in for some bad luck! I win at everything and am a hated human! Try watching Jeopardy in Mirror Vision(mirrors on the screen)-see you tomorow-Gar
July 12th, 2004 at 11:39 pm
He is on Letterman as we speak (11:35 on Monday).
He will be on Regis and Kelly and the Today show on Wednesday.
July 13th, 2004 at 12:36 am
On Letterman as we speak? I thought he was prohibited from talking to the media during his run. I just caught the last 15 seconds of Letterman and he thanked his guests, including Ken the super genius. What gives?
July 13th, 2004 at 8:32 am
I think ken j is amazing he brings life to the show, my wife and i can’t wait to the next showing to see him dominate the other players.
July 13th, 2004 at 8:33 am
I think ken j is amazing he brings life to the show, my wife and i can’t wait to the next showing to see him dominate the other players.
July 13th, 2004 at 10:08 am
Oscar – I was curious about that, too. I can understand the Letterman appearance, where all he did was read the Top 10 list, but GMA? I guess Jeopardy! let him loose for that one. Heck, the J! producers probably set it up for him.
Thanks for the heads-up, Lindsay. I’ll set the TiVo…
Judge: Rapid thinking works. I can usually get the answer to the clue while Alex is only reading half way through it. There’s usually a BIG hint in each clue either at the very beginning or end, so it pays to skip straight to the end, if you can’t get it from the beginning.
Of course, it also helps to know that Woodrow Wilson was in office during the Russian Revolution when the clue comes up. I’m so proud of myself on that one.
By the way, everyone, the latest KenJen update can be found here:
http://www.variousandsundry.com/index.php?p=1478
July 13th, 2004 at 5:41 pm
Anybody considered this idea?:
Ken may end up just walking away before he actually loses. He has a family and a job in Utah, and he kind of seems like the type of guy who will say “enough is enough” once he reaches $1,000,000 (or whatever amount he decides is enough). I hope he doesn’t do that, however, because Jeopardy has never been so exciting, and I want to see how far he can actually get. Plus, I’ve gotten kind of attached to him =)
July 13th, 2004 at 6:12 pm
Ken Jennings is amazing. Ken Jennings is amazing. My husband has been a regular watcher of Jeoprady for years, at this point he will not miss a program. During Wimbelton, not only he, but many from our area flooded our TV station with inquiries about when or if the programs that were pre-empted would be shown. He has gone over his million as of today, and we hope he will stay on the show. He, along with the new rules, has made Jeoprady the most popular quiz program on the schedule. patk
July 13th, 2004 at 10:00 pm
Hey everyone…I too am amazed at how well he is doing! Over a million today! (And even though I got the final jeopardy question wrong, at least I came up with the same thing kj did!) So I have a feeling that even though the show is not currently taping and Ken is back in Utah, he will be back for the next season. I found one site about GSC 3 (Game show Congress 3) Taking place in August and one of the competitions is for future Jeopardy contestants. They are calling those tryouts “So you think you can beat Ken Jennings?”. I think he will be back and that he will keep going as long as he can. Eventually, don’t you think Jeopardy would try and find someone specifically to beat him?
Or maybe it will start a new show like the “Win Ben Stein’s Money Show”, where people come on and try to beat Ken at another trivia show. That would be great!
July 13th, 2004 at 10:15 pm
WE LOVE WATCHING KEN JENNINGS. WE HAVE BEEN FAITHFUL JEOPARDY WATCHERS SINCE HUGH DOWNS WAS THE HOST OF JEOPARDY..WE LOVE THE SHOW. WE LOVE ALEX TREBEK. WE LOVE KEN JENNINGS. ALL OF YOU NAYSAYERS..PLEASE KEEP YOUR NEGATIVE THOUGHTS TO YOURSELVES. DO NOT SPOIL, FOR THE REST OF US, THE ENJOYMENT OF THIS AMAZING MAN.
WITH ALL OF THE STUPID REAILTY SHOWS ON THE T.V. AIRWAVES..WHERE THEY MAKE MILLIONS FOR MARRYING PEOPLE THEY DON’T LOVE, EATING WORMS, ETC., ETC. IT IS SO REFRESHING TO SEE KEN JENNINGS ACTUALLY EARN HIS MONEY
THE HONEST WAY..AND WITH SUCH INTELLIGENCE. MIKE & CINDY
July 14th, 2004 at 10:57 am
I have watched every Jeopardy show that Ken Jennings has been on and think he is fantastic.
Just a response to Mike and Cindy Ryan–Hugh Downs never hosted Jeopardy. The original host was Art Fleming.
July 14th, 2004 at 12:19 pm
Hello, I believe that Ken is very worthy of winning this money if someone is that smart and has put that much time in having the rangle of knowledge that he has then they deserve to put that knowledge to the test and see what they can do with it. Go KEN!
July 14th, 2004 at 2:18 pm
Hey, I have an idea… Ken should go on Who Wants to be a Millionare. He would do really well and it would take less time than all those days on Jeopardy. He should have a new show and name it “So you think you’re smarter than Ken Jennings…” and have some celeb host it, like Hilary Duff or Britney Spears or Simon Cowell. IMO Ken deserves all this fame and fortune. LET’S GO KEN!
July 14th, 2004 at 2:25 pm
Cler-
I was talking to my parents the other night and we came up with the same “Millionare” idea! We were really amazed about him winning a million. I think it just goes to show ya, all that hard work pays off.
July 14th, 2004 at 2:26 pm
Cler-
I was talking to my parents the other night and we came up with the same “Millionare” idea! We were really amazed about him winning a million. I think it just goes to show ya, all that hard work pays off.
July 14th, 2004 at 2:34 pm
Listen to this-
There was a little froggy who sat upon a log.
He rooted for the other people cuz he had no sense at all.
Somebody pushed him off, he bumped his little head,
And when he got back up again, this is what he said:
“Go, go go! Let’s go Ken! Fight, fight, fight! Let’s go Ken! Go, go, go, fight, fight, fight, Ken is gonna win tonight!”
July 14th, 2004 at 8:12 pm
Hey everyone, not to burst anyone’s bubble, but my younger sister Katie babysits Dylan, who is Ken’s son, he’s like nearly 2yrs old.
I’ve been watching him since the first show back in early June and he’s home now & it’s confirmed he does lose this season at some point. He was really close though today, not more than doubling his highest competitor’s score for the first time in a while.
But we did the calculation to figure out when he loses officially.
He came back on Monday the 31st of May, they started airing his ’series’ on the 2nd of June, and jeopardy has admitted that they started airing those episodes exactly one week after ken’s first week there… one week of wins is really 25 wins, but he’s already at 31 as of today, so that’s another day…which means if he played an entire week and at least 1 day, he could potentially have won a maxium of 36 games and a min of 31 games, and be back by the 1st, making it one week and 1 day… so he lost on May 31, and was home at 2PM – jeopardy tapes from 9-3pm everday,(5 shows every hour and 1 hour lunch break) so if he arrived back here at 3PM, his flight there was maybe around 1, he left at around 1130 at least from the show, so he played from 9-10 and maybe 10-11, which is two more shows… MAYBE 3 if he pushed it… which finally means Friday or Monday it will be the end of Ken Jennings… sorry! had to ruin it didn’t I? =)
I do give him crazy credit though, damn nerds, got to love em
July 15th, 2004 at 1:03 am
First: I’ve thought for a couple of weeks now that Ken might just be being “primed” for the next Jeopardy host. How old is Alex? He surely isn’t getting any younger! Well, you get a champion who is drumming up all of this attention, (obviously, if you have people like you and me talking about it!)…people like him, ratings are up etc, etc….and there ya go!
Next: Vic–I’d like to say I believe you, and I do to a point…I think Ken’s run is coming to an end; why else would you see the “media blitz” as you have the last few days on TV–AND on the top of the hour news on Radio? BUT, you’re math doesn’t work out, combined with the rumor I heard about these shows being taped in February. If they tape 5 shows an hour from 9=3, with one hour for lunch, as you state, this would be 25 shows a DAY, and not a week as stated…AND, it would be impossible, unless they sped everything up into break-neck speed. Maybe this was a typo. Regardless, yes, I’m sure he will lose soon, but mine is just a hunch.
July 15th, 2004 at 2:05 am
Okay, Vic….. nice cry for attention, but no one with a brain considers you a viable source. If anyone close to Ken’s family was going to spill the beans, it wouldn’t be on this discussion board!!!
Serious question: Does anyone know if/when Jeopardy is going to have a summer hiatus?
July 15th, 2004 at 7:52 am
Quick question for anyone who wants to answer:
I’m happy you all stopped by. This is the most lively conversation this blog has ever seen. I hope you all stick around. But I am curious about one thing: Where did you find this thread? Did some other site link into it? Or am I showing up on Google all of a sudden?
July 15th, 2004 at 7:53 am
Jennifer – Jeopardy!’s season ends next Friday. At best, KenJen would only have 7 shows left in this season before being carried over to the next.
July 15th, 2004 at 11:53 am
Angie, yep — you’re showing up on Google. I was a little afraid to even post here at first because I had no clue who’s site this was, but I noticed it had a good discussion going. Oh yeah, I think Foxnews.com has a link to this site too if you search Ken Jennings. Hope you don’t mind that we’re all here!
July 15th, 2004 at 11:55 am
Dang, Augie! On FOXNEWS.com? Shweet!
Congrats!
July 15th, 2004 at 2:25 pm
Thanks, Jennifer. And, no, I don’t mind it at all. The more, the merrier. It’s just strange – hits on this site have doubled this week. I knew someone had to be linking to me somewhere. Please, do stick around and peruse everything else. =)
Chris — Thanks. And, yes, it’s true. Type “Ken Jennings” in the search button at FoxNews.com and this site shows up a few entries down. Very cool.
July 15th, 2004 at 3:24 pm
Sorry Augie!! I just realized that I called you Angie before. Oops!
July 15th, 2004 at 3:25 pm
And oops, I just made that last comment under anonymous — I’m on a work computer now. Okay, I’ll shut up now!
July 15th, 2004 at 3:51 pm
Jennifer – not a problem. You’re not the first, and you won’t be the last. It’s an easy thing to do in reading my name.
July 15th, 2004 at 10:33 pm
Another day, another win for Ken. 32 days straight…he the man!
July 15th, 2004 at 11:34 pm
What amazes me is even when others are getting close to Ken’s score, he remains undaunted and at that point seems to surge ahead.
July 16th, 2004 at 3:03 am
My boyfriend and I have been talking about this for weeks……If you pay attention to the whole show, Ken tends to lag in the Jeopardy! Round (not always, but enough to be noticed), but once it gets to Double Jeopardy!, he takes off, and then the game is his! Anyone else notice this?
July 16th, 2004 at 3:30 am
Thank you Augie for this nice, civilized comment forum. I too did a Google search and found this site, but not before I’d checked out some others which were not as pleasant, nor as literate ;)
In terms of Ken Jennings, I was growing tired of him around week 3 or 4, but he’s really been growing on me. I’ve started to look forward to my daily dose of brain power! I kind of agree with the writer who suggested he might bow out after reaching some pre-determined personal goal. On the other hand, he’s reached $1M and is still going strong…
July 16th, 2004 at 2:26 pm
ken is a robot
go kenbot go !
July 16th, 2004 at 2:27 pm
Jeopardy should match each dollar over the million that Ken wins and give it to his charity of choice.
July 16th, 2004 at 4:05 pm
Ken is the best thing that has ever happened to Jeopardy. He seems realy humble, and nice and so smart—to who ever says Ken lost, I don’t beilieve it–maybe he came home cause they have to film for another season or something,I don’t know! But Ken seems unbeatable, I am very attached to him, and I don’t know if I can stand him losing. That J! matching the money is a great idea–someone should e-mail and tell them!
July 16th, 2004 at 5:05 pm
Well, did he win today or what?
July 16th, 2004 at 6:37 pm
Ahhh… we all seem to have lost our skepticism. Let’s see… Jeopardy removes the limits on the number of times a player can win. Then, suddenly, we have this very smart guy winning, and winning, and winning. Ratings are going through the roof. What’s Jeopardy’s incentive to have Jennings lose? I see people complaining here, but they apparently keep watching. I myself have watched about 3 episodes and have to say the he is facing some pretty weak competition… Intentional? I’m no rocket scientist, but I kept track during one game and was able to answer enough questions correctly to at least make Final Jeopardy meaningful (ie, I would have had over half of Jenning’s pre-final Jeopardy total)…In the meantime his competition stands there like deer caught in the headlights… and I can assure you folks that you will never see me on Jeopardy.
C’mon people… let’s quit being so gullible.
July 16th, 2004 at 10:08 pm
Just a quick question? It may have been answered before but does anyone know what his IQ really is?
July 17th, 2004 at 12:43 am
Does this mean that Ken Jennings won today, Fri. July 16, 2004? This is the first day in 2 weeks that I have missed and I am dying…the official site is not updated yet! Go Ken, you fellow Mormon and BYU grad!
James
July 17th, 2004 at 12:57 am
Yep, Ken did win today. With, I believe, $50,000. He could have wagered much more for final J! and I don’t see why he didn’t (he had $40K going in and the others had under $10K). The topic was food and the answer was something about Dutch farmers breeding this vegetable in the 17th century to make it this royal color.
July 17th, 2004 at 2:16 am
It’s killing me! Why are people so eager to expose a “conspiracy” (ie most recently, Tony Andrews)??? Ken keeps winning because he is SMART and FAST, not because the Jeoaprdy producers/creators are trying to create another “Quiz Show” incident. Once the 5 day max was vetoed, it was inevitable that SOMEONE would go this far…if not Ken Jennings, then someone else. How many of the five-day-champs from YEARS past could potentially have gone further than five days? A lot. Ken is exceptional —- that’s all there is to it.
July 17th, 2004 at 5:11 pm
Keg, of those questions you could have answered, I guarantee you that a smarter guy with over 30 days experience with a Jeopardy buzzer would know 75%+ of them.
Wow. You lose.
July 19th, 2004 at 2:48 pm
Ken is obviously a robot.
July 19th, 2004 at 3:04 pm
Gort -> Could be. But he’s the most interesting robot since that one with the arms from LOST IN SPACEE. =)
Jennifer –> Some people think too hard. Sometimes, the simplest solutions are the best. Jeopardy! has done remarkably little in 20 years to engender such wild accusations and speculations. But people like to assume a conspiracy in every little thing.
Kat –> I was hoping he’d go for $20 or $25 grand on Final Jeopardy there, too. Ah, well. Someday he has to bet enough to even out that oddball dollar figure he has there at the end of his total. I’m surprised he hasn’t done that yet.
July 19th, 2004 at 3:41 pm
Mr. De Blieck: Your site comes up on the first page of the result set from a Google search on “Ken Jennings” “Jeopardy!” And what a lively and spirited discussion is contained therein. Excluding other factors, Robot Ken will continue to win until his Iridium-sponge brain ceases to function, in about 2,000 of your Earth years. Regards.
July 19th, 2004 at 10:20 pm
Did Ken Jennings win?
July 20th, 2004 at 3:10 pm
Of course. Next appearance: Tuesday, 7/20/2004.
July 20th, 2004 at 3:50 pm
I’m going away on vacation tomorrow. TiVo will be watching Jeopardy! for me until I get back on Monday for a mini-marathon. UGH
July 20th, 2004 at 5:39 pm
I just thought of something, do you think that since kj grew up in south korea he had to learn their language? i don’t know how that came to mind though. who ever said that ken eventually stops, well I don’t want to believe you but that really isn’t something that anyone would joke about. If it’s true, i hope that he earns more than $1,155,000 by then, because if he does, he then will have set the all-time record for total cash winnings on an American game show.
July 20th, 2004 at 5:50 pm
For anyone that wants to know more about kj, there are several informative articles on cbsnews.com. check ‘em out-they’re interesting. I wonder if dylan will grow up to be as smart as his dad.
July 20th, 2004 at 6:00 pm
Ken is great, and I wish him all the best but c’monnnnn, we really need some hot girls going up against Ken.. something to distract his mind. I wish I could play against him, I’d answer at each question and be he first player to ever attain the lowest (negative) score in gameshow history…I have a feeling a lot of the contestants know the answer, he just assimilates everything very quickly and buzzes the fastest.. but by me buzzing at every answer and incorrectly responding, it will give the other opponent some time to think and buzz in after me… and maybe pose a real threat to kj…
Also: yeah, this site is all over google. a lot of hits already…
Also: did anyone notice the Computer Program questions… Mr. Know-it-all wasn’t so quick with his buzzer on a topic that he should clearly have wiped out faster than anyone else. Ken should definitely NOT be the host, his personality isn’t host material…
i wonder how much alex gets paid?
July 21st, 2004 at 11:01 am
Who cares?
July 21st, 2004 at 11:04 am
ken signed a contract which states he MUST keep playing until he loses, so he caqn’t just “walk away” whenever he wants. unles he’s willing to “walk away” from the million-plus buks he’s won.
July 23rd, 2004 at 9:31 am
They should make him wrap it up. The guy’s becoming irritating and the show is no
longer fun to watch. Ken is more full of himself than he was when he started!
July 23rd, 2004 at 4:04 pm
Mike – you are entitled to your opinion, but I think most people disagree with you that Jeopardy “is no longer fun to watch.” Also, in regard to Ken being “full of himself,” what are you talking about?? He has never come across to me as anything but gracious and humble — so please elaborate.
July 23rd, 2004 at 9:01 pm
Since Ken Jennings has been on Jeopardy I will not miss a show, in fact I look forward to them. Ken has made this a very interesting show and I hope he gets to the $2,000.000.00 mark! Keep up the good work Ken!
Melrose
July 23rd, 2004 at 10:56 pm
did ken jennings win on friday july 23,i was unable to watch show,if so, how much and what is total winnings?
July 24th, 2004 at 2:54 am
Oh yes, he won — and he ended the season with a BANG!!! He’s been screwing with us (and Alex) this whole time about surpassing the one-day-total of $52,000 (he’s tied it like 3 times)!!! Tonight, however, he obviously wanted it! He wagered $23,000 (and some change) in Final Jeopardy and ended tonight with $75,000!!!! He OBLITERATED the highest the one-day-total! I love Ken Jenning! Now that he’s going to be gone for 6 weeks, my life no longer has meaning! (kidding!) But, seriously, I can’t wait to see what happens next season….is there an end??
July 24th, 2004 at 9:43 pm
Well your right, its over. See you all in six weeks, this Guy shredded last night to finish the season, he is rare, I have never lost on jeopardy in like 20 years, and he was stomping me. I didnt care though, the best man won, I did OK this season though, in fact, I beat Ken a few times, but towards the end, he destroyed me, I dont know If I can beat him next season, but on the last show, I started doing well again, but he got me with the final question, I am still the King though, but he is the champ and King for now, he beat us all, I hope he goes for like 2 years, I think Jeopardy has gotten harder on those last few weeks, because the sponsors were trying to buck him off, but he stayed on, see you guys at the olympics, and on Jeopardy with me, Ken and the rest of you, Cinderella and Garry Hixon forever, congratulations Ken Jennings!!!
July 26th, 2004 at 2:25 am
FYI, search Ken Jennings on eBay! More hits than you’d think!
July 27th, 2004 at 2:45 am
So I was thinking……Ken admitted on Leno that he Googles himself…we are one of the first results if you search Ken Jennings…he may be following our chat??? That would be cool, but it’d be even cooler if he’d JOIN us! Just thinking…
July 27th, 2004 at 4:51 pm
Jennifer: that would, indeed, be incredibly cool. And my e-mail address is on the right column of the web site for anyone who might like to write me. heh
In the meantime, my latest KenJen post is now here:
http://www.variousandsundry.com/index.php?p=1517
I think it’s the best of the bunch so far, so I hope you all jump over there to look at it.
July 28th, 2004 at 11:04 am
I remember that guy from high school — there was something called “Brain Bowl” back in the day and although Kenneth (as he was called those days) was good, he wasn’t remarkable. The guy was undeniably smart, though…many of us drooled after his 1570 on the SATs (back when the SAT was actually a partially legit test of aptitude and not the dumbed-down version it is today). Guy graduated in second in our class and was one hell of an illustrator — as in cartoons and caricatures — to boot.
July 28th, 2004 at 2:11 pm
Come on people, watch the way jennings answers his questions… there is a definite pattern to how he answers… top of a category, straight down, maybe he’ll move on to the bottom up… yeah. No doubt the guy is smart, but this SO smells like a fix. this is just the kind of stunt a down-trodden show like this would want to generate alot of buzz. Producers should get this kid out soon, otherwise one of two things will happen. a contestant is going to go ape and deck him, or collusion will be proved. Mark my words, this is Quiz Show.
ASP
July 28th, 2004 at 3:01 pm
ASP – there is a strategy to playing Jeopardy! that I discuss a little bit here:
http://www.variousandsundry.com/index.php?p=1517
I’m going to post something new on Jeopardy! strategy soon, too, specifically relating to categry choice.
But picking clues from top to bottom of the same category? That’s been done since the very beginning. Start easy, get comfortable, work up to the hard clues. If that’s your proof of collusion, then you’re just deluded.
September 11th, 2004 at 8:48 pm
I have heard rumors that Ken goes for 72 days or sumtin and he wins two and a half million dollars. He deserves it. My parents think that he is a hog but he can’t help it! He’s a genius! Ken should be the new host when Alex retires. How old is Trebek, anyway?
September 11th, 2004 at 8:52 pm
I think that everybody should post on this site more. I admit, I don’t do it enough, and I am thoroughly dissipointed when there are no new results.
By the way, does anyone know when The Sims2 releases for the Mac? I know it has nothing to do with KJ but I need to know!
September 11th, 2004 at 8:53 pm
How do you spell dissipointed, anyway?
September 11th, 2004 at 11:10 pm
Caroline – “Disappointed.”
Don’t know about Sims2. I’m still waiting for my Mac to ship. At this point, I know UNREAL TOURNAMENT 2004 is out, but that’s all I know about Mac gaming.
I keep hearing this Jennings-replaces-Trebek idea floating around. I have no idea where it comes from. I guess people just like to find conspiracy theories everywhere they go.
And I’m all for people posting to VandS more. I’m just afraid now that any post I make about the situation will be followed by a dozen people spoiling the end for anyone who may now want to know what it is. If I have to censor every comment, it isn’t worth it.