Ken Jennings
For more people named Ken Jennings, see the Ken Jennings (disambiguation) page.
"It's boring to have the same guy win. I'm actively rooting against myself." -- TV Guide 14-Nov-2004
Kenneth William Jennings III (born May 23, 1974) holds the records for the longest winning streak and the most money won on the syndicated game show Jeopardy!, as well as other various game show related records.
Biography
Born at Stevens Memorial Hospital in Edmonds, Washington, Jennings grew up in Seoul, South Korea (1981–1992) and Singapore (1992–1996), where his father worked for an international law firm and then as Asia Pacific Division Counsel of Oracle Corporation. He watched Jeopardy! on Armed Forces Television while growing up.
Jennings graduated in Computer Science and English at Brigham Young University where he played on the school's quizbowl team for three years. He completed an International Baccalaureate diploma at Seoul Foreign School, and achieved "honors" at both the University of Washington and BYU.
A member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Jennings served a two year LDS mission in Madrid, Spain from 1993 to 1995.
Now resident in Murray, Utah (a suburb of Salt Lake City), Jennings identifies himself as an avid comic book and movie buff with a web site listing his top 2000 favorite movies. He also writes questions and edits the literature and mythology categories for NAQT, a quizbowl organization. He is a software engineer for CHG, a healthcare-placement firm.
He and his wife Mindy have a son named Dylan. Her parents, who prefer to be anonymous despite Jennings's fame, live in Ottawa, Ontario. Jennings claims to have learned a Canadian accent by watching The Kids of Degrassi Street.
Ken Jennings's streak on Jeopardy!
Jennings's long run began with the episode aired on Monday, June 2, 2004. The episode that aired July 23, 2004 was the 20th-season finale; all of Jennings's episodes from then were taped in February and March. Jennings returned on the first show of the 21st season, which was taped in late April, and aired on September 6, 2004. Two weeks of the 21st season were taped before the summer hiatus. Since he did not lose before the 2004 Tournament was taped (which then aired from September 20 through October 1), he will have to wait until the 2005-06 season to compete in the Tournament of Champions. The first Tournament of Champions challenger to Mr. Jennings will be Kermin Fleming, the 2004-05 season's College Tournament champion, an at-large invitation.
In 2003, at the start of the syndicated show's 20th season, Jeopardy! changed its rules, allowing a contestant to remain on the show for as long as he or she continued to win. Previously, contestants could not return after winning five consecutive games. After the rule change, and until Jennings's run, the record winning streak was set by Tom Walsh, who won $184,900 in seven games in January 2004.
On Tuesday, November 30, 2004, Jennings' long reign as Jeopardy! champion finally came to an end when he lost his 75th game to fellow challenger Nancy Zerg, after missing both Double Jeopardy! Daily Double questions and the Final Jeopardy! question. The Final Jeopardy! clue was: Most of this firm's 70,000 seasonal white-collar employees work only four months a year. The correct response was: "What is H&R Block?". Jennings incorrectly responded with "What is FedEx?" His final total was US$ 2,522,700. He was on for 182 calendar days including his first and last days.
Jennings's winning streak on Jeopardy! has made him something of a celebrity; he has received a good deal of American media coverage and appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman to present Letterman's "Top 10 List". A&E will air an episode in December 2004 of their popular program, Biography, dedicated to Jennings's life and the lives of former Jeopardy! notables, including Frank Spangenberg and Eddie Timanus. Jeopardy! ratings have gone up 62 percent during Jennings's 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' run, it surpassed traditional leader Wheel of Fortune to become television's highest-rated syndicated program. By day 11 of Jennings's streak, the jokes had already begun. Patricia Davis, a co-contestant, wrote "Whatever Ken's answer is" for her Final Jeopardy! response.
When asked what he intended to do with his winnings, Jennings said that he intended to tithe to his church, donate to public television and National Public Radio, go on a trip to Europe, and invest the rest for his family. Jeopardy! contestants typically receive their winnings approximately 120 days after their last game airs in the form of a check.
Trademarks
Jennings has become known for his quirky behaviors:
- He writes his name in a different way each day, with styles ranging from simple (such as cursive script or block letters) to artistic (such as dots or a bas-relief outline).
- The good luck charm in his pocket is a plush "Totoro" toy, from the movie My Neighbor Totoro.
- He will often attempt to pronounce foreign words, phrases, or locations with an accent.
- On Final Jeopardy! and the Daily Doubles he almost always wagers an amount that could bring his total to a multiple of $5,000, or at the least a multiple of $1,000. Host Alex Trebek has commented on this several times, and he even occasionally "guesses" what wager Jennings will make.
- Prior to his 38th game, Jennings did not want to beat the $52,000 single-day record of former five-day champion Brian Weikle just "for the sake of beating it" (from the Jeopardy! forums). He intentionally tied his record three times. However, in his 38th game, Jennings entered Final Jeopardy! with a total only $600 shy of the record (and, in fact, had exceeded the record in the Double Jeopardy! round before missing a question at the end), and beat it with a final total of $75,000. On his 71st game, he broke the record a second time with a win of $55,099. Jennings has only made two other attempts to break Weikle's $52,000 record (in his 30th and 65th games), but incorrect Final Jeopardy! responses prevented him from succeeding.
- He used to shake his head in disbelief when his total cash winnings were announced at the start of each game, although he has recently stopped doing this.
Records
During his streak, Jennings broke the following records:
| Description | Current Record | Previous Record |
|---|---|---|
| Most consecutive appearances on Jeopardy! | 75 episodes (74 wins, 1 loss) | 8 episodes (7 wins, 1 loss) by Tom Walsh, January 5–14, 2004 |
| Most total appearances on Jeopardy!, including tournaments | 16 episodes by Bob Verini, 1986–2002 (regular season-5x, Tournament of Champions-4x, Super Jeopardy!-3x, Masters Tournament-4x) | |
| Most consecutive appearances on a syndicated game show | 46 episodes (43 wins) by Thom McKee on Tic Tac Dough, 1980 | |
| Highest total winnings on Jeopardy! in non-tournament play | US$2,522,700 | US$184,900 by Tom Walsh, January 5–13, 2004
US$102,597 (adjusted to $204,194) by Frank Spangenberg, January 9–15, 1990 (prior to increase in clue value) |
| Highest total winnings on Jeopardy! including tournaments | US$1,155,102 by Brad Rutter, 2001–2002 | |
| Highest total winnings on a syndicated game show | US$1,155,102 by Brad Rutter on Jeopardy!, 2001–2002 | |
| Highest total winnings on a game show | US$2,180,000 by Kevin Olmstead on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, 2001 | |
| Highest total winnings in one day on Jeopardy! | US$75,000 (game 38) | US$52,000 by Brian Weikle, April 14, 2003 (Jennings tied this record three times before he broke it)
US$34,000 (adjusted to $68,000) by Jerome Vered, May 21, 1992 (prior to increase in clue value) |
| Highest 5-game total on Jeopardy!, consecutive | US$221,200 (games 34–38) | US$154,200 by Tom Walsh (games 3–7), January 7–13, 2004
US$102,597 (adjusted to $205,194) by Frank Spangenberg, January 9–15, 1990 (prior to increase in clue value) |
| Highest 5-game total on Jeopardy!, best 5 games | US$286,099 (games 28, 29, 37, 38, and 71) |
He tied the following record:
| Description | Current Record |
|---|---|
| Most consecutive appearances on a game show | 75 episodes by Ian Lygo on 100%, 1998 |
Only one game show record remained that Jennings did not tie or break:
| Description | Current Record |
|---|---|
| Most consecutive wins on a game show | 75 times by Ian Lygo on 100%, 1998 |
Jennings and previous Jeopardy! champions
Jennings won US$156,000 in his first five days on Jeopardy!, so if the five-day rule had not been eliminated, he would still be the all-time non-tournament winner in Jeopardy! history. The previous record holder, Tom Walsh, won $184,900 in seven days, but only $118,100 of that came in the first five days. No other Jeopardy! contestant has won more than $150,000 in non-tournament play.
If winnings are further adjusted to make them comparable to the seasons before the clue values were doubled, Jennings's adjusted total of $78,000 would place him 11th in the Trebek era of Jeopardy!, behind Frank Spangenberg ($102,597) and nine others.
Jennings now also holds most of the top spots in the list of highest single day winnings on Jeopardy!. Prior to Jennings's run, the $50,000 mark had only been reached twice before. Myron Meyer won $50,000 on September 5, 2002, and Brian Weikle won $52,000 on April 14, 2003. Jennings has reached the $50,000 mark eleven times, with wins of $75,000, $55,099, $52,000 (three times), and $50,000 (six times).
Jennings's top score of $75,000 is the highest ever even if it is adjusted for the seasons before the clue values were doubled. Four contestants finished with scores of $30,000 or higher in the pre-doubling era, led by Jerome Vered's score of $34,000. Jennings's adjusted total of $37,500 puts him ahead of that mark.
See also
As Jennings has captured the imagination of pundits across America, he naturally invites comparisons to characters in pop culture.
- David Foster Wallace wrote a fictional short story called "Little Expressionless Animals" well before Jennings first appeared on Jeopardy! in which the protagonist is a woman who wins on the show every day for a year. She is eventually defeated by her autistic brother, who has a photographic memory about anything related to animals; knowing this, the producers purposely loaded the board with zoological questions to unseat the uncharismatic woman.
- The movie Quiz Show chronicles the winning streak of Charles Van Doren, who captures the attention of the nation, and is later found out to be a fraud.
Game summaries
| Game | Day | Air Date | Winnings | Running Total | Opponents*** |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4558 | Day 1 | Wednesday, June 2, 2004 | $37,201 | $37,201 | Jerry Harvey, Julia Lazarus |
| 4559 | Day 2 | Thursday, June 3 | $22,000 | $59,201 | Chad Kaihe, Carrie Youngblood |
| 4560 | Day 3 | Friday, June 4 | $37,000 | $96,201 | Neil Thom, Dane Petersen |
| 4561 | Day 4 | Monday, June 7 | $30,000 | $126,201 | Josh Hornik, Clinton Wieden |
| 4562 | Day 5 | Tuesday, June 8 | $29,799 | $156,000 | Corey Halgren, Paula Filson |
| 4563 | Day 6 | Wednesday, June 9 | $25,000 | $181,000 | Kevin Stanley, Anne Fritz |
| 4564 | Day 7 | Thursday, June 10 | $50,000 | $231,000 | Laura Adomunas, (Susan Gress) |
| 4565 | Day 8 | Friday, June 11 | $35,158 | $266,158 | Al Arsenault, Ethan Culbreth |
| 4566 | Day 9 | Monday, June 14 | $25,000 | $291,158 | Joe Riley, Carla DenHartog |
| 4567 | Day 10 | Tuesday, June 15 | $50,000 | $341,158 | David Steinhardt, Karen Gasperino |
| 4568 | Day 11 | Wednesday, June 16 | $35,000 | $376,158 | Josh Thorpe, Patricia Davis |
| 4569 | Day 12 | Thursday, June 17 | $34,000 | $410,158 | Steve DiGiulio, Dierdre Basile |
| 4570 | Day 13 | Friday, June 18 | $30,000 | $440,158 | Bret Bradigan, Ellen Cook |
| 4571 | Day 14 | Monday, June 21 | $31,601 | $471,759 | Matt Ottinger, (Scheri Mullins) |
| 4572 | Day 15 | Tuesday, June 22 | $15,200 | $486,959 | Rick Faulkner, Kelly Parker |
| 4573 | Day 16 | Wednesday, June 23 | $26,000 | $512,959 | Sarah Jane Woodall, Cathy Weber |
| 4574 | Day 17 | Thursday, June 24 | $40,000 | $552,959 | Bryan Givens, Miriam Bamberger |
| 4575 | Day 18 | Friday, June 25 | $48,801 | $601,760 | Michael Cudahy, Chris Edwards |
| 4576 | Day 19 | Monday, June 28 | $21,000 | $622,760 | Michael Magdalena, Lori Fountain |
| 4577 | Day 20 | Tuesday, June 29 | $40,000 | $662,760 | Alan Paul, Laura Leslie |
| 4578 | Day 21 | Wednesday, June 30 | $35,000 | $697,760 | Ryan McClarren, Sue Richman |
| 4579 | Day 22 | Thursday, July 1 | $40,000 | $737,760 | Chris Mason, Vicki Reynolds |
| 4580 | Day 23 | Friday, July 2 | $17,600 | $755,360 | Mary Ann Eitler, (Judy MacLeod Reardon) |
| 4581 | Day 24 | Monday, July 5 | $19,600 | $774,960 | (Nick Aretakis), Lucinda Sabino |
| 4582 | Day 25 | Tuesday, July 6 | $14,000 | $788,960 | Tom Aquino, (Jenny Miller) |
| 4583 | Day 26 | Wednesday, July 7 | $40,000 | $828,960 | Michael Vance, Vanessa Osborne |
| 4584 | Day 27 | Thursday, July 8 | $40,000 | $868,960 | Leonard Koss, Oliver Mellet |
| 4585 | Day 28 | Friday, July 9 | $52,000 | $920,960 | Darcy Vernier, Kate Carlyle |
| 4586 | Day 29 | Monday, July 12 | $52,000 | $972,960 | Rich Carrol, Jennifer Lajewski |
| 4587 | Day 30 | Tuesday, July 13 | $32,000 | $1,004,960 | Max Corrick, Irene Lawrence |
| 4588 | Day 31 | Wednesday, July 14 | $17,500 | $1,022,460 | Darcy Smith, Greg Narver |
| 4589 | Day 32 | Thursday, July 15 | $28,000 | $1,050,460 | Tom Vanderloo, Lou Ascatigno |
| 4590 | Day 33 | Friday, July 16 | $50,000 | $1,100,460 | Frank McNeil, Mary McCarthy |
| 4591 | Day 34 | Monday, July 19 | $35,000 | $1,135,460 | Tim Crockett, Beverly Herter |
| 4592 | Day 35 | Tuesday, July 20 | $29,200 | $1,164,660** | Christopher Mensel, Susan Keller |
| 4593 | Day 36 | Wednesday, July 21 | $30,000 | $1,194,660 | Art Borgemenke, (Liese Tamburrino) |
| 4594 | Day 37 | Thursday, July 22 | $52,000 | $1,246,660 | Michael Jaeger, Denele Hamada |
| 4595 | Day 38 | Friday, July 23 | $75,000* | $1,321,660 | Kristine O'Connell-McCoy, Sarah Mulloy |
| Various | Monday, July 26 to Friday, September 3 | Summer Hiatus, Season 20 Reruns | |||
| 4596 | Day 39 | Monday, September 6 | $10,001 | $1,331,661 | J.D. Smith, Betsey Casman |
| 4597 | Day 40 | Tuesday, September 7 | $21,800 | $1,353,461 | Rich Hartz, Bob Watts |
| 4598 | Day 41 | Wednesday, September 8 | $27,200 | $1,380,661 | Laura Gustafson, Adam Meyer |
| 4599 | Day 42 | Thursday, September 9 | $21,800 | $1,402,461 | Todd Perkins, Amy Helmes |
| 4600 | Day 43 | Friday, September 10 | $30,000 | $1,432,461 | Bill Scheller, Kollin Min |
| 4601 | Day 44 | Monday, September 13 | $45,000 | $1,477,461 | Dana Doland, (Bruce England) |
| 4602 | Day 45 | Tuesday, September 14 | $40,000 | $1,517,461 | Robert Quinn, Kate Duffy |
| 4603 | Day 46 | Wednesday, September 15 | $37,600 | $1,555,061 | David Fishbach, Cara Butler |
| 4604 | Day 47 | Thursday, September 16 | $30,000 | $1,585,061 | Elaine Skopelja, John Cook |
| 4605 | Day 48 | Friday, September 17 | $50,000 | $1,635,061 | Greg Taylor, Marilyn Werner |
| 4606-4615 | Monday, September 20 to Friday, October 1 | Tournament of Champions | |||
| 4616 | Day 49 | Monday, October 4 | $29,601 | $1,664,662 | Jeff Suchard, (Beth Salkind) |
| 4617 | Day 50 | Tuesday, October 5 | $35,038 | $1,699,700 | Jay Wolman, Pat Greene |
| 4618 | Day 51 | Wednesday, October 6 | $38,400 | $1,738,100 | Bill Carter, Kathryn Dorminey |
| 4619 | Day 52 | Thursday, October 7 | $40,000 | $1,778,100 | Jennifer Lord, Steve Kornya |
| 4620 | Day 53 | Friday, October 8 | $30,000 | $1,808,100 | Al Lindke, Aimee Watson |
| 4621 | Day 54 | Monday, October 11 | $35,000 | $1,843,100 | Tristan Mabry, Sunny Schomaker |
| 4622 | Day 55 | Tuesday, October 12 | $35,000 | $1,878,100 | Marcy Palino, Matt Kleinmaier |
| 4623 | Day 56 | Wednesday, October 13 | $28,300 | $1,906,400 | Larry Bellinger, Marielle Poss |
| 4624 | Day 57 | Thursday, October 14 | $29,900 | $1,936,300 | Graham House, K.C. Backer |
| 4625 | Day 58 | Friday, October 15 | $40,000 | $1,976,300 | Josh Rosenfeld, Jose Ruiz Jr. |
| 4626-4630 | Monday, October 18 to Friday, October 22 | Kids Week | |||
| 4631 | Day 59 | Monday, October 25 | $30,000 | $2,006,300 | Nathan Gordon, Jennifer Harriss |
| 4632 | Day 60 | Tuesday, October 26 | $25,000 | $2,031,300 | (Mary Carpenter), Jeff Matthews |
| 4633 | Day 61 | Wednesday, October 27 | $34,001 | $2,065,301 | Merritt Hamilton Allen, Adam Villani |
| 4634 | Day 62 | Thursday, October 28 | $30,000 | $2,095,301 | Bob Joseph, Lori Ann Tennant |
| 4635 | Day 63 | Friday, October 29 | $30,000 | $2,125,301 | Sandy Grimwade, Brian Shipley |
| 4636 | Day 64 | Monday, November 1 | $26,600 | $2,151,901 | Lisa Ellis, Ben Wiles |
| 4000 | Tuesday, November 2 | 4,000th Episode Special (widely pre-empted by election coverage) | |||
| 4637+ | Day 65 | Wednesday, November 3 | $45,099 | $2,197,000**** | Rob Perry, Denise Tanyol |
| 4638+ | Day 66 | Thursday, November 4 | $50,000 | $2,247,000 | (Jennifer Knapp), Jerry Taggart |
| 4639+ | Day 67 | Friday, November 5 | $25,600 | $2,272,600 | Elizabeth Costello, John Murray |
| 4640+ | Day 68 | Saturday, November 6 | $33,201 | $2,305,801 | Leo Wolpert, Ryan Cook |
| 4641 | Day 69 | Monday, November 8 | $19,200 | $2,325,001 | Jennifer Peebles, Robert Kirkpatrick |
| 4642 | Day 70 | Tuesday, November 9 | $30,000 | $2,355,001 | Dave Oosterhuis, Jeff Hoppes |
| 4643-4652 | Wednesday, November 10 to Tuesday, November 23 | College Championship | |||
| 4653 | Day 71 | Wednesday, November 24 | $55,099 | $2,410,100 | Dan Ford, Lisa Buckhout |
| 4654 | Day 72 | Thursday, November 25 | $50,000 | $2,460,100 | Whitney Donaghy, Philip Graves |
| 4655 | Day 73 | Friday, November 26 | $31,600 | $2,491,700 | Sanda Kurtz, Andrew Smith |
| 4656 | Day 74 | Monday, November 29 | $29,000 | $2,520,700 | Kathi Fry, Rob Kimbro |
| 4657 | Day 75 | Tuesday, November 30 | $2,000# | $2,522,700 | Nancy Zerg, (David Haskins) |
Italicized episode numbers indicate games in which Ken was not a player.
* Largest Jeopardy! one-day winning total.
** Broken record of highest overall winnings ever won on Jeopardy!, including special tournaments.
*** An opponent's name in (parentheses) indicates that the opponent was ineligible to compete in Final Jeopardy! To be eligible for Final Jeopardy!, the contestant must have a positive score at the end of Double Jeopardy! (Since the current podiums were installed in 2002, a positive score is marked by the score appearing on a blue background, while a red background means the contestant has a negative score).
**** Broken record of total winnings on a game show.
+ Some markets air a Jeopardy! classic from the previous season on weekends, and syndicator King World in the U.S. (CBS/Paramount internationally) made up the pre-emption from Tuesday, November 2 by airing each of these games a day later. As a result, Jennings also appeared on Saturday, November 6.
# Although Jennings's total for the day was $8,799, second-place winners are only allowed to take home $2,000 regardless of their total for that game.
Average daily winnings: $33,636.00
Average daily winnings with final day's total ($8,799): $33,726.65
More detailed Ken Jennings statistics have been compiled by Andy Saunders.
The theoretical maximum win for a single game of Jeopardy! is $566,400, but this requires choosing all of the Daily Doubles last and that they're all placed behind the lowest valued clues, for which the odds are 3,288,600 to 1 (assuming they are randomly placed). Depending on placement and order of the Daily Doubles, a so-called "perfect game" (every question correct, always maximum wager when called to do so) can range from $208,000 to $566,400, with a mean of $374,400.
Ken Jennings's loss on Jeopardy!
In a rumor disclosed on Wednesday, September 8, 2004, two sources who were at the taping reported that Jennings had lost on his 75th episode, taped the day before, with total winnings at around $2.5 million.
This incident was reported by TV Week and the Associated Press, appearing in hundreds of newspapers across the United States.
Later on, it was determined that Ken Jennings did indeed lose. The failing episode was shown on Tuesday, November 30, 2004.
Final Jeopardy! category: Business and Industry Final Jeopardy! answer: Most of this firm's 70,000 seasonal white-collar employees work only four months a year.
The correct question was: What is H&R Block? This was the answer given by Nancy Zerg. Jennings's other opponent, (Add in here), could not participate in Final Jeopardy!. Ken Jennings gave a question of: What is FedEx? Nancy's wager was $4,401, which brought her total to $14,401. Ken Jennings wagered $5,601, and caused him to lose with a total of $8,799.
To make it more difficult for viewers to keep track of Ken's progress towards his final episode, in early September 2004 the show's announcer, Johnny Gilbert, ceased mentioning the number of games that Jennings had won, as had been the show's custom. However, some people in the studio audience reported that he was still announcing them, possibly meaning those parts had been edited out of the airing. Oddly, however, during the 74th game, which aired on November 29, Johnny Gilbert resumed announcing the number of games.
Therefore, Jennings ties Ian Lygo's record of 75 appearances. Lygo won his 75th game and was retired by the show's producers. However, he does not tie Lygo's record of 75 wins.
An audio recording of Final Jeopardy! for Ken Jennings's 75th appearance has been posted online on the same weblog Kottke.org where the initial rumor appeared.
External links
- Jeopardy! web site
- Official Jeopardy! Message Boards
- Ken Jennings Watch
- JEOPARCHIVE!: Full recaps of all 20th season episodes
- Statistics from Jennings's run on Jeopardy! (updated daily)
- Yahoo! Group for fans of Ken Jennings
- Television Without Pity Forum — Jeopardy!
- Ken's Top 2000 Favorite Movies Page
- "O.K., Alex, Smart Nerds for $1 Million," The New York Times, July 13, 2004.
- tvgameshows.net
- The Cult of Ken Jennings
- Daily Ken Jennings updates
- Ken Jennings Fansite
- Ken Jennings Fansite
- Syntax of Things: "This Is Ken!"
- This Is... Jennings!
- CNN.com - 'Jeopardy's' Jennings sets record - Nov. 4, 2004
- CNN.com - Jennings hits 'Jeopardy' milestone - Nov. 30, 2004
- Ken Jennings at IMDb