Ken Jennings
Spoiler warning: This article is updated as soon as the results of the current day's episode are known. If the current episode has not yet been broadcast in your area and you do not wish to know the results in advance, then do not read this article.
Ken W. Jennings (born May 23, 1974) holds the records for the longest winning streak and the most money won on the syndicated game show Jeopardy!.
Biography
From Salt Lake City, Utah, Jennings is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (and therefore a teetotaler) and a graduate in Computer Science and English of Brigham Young University, where he played on the school's quizbowl team for three years. Jennings was born at Stevens Memorial Hospital in Edmonds, Washington and turned 30 years of age in May 2004. He also identifies himself as an avid comic book and movie buff with a web site listing his top 2000 favorite movies. He completed an IB (International Baccalaureate) diploma at Seoul Foreign School and achieved "honors" at both University of Washington and Brigham Young University. He currently writes questions, and edits literature and mythology, for NAQT, a quizbowl organization. He is now a software engineer for CHG, a healthcare-placement firm.
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 served a two year LDS mission in Madrid, Spain from 1993 to 1995.
Ken Jennings' streak on Jeopardy!
Including shows aired through October 4, 2004, Jennings had won US $1,664,662 through 49 episodes. Jeopardy! contestants typically receive their winnings approximately 120 days after their last game airs.
In addition to his daily winnings, Jennings will certainly return for the "Tournament of Champions", where he will likely be the odds-on favorite to win an additional $250,000. The episode aired July 23, 2004 was the 20th-season finale; all of Jennings' 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, he will have to wait until the 2005-06 season to compete in the Tournament of Champions. [The ToCs have aired at different times over the year, and have had different cut-off dates; it is certain, though, that he will compete in the next ToC after he loses.]
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.
Jennings's winning streak on Jeopardy! has made him something of a celebrity; he has received a good deal of national media coverage and appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman to present Letterman's "Top 10 List". 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, it surpassed traditional leader Wheel of Fortune to become television's highest-rated syndicated program.
When asked what he intends to do with his winnings, Jennings said that he intended to tithe ten percent to his church, donate to public television and NPR, go on a trip to Europe, and invest the rest for his family.
Trademarks
Jennings has become known for his quirky behaviors:
- He writes his name in a different way each day, with styles ranging from cursive script to block letters to dots.
- Every time his total winnings are announced at the beginning of the show, he shakes his head in disbelief.
- 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. Trebek has commented on this several times, and he even occasionally "guesses" what wager Jennings will make.
- He 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 this record three times. However, on the episode aired July 23, the final episode of the Jeopardy! season and Jennings' 38th win, he 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. (He would have broken the record with $60,000 in his 30th win, but missed the Final Jeopardy! question and finished that game with $32,000).
Records
Jennings has already broken or tied the following records:
Description | Current Record | Previous Record |
---|---|---|
Most consecutive appearances on Jeopardy! | 49 episodes (49 wins) | 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-5, Tournament of Champions-4, Super Jeopardy!-3, Masters Tournament-4) | |
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 $1,664,662 | US $184,900 by Tom Walsh, January 5–13, 2004
US $102,597 (adjusted to $205,194) 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 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 $281,000 (games 10, 28, 29, 37, and 38) |
Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek often mentions the other possible records that Jennings could break. Included in the records Jennings still has ahead of him (not all of which Trebek has mentioned):
Description | Previous Record |
---|---|
Most consecutive appearances on a game show | 75 days by Ian Lygo on 100%, 1998 |
Highest total winnings on a game show | US $2,180,000 by Kevin Olmstead on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, 2001 |
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' adjusted total of $78,000 would place him 11th in the Trebek era of Jeopardy!, behind Frank Spangenberg ($102,597) and nine others.
See also
As Jennings has captured the imagination of pundits across the nation, 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 main character 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.
Daily winnings
Day | Air Date | Winnings | Running Total | Opponents |
---|---|---|---|---|
Day 1 | Wednesday, June 2 | $37,201 | $37,201 | Jerry Harvey, Julia Lazarus |
Day 2 | Thursday, June 3 | $22,000 | $59,201 | Chad Kaihe, Carrie Youngblood |
Day 3 | Friday, June 4 | $37,000 | $96,201 | Neil Thom, Dane Petersen |
Day 4 | Monday, June 7 | $30,000 | $126,201 | Josh Hornik, Clinton Wieden |
Day 5 | Tuesday, June 8 | $29,799 | $156,000 | Corey Halgren, Paula Filson |
Day 6 | Wednesday, June 9 | $25,000 | $181,000 | Kevin Stanley, Anne Fritz |
Day 7 | Thursday, June 10 | $50,000 | $231,000 | Laura Adomunas, (Susan Gress)*** |
Day 8 | Friday, June 11 | $35,158 | $266,158 | Al Arsenault, Ethan Culbreth |
Day 9 | Monday, June 14 | $25,000 | $291,158 | Joe Riley, Carla DenHartog |
Day 10 | Tuesday, June 15 | $50,000 | $341,158 | David Steinhardt, Karen Gasperino |
Day 11 | Wednesday, June 16 | $35,000 | $376,158 | Josh Thorpe, Patricia Davis |
Day 12 | Thursday, June 17 | $34,000 | $410,158 | Steve DiGiulio, Dierdre Basile |
Day 13 | Friday, June 18 | $30,000 | $440,158 | Bret Bradigan, Ellen Cook |
Day 14 | Monday, June 21 | $31,601 | $471,759 | Matt Ottinger, (Scheri Mullins) |
Day 15 | Tuesday, June 22 | $15,200 | $486,959 | Rick Faulkner, Kelly Parker |
Day 16 | Wednesday, June 23 | $26,000 | $512,959 | Sarah Jane Woodall, Cathy Weber |
Day 17 | Thursday, June 24 | $40,000 | $552,959 | Bryan Givens, Miriam Bamberger |
Day 18 | Friday, June 25 | $48,801 | $601,760 | Michael Cudahy, Chris Edwards |
Day 19 | Monday, June 28 | $21,000 | $622,760 | Michael Magdalena, Lori Fountain |
Day 20 | Tuesday, June 29 | $40,000 | $662,760 | Alan Paul, Laura Leslie |
Day 21 | Wednesday, June 30 | $35,000 | $697,760 | Ryan McClarren, Sue Richman |
Day 22 | Thursday, July 1 | $40,000 | $737,760 | Chris Mason, Vicki Reynolds |
Day 23 | Friday, July 2 | $17,600 | $755,360 | Mary Ann Eitler, (Judy MacLeod Reardon) |
Day 24 | Monday, July 5 | $19,600 | $774,960 | (Nick Aretakis), Lucinda Sabino |
Day 25 | Tuesday, July 6 | $14,000 | $788,960 | Tom Aquino, (Jenny Miller) |
Day 26 | Wednesday, July 7 | $40,000 | $828,960 | Michael Vance, Vanessa Osborne |
Day 27 | Thursday, July 8 | $40,000 | $868,960 | Leonard Koss, Oliver Mellet |
Day 28 | Friday, July 9 | $52,000 | $920,960 | Darcy Vernier, Kate Carlyle |
Day 29 | Monday, July 12 | $52,000 | $972,960 | Rich Carrol, Jennifer Lajewski |
Day 30 | Tuesday, July 13 | $32,000 | $1,004,960 | Max Corrick, Irene Lawrence |
Day 31 | Wednesday, July 14 | $17,500 | $1,022,460 | Darcy Smith, Greg Narver |
Day 32 | Thursday, July 15 | $28,000 | $1,050,460 | Tom Vanderloo, Lou Ascatigno |
Day 33 | Friday, July 16 | $50,000 | $1,100,460 | Frank McNeil, Mary McCarthy |
Day 34 | Monday, July 19 | $35,000 | $1,135,460 | Tim Crockett, Beverly Herter |
Day 35 | Tuesday, July 20 | $29,200 | $1,164,660** | Christopher Mensel, Susan Keller |
Day 36 | Wednesday, July 21 | $30,000 | $1,194,660 | Art Borgemenke, (Liese Tamburrino) |
Day 37 | Thursday, July 22 | $52,000 | $1,246,660 | Michael Jaeger, Denele Hamada |
Day 38 | Friday, July 23 | $75,000* | $1,321,660 | Kristine O'Connell-McCoy, Sarah Mulloy |
Day 39 | Monday, September 6 | $10,001 | $1,331,661 | J.D. Smith, Betsey Casman |
Day 40 | Tuesday, September 7 | $21,800 | $1,353,461 | Rich Hartz, Bob Watts |
Day 41 | Wednesday, September 8 | $27,200 | $1,380,661 | Laura Gustafson, Adam Meyer |
Day 42 | Thursday, September 9 | $21,800 | $1,402,461 | Todd Perkins, Amy Helmes |
Day 43 | Friday, September 10 | $30,000 | $1,432,461 | Bill Scheller, Kollin Min |
Day 44 | Monday, September 13 | $45,000 | $1,477,461 | Dana Doland, (Bruce England) |
Day 45 | Tuesday, September 14 | $40,000 | $1,517,461 | Robert Quinn, Kate Duffy |
Day 46 | Wednesday, September 15 | $37,600 | $1,555,061 | David Fishbach, Cara Butler |
Day 47 | Thursday, September 16 | $30,000 | $1,585,061 | Elaine Skopelja, John Cook |
Day 48 | Friday, September 17 | $50,000 | $1,635,061 | Greg Taylor, Marilyn Werner |
Day 49 | Monday, October 4 | $29,601 | $1,664,662 | Jeff Suchard, (Beth Salkind) |
* Largest Jeopardy! one-day winning total.
** Broken record of highest overall winnings ever won on Jeopardy!, including special tournaments
*** An opponent's name in (brackets) indicates that the opponent was unable to write Final Jeopardy!
Daily average: US $33,972.69
Note: Due to the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions (for which Ken is not eligible yet, because his streak is ongoing), Ken Jennings' next game, his 49th, will air October 4th (October 5th for some West Coast viewers).
The theoretical maximum win for a single day 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.
Rumors
Template:Spoiler Do NOT continue reading if you do not wish to know the possible results of future or unaired Jeopardy games.
In a rumor disclosed Wednesday, September 8 2004, two sources who were at the taping said that Jennings had lost on his 75th episode, taped the day before, with total winnings at around 2.5 million US dollars. [1] Since the shows are taped far in advance, the alleged failing episode will not be shown until sometime in the period between the end of October and beginning of December, 2004.
On The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Jennings commented, "Well, I think it was on the Internet and as you know, if there's something on the Internet, it's gotta be true."
Regardless, Jennings would tie Ian Lygo on his 75th appearance if he lasts. (Lygo won his 75th game and was retired by the show's producers.) Jennings missed the 2004 Tournament of Champions because he is the incumbent champion, and will likely be assigned to the next Tournament, in 2006 at the end of Season 22, when/if he loses.
External links
- Jeopardy! web site
- Official Jeopardy! Message Boards
- Ken Jennings Watch
- JEOPARCHIVE!: Full recaps of all 20th season episodes
- Statistics from Jennings' 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!