Kenneth Wayne "Ken" Jennings III (also known as The Professor or The Trivia Legend) (born on May 23, 1974) is a game show contestant and host. He is most notable for his record-setting streak of 74 wins on Jeopardy!, and for appearing on other game shows afterwards. Ken then became the first and longest-running (at six weeks) of the guest hosts of the show following the death of Alex Trebek. After Mike Richards stepped down after a week as the permanent host amid controversy, Ken Jennings became the host of Jeopardy!, sharing duties with Mayim Bialik until June 30, 2023. Ken became the solo host following Mayim's departure from Jeopardy! on July 3, 2023.
Biography[]
Ken Jennings was born in Edmonds, Washington, a suburb of Seattle, on May 23, 1974. His father was an international lawyer who moved the family to South Korea when Ken was in first grade. Ken's mother was a teacher who worked overseas for the Department of Defense. Ken lived in both South Korea and Singapore for a combined 11 years, and grew up watching Jeopardy! on the American Forces Network.
After graduating from the Seoul Foreign School, Ken returned to the United States to study at the University of Washington. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Ken spent two years as a Mormon missionary in Madrid, Spain. In 1996, Ken transferred to Brigham Young University, where he was roommates with the author Brandon Sanderson and a member of the school's quizbowl team (at one point, he was the team captain). Ken graduated from BYU in 2000, earning a combined degree in English and computer science.
After college, Ken lived in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he worked as a software engineer.
Jeopardy! Run[]
As a game show contestant, Ken is best known for his 74-game Jeopardy winning streak from June 2 to November 30, 2004. Ken lost his 75th game to challenger Nancy Zerg, who was the only other contestant to qualify for Final Jeopardy that game. In Final Jeopardy!, the category was Business & Industry, with the clue "Most of this firm's 70,000 seasonal white-collar employees work only four months a year." While Nancy correctly guessed "What Is H&R Block?", Ken guessed "What Is FedEx?", losing the streak.
Regular-Season Play[]
Before the 20th season premiere in 2003, champions had to retire after winning five games. To celebrate season 20 of Jeopardy!, the producers changed that rule, allowing champions to continue playing until they were defeated; it's now known as the "sky's the limit" rule.
Ken's run began during Jeopardy!'s 20th season with the episode aired on June 2, 2004, in which he unseated two-time returning champion Jerry Harvey, who ended Anne Boyd's 4-game winning streak, and continued into season 21. In that first episode, Ken's entire winning streak nearly ended before it even began. The Final Jeopardy! answer was, "She's the first female track and field athlete to win medals in five different events at a single Olympics." Ken responded with "Who is Jones?", using only the last name of Marion Jones (who was not stripped of her medals until December 2007). Host Alex Trebek said, "We will accept that, in terms of female athletes, there aren't that many." If the response had not been accepted, Ken would have finished in third place, and challenger Julia Lazarus would have won the game. However, retry is possible in case of an error in the correct answer, so even if he lose due to a wrong decision, he may have been recruited again.
On June 2, 2004, Ken Jennings' first episode aired. He won the game and proceeded to win all the remaining games during that season. By the end of Season 20, Ken had accumulated 38 wins. In the process, he broke the single-day winnings record with a $75,000 score in the Season 20 finale episode (aired July 23, 2004).
Ken returned to begin Season 21. He proceeded to win 36 more games. After the November 29, 2004 show, he had won 74 games for a total of $2,520,700.
| Game No. | Air Date | Final score | Cumulative Winnings | Additional Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | June 2, 2004 | $37,201 | $37,201 | Ken's first nonrunaway game. |
| 2 | June 3, 2004 | $22,000 | $59,201 | |
| 3 | June 4, 2004 | $37,000 | $96,201 | |
| 4 | June 7, 2004 | $30,000 | $126,201 | |
| 5 | June 8, 2004 | $29,799 | $156,000 | Ken's second nonrunaway game. |
| 6 | June 9, 2004 | $25,000 | $181,000 | |
| 7 | June 10, 2004 | $50,000 | $231,000 | Ken achieved a Coryat Score of $39,200 in this game, which is currently the record for the highest Coryat Score ever. Ken also broke the record for most money won in regular play, both unadjusted (Tom Walsh, $186,900 - Tom was also the first ever 7-day champion) and adjusted (Frank Spangenberg, $205,194). |
| 8 | June 11, 2004 | $35,158 | $266,158 | |
| 9 | June 14, 2004 | $25,000 | $291,158 | |
| 10 | June 15, 2004 | $50,000 | $341,158 | |
| 11 | June 16, 2004 | $35,000 | $376,158 | |
| 12 | June 17, 2004 | $34,000 | $410,158 | |
| 13 | June 18, 2004 | $30,000 | $440,158 | |
| 14 | June 21, 2004 | $31,601 | $471,759 | Ken's third nonrunaway game. |
| 15 | June 22, 2004 | $15,200 | $486,959 | |
| 16 | June 23, 2004 | $26,000 | $512,959 | |
| 17 | June 24, 2004 | $40,000 | $552,959 | |
| 18 | June 25, 2004 | $48,801 | $601,760 | Ken's fourth nonrunaway game. At the time, Michael Cudahy's $44,400 was the record for the highest second-place score ever; coincidentally, the current record of $53,999 was set by Adam Levin in James Holzhauer's eighteenth game. |
| 19 | June 28, 2004 | $21,000 | $622,760 | |
| 20 | June 29, 2004 | $40,000 | $662,760 | Ken's fifth nonrunaway game. |
| 21 | June 30, 2004 | $35,000 | $697,760 | |
| 22 | July 1, 2004 | $40,000 | $737,760 | |
| 23 | July 2, 2004 | $17,600 | $755,360 | |
| 24 | July 5, 2004 | $19,600 | $774,960 | |
| 25 | July 6, 2004 | $14,000 | $788,960 | Only regular-season play game in which Ken did not find any of the Daily Doubles. |
| 26 | July 7, 2004 | $40,000 | $828,960 | |
| 27 | July 8, 2004 | $40,000 | $868,960 | |
| 28 | July 9, 2004 | $52,000 | $920,960 | Tied Brian Weikle's one-day record, set the year before. |
| 29 | July 12, 2004 | $52,000 | $972,960 | Tied Brian Weikle's one-day record again. |
| 30 | July 13, 2004 | $32,000 | $1,004,960 | Had Ken gotten Final Jeopardy correct, he would have broken the one-day record. He also crossed the $1 million mark in this game, though slower than James Holzhauer (14 games) and Matt Amodio and Amy Schneider (28 games each). |
| 31 | July 14, 2004 | $17,500 | $1,022,460 | |
| 32 | July 15, 2004 | $28,000 | $1,050,460 | |
| 33 | July 16, 2004 | $50,000 | $1,100,460 | |
| 34 | July 19, 2004 | $35,000 | $1,135,460 | |
| 35 | July 20, 2004 | $29,200 | $1,164,460 | Ken successfully rang in first on 82.14% of all clues played this game (per thejeopardyfan.com). He also broke Brad Rutter's record for highest-earning player ever and would have tied Brian Weikle's one-day record a third time had he gotten Final Jeopardy! correct. |
| 36 | July 21, 2004 | $30,000 | $1,194,460 | |
| 37 | July 22, 2004 | $52,000 | $1,246,660 | Tied Brian Weikle's one-day record for the third time, to which Alex Trebek theorized that Ken was doing so for the sole purpose of annoying him. |
| 38 | July 23, 2004 | $75,000 | $1,321,660 | Last game of Season 20. Ken set the one-day record ($75,000) as well as the record for highest score going into Final Jeopardy ($51,400). It is also the highest number of correct answers in one game by a single player (including FJ!, 45-2). However, this did not break the adjusted record, set at $55,000 by Jack Lechner (12/2/88). |
| 39 | September 6, 2004 | $10,001 | $1,331,661 | First game of Season 21. Ken lost $21,599 in Final Jeopardy, which broke the record for highest amount of money lost; however, once again, this did not break the adjusted record, set at $30,000 also by Lechner's same game (12/2/88). |
| 40 | September 7, 2004 | $21,800 | $1,353,461 | |
| 41 | September 8, 2004 | $27,200 | $1,380,461 | |
| 42 | September 9, 2004 | $21,800 | $1,402,461 | |
| 43 | September 10, 2004 | $30,000 | $1,432,461 | |
| 44 | September 13, 2004 | $45,000 | $1,477,461 | |
| 45 | September 14, 2004 | $40,000 | $1,517,461 | |
| 46 | September 15, 2004 | $37,600 | $1,555,061 | |
| 47 | September 16, 2004 | $30,000 | $1,585,061 | |
| 48 | September 17, 2004 | $50,000 | $1,635,061 | After this win, he had to wait two weeks due to the 2004 Tournament of Champions. |
| 49 | October 4, 2004 | $29,601 | $1,664,462 | Ken's sixth nonrunaway game. First regular play game of Season 21 to be taped after the show's summer hiatus. The Jeopardy! logo became more golden and less reflective during the opening credits. First game where Johnny Gilbert's daily introduction of Jennings is only featured how much money he had won up to that point. |
| 50 | October 5, 2004 | $35,038 | $1,699,700 | |
| 51 | October 6, 2004 | $38,400 | $1,738,100 | |
| 52 | October 7, 2004 | $40,000 | $1,778,100 | |
| 53 | October 8, 2004 | $30,000 | $1,808,100 | The well-known incident of Ken Jennings' viral response of "What is a hoe?" |
| 54 | October 11, 2004 | $35,000 | $1,843,100 | |
| 55 | October 12, 2004 | $35,000 | $1,878,100 | |
| 56 | October 13, 2004 | $28,300 | $1,906,400 | |
| 57 | October 14, 2004 | $29,900 | $1,936,300 | Alex delivers clues from Tie Domi of the Toronto Maple Leafs. |
| 58 | October 15, 2004 | $40,000 | $1,976,300 | After this win, he had to wait one week due to the 2004-B Kids Week. |
| 59 | October 25, 2004 | $30,000 | $2,006,300 | Ken crosses the $2 million mark. |
| 60 | October 26, 2004 | $25,000 | $2,031,300 | Ken's seventh nonrunaway game. |
| 61 | October 27, 2004 | $34,001 | $2,065,301 | Ken's eighth nonrunaway game. |
| 62 | October 28, 2004 | $30,000 | $2,095,301 | |
| 63 | October 29, 2004 | $30,000 | $2,125,301 | Ken got his tenth consecutive Final Jeopardy correct. |
| 64 | November 1, 2004 | $26,600 | $2,151,901 | Competitor Ben Wiles wrote as his Final Jeopardy answer, "What is see next podium" and an arrow he drew to point to Ken’s podium, but instead pointed to Lisa Ellis' podium. This turned out to be a fortuitous mistake, as Lisa got Final Jeopardy! correct while Ken did not. |
| 65 | November 3, 2004 | $45,099 | $2,197,000 | Ken breaks Kevin Olmstead's record for most money won on a television game show. U.S. presidential election coverage bumped this game's airing by one day. Affiliates with no election coverage aired the "4,000th Episode" special (#4088) on 2004-11-02. |
| 66 | November 4, 2004 | $50,000 | $2,247,000 | |
| 67 | November 5, 2004 | $25,600 | $2,272,600 | |
| 68 | November 6, 2004 | $33,201 | $2,305,801 | Ken's ninth nonrunaway game. U.S. presidential election coverage on 2004-11-02 bumped airdates for games this week by one day, resulting in a Saturday airdate for an original episode. |
| 69 | November 8, 2004 | $19,200 | $2,325,001 | |
| 70 | November 9, 2004 | $30,000 | $2,355,001 | After this game, he had to wait two weeks due to the 2004 College Championship. |
| 71 | November 24, 2004 | $55,099 | $2,410,100 | Ken sets a new second-highest single-day cash winnings record of $55,099. |
| 72 | November 25, 2004 | $50,000 | $2,460,100 | |
| 73 | November 26, 2004 | $31,600 | $2,491,700 | |
| 74 | November 29, 2004 | $29,000 | $2,520,700 | Last game where Johnny Gilbert's daily introduction of Ken is only featured how much money he had won up to that point. |
| 75 | November 30, 2004 | $8,799 | $2,522,700 | Ken's tenth and final nonrunaway game in regular season play. Lost to Nancy Zerg. |
Spoilers Before His Last Regular Game[]
During a summer taping, reports from audience members claimed that Ken had lost during a Season 21 show while trying for his 75th consecutive win. These rumors circulated as the summer and fall of 2004 progressed. But, due to the official forum's no-spoiler policy, the rumor became known as "That Which Must Not Be Mentioned."
The original date for Ken's loss was November 9, 2004. But, the show's producers tried to mitigate the effects of the spoiler. First, they dubbed out Johnny Gilbert's announcement of the number of games won during games 49 through 73. Second, the show interspersed special weeks into Ken's run. But fans quickly adjusted, and it became known that "D-Day" would be November 30, 2004.
On November 26, 2004, a Georgia station accidentally aired the Final Jeopardy! round from Ken's last regular game. Over the weekend, audio clips of that fateful Final Jeopardy! circulated over the internet.
On November 30, 2004, Ken Jennings led challenger Nancy Zerg by $14,400 to $10,000, but lost in Final Jeopardy!. Ken's other challenger, David Hankins, finished Double Jeopardy! at -$2,800 and received $1,000 in third place cash, but wasn't allowed to compete in Final Jeopardy!. The Final Jeopardy! answer in the category of BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY was the following: "Most of this firm's 70,000 seasonal white-collar employees work only 4 months a year." Nancy correctly questioned, "What is H&R Block" and gained $4,401 to move to $14,401. Ken, but mentioned "What is FedEx?" losing $5,601 and finishing in second place at $8,799. With the $2,000 second-place cash added to his total, he left with a total of $2,522,700.
Ultimate Tournament of Champions[]
In the finals, he faced off against Brad Rutter and Jerome Vered. Throughout the finals, he came up with a combined 53/63 correct responses (including 3/4 Daily Doubles). He and Jerome got 1/3 Final Jeopardy! correct, but after losing to Rutter (in a runaway game), he received $500,000 for finishing in second place.
IBM Challenge[]
During the IBM, he faced Brad Rutter and Watson. Throughout the two games, he came up with 26/30 correct responses (including 1/1 Daily Double). He and Brad got Final correct in both games, but after losing to Watson, he received $300,000 for VillageReach.
Battle of the Decades[]
In the fourth game of the 2000s week, he faced off against Michael Falk and Vinita Kailasanath. Throughout the first two rounds, he came up with 24/27 correct responses (including 2/2 Daily Doubles). Nobody got Final Jeopardy correct, but Ken advanced to the quarterfinals (in a runaway game), Falk and Vinita received $5,000.
In the fourth quarterfinal game, he faced off against Tom Cubbage and Rachael Schwartz. Throughout the first two rounds, he came up with 32/35 correct responses (including 1/2 Daily Doubles). Everyone got Final correct and Ken advanced to the semifinals (in a runaway game). Cubbage earned a wildcard with his $19,500, while Rachael's $7,600 was not enough, taking home $10,000.
In the first semifinal game, he faced off against Russ Schumacher and Chuck Forrest. Throughout the first two rounds, he came up with 32/34 correct responses (including 1/2 Daily Doubles). He and Chuck got Final correct and Ken advanced to the finals, Russ and Chuck received $25,000 each.
In the finals, he faced off against Roger Craig and Brad Rutter. Throughout the finals, he came up with a combined 41/45 correct responses. He is the only player who got Final incorrect in both games, but after losing to Brad, he received $100,000 for first runner-up.
All-Star Games[]
He played with Matt Jackson and Monica Thieu in Team Ken. In the second match, they faced off against Team Austin and Team Julia. Throughout the match, they came up with 54/58 correct responses (including 5/5 Daily Doubles). They got Final correct in both games and automatically advanced to the finals. Team Austin advanced to the wildcard match with their $21,600, while Team Julia received $50,000 as they were the first team to be eliminated.
In the final match, they faced off against Team Brad and Team Colby. Throughout the finals, they came up with 43/46 correct responses (including 1/1 Daily Double). All teams got Final correct in both games, but after losing to Team Brad (in a runaway game), they received $300,000 for first runner-up.
The Greatest of All Time[]
He appeared in the Greatest of All Time Tournament against James Holzhauer and Brad Rutter. Throughout the tournament, he came up with 179/191 correct responses (including 7/8 Daily Doubles). He got 6/8 Final Jeopardy correct and won $1,000,000. This marks his first tournament win, and it culminates a tournament feud between him and Brad.
Common with Other Champions[]
James Holzhauer[]
- In they first appearance, they beat the male champion who beat the ToC entrant (Ken - Anne Boyd).
- Among the contestants who competed, the contestant who competed in their 18th game was the best recorder.
- When reached best record, we competed against two female challengers. Ken at 38th game and James at 10th game.
- Continuous FJ! The record of correct answers is more than 10 times.
- Both became Millionaire on Tuesday.
- Both handed over the championship titles to a female challenger.
- The two men's fates were split over a Shakespeare Question, which led Ken to win his best and GOAT competition, while James came up short of Ken's regular game record break and handed over his GOAT win.
- Both broke the highest one-day winning at the time of their appearance. The difference is that Ken only accomplished the feat once ($75,000) and James did it twice ($110,914 and $131,127).
Matt Amodio[]
- Both achieved the highest Coryat Score record in their 7th games.
- Both holds a record of over $70,000. The difference is that Ken Jennings has only done it once, while Matt Amodio has done it three times.
- Both went on winning streaks over two seasons.
- They struggled in their 18th game. Matt was at risk of a come-back defeat, and Ken Jennings struggled enough to set the record for an all-time opponent in 18 straight wins.
- About a month later, they became a millionaire.
- The difference between Ken Jennings and Matt Amodio is that Ken Jennings held 1st place until the end. and Matt Amodio sat in third going into final.
Jonathan Fisher[]
- Their giant killers' first name is Nancy (Ken's giant killer is Nancy Zerg, and Jonathan's giant killer is Nancy Donehower). When they left, both giant killers got off the next day to an opponents lock game.
Amy Schneider[]
- The first record is over $30K, and the total record of five consecutive wins is over $150,000.
- Both with a record of over $70,000 in a single game.
- When they both got off, they had in common that they handed over the championship to the opposite sex challenger and suffered a comeback defeat, and lost to an opponent who finished the next game in third place.
- Became the first player of each gender to win a best-of-seven matchup.
Cris Pannullo[]
- Both have set the record for over $70,000 once. Ken in the 38th and Cris in the 14th.
- ToC was held during the hiatus of the two. Also, two more tournaments were held during the hiatus.
- Both got off on Tuesday, and the timing is also a week away. Also, the birthplace of the new champion is California.
- Both had FJ! with Shakespeare. Ken corrected this FJ! in the 38th game and set the record, and Cris corrected the FJ! in the 19th game to avoid the jinx, but eventually got off after unsolving the FJ! in the two games.
- Both have appeared on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. However, Cris appeared before Jeopardy and Ken participated after appearing in Jeopardy.
Scott Riccardi[]
- They both won despite getting all three Daily Doubles incorrect (Ken won his 31st game and Scott won his 6th game).
Evolution[]
You can say that Jeopardy! is one of the participants who benefited from the change to an unlimited win streak. Without him, the current Jeopardy would not exist. From summer to autumn, he appeared, and he was a person who instilled curiosity about when his winning streak would be broken. In particular, after his departure, David Madden stepped down as the long-term champion, and after 9 years, at least one long-term champion has come out every 1-2 years.
Host Activity[]
On November 24, 2020, it was announced that Ken Jennings would be one of the guest hosts of Jeopardy! following the death of long-time host Alex Trebek. Ken's first episode as a guest host aired January 11, 2021, and his last one aired February 19, 2021. After working as a guest host, Ken revealed that he had no desire to be a regular host.
Eventually, Mike Richards was selected as an official host for Season 38. However, Mike resigned as the host after a week when he became embroiled in scandals stemming from his past behavior. After Mike resigned, Ken became an acting co-host alongside Mayim Bialik. In July 2022, it was announced that both Ken and Mayim were named as permanent co-hosts on the daily syndicated series starting in Season 39. Mayim's last syndicated show aired on June 30, 2023; Ken then became the sole host of the series.
In general, Ken is regarded as a popular host, and the right choice to carry on Alex Trebek's legacy.
Trivia[]
- After his Jeopardy regular games is done, his all-time high of $75,000 was later broken by Roger Craig at $77,000, and James later swept all ten of the top prize money lists. However, as of 2024, his best 74-win streak and highest Coryat score ($39,200) has been maintained for over 20 years, and the champion who came close to his regular-game earning record is James Holzhauer ($2,462,216), and the champion with the longest winning streak since his defeat is Amy Schneider (40 wins). The two people mentioned both won the ToC.
- After Ken got off, there was a jinx that anyone who defeated a long-time champion with 10 or more consecutive wins would unconditionally fail to win a streak. The jinx was broken in 2019 with Emma Boettcher beating James Holzhauer. In addition, Emma, who won 3 consecutive victories, participated at the discretion of the production team, even though she was not eligible to participate in ToC at the time, and rematched with James, and after a close match, she vomited the spirit of finishing runner-up.
- Among the four people who became millionaires in the winning streak, he was the only one to exceed $100,000 in the fourth games. The rest was accomplished in three games.
- There is a jinx that has not been broken since Ken, in the case of FJ!, when a challenger who has won 10 or more champions tries to win a streak, there is a pattern called TS or only one challenger in the case of FJ!. This jinx was broken by Lloyd Sy defeating Ray Lalonde.
- Since the departure of Ken Jennings, new champions like Nancy Zerg who have beaten 10 or more champions in a row have been nicknamed Giant Killers. In fact, it's a term officially used in other sports as well, and it became a term used by Alex Trebek when he was referring to his departure. Also from this is the slang term ZergCam.
- Coincidentally, the first week of June, when he first aired, is also the time when champions with more than 10 consecutive victories often leave. Julia Collins and five-win champion Dan Feitel left on that date, and five years later, James Holzhauer left the next day. Recently, in 2022, Ryan Long left the first week of June.
- He has the most consecutive lock games in all-time (28, 21st game to 48th game).
- WatchMojo ranked him as #3 on the Top 10 Jeopardy! Guest Hosts.
- Coincidentally, the day Ken Jennings was brought back at the beginning of the show to recognize his place in the show's history was the same 21 years later, when Harrison Whitaker lost to Libby Jones.
Other Game Shows[]
- Ken was also the central figure in a game show pilot for Comedy Central, Ken Jennings vs. the Rest of the World. But, that pilot wasn't picked up.
- In 2006, Ken was a member of the mob on 1 vs. 100. He was eliminated when he didn't know what color the number 1 was on a roulette wheel.
- That same year, he hosted a Minnesota School Quiz show called Face-Off Minnesota.
- Ken was also the champion on another game show in 2007, Grand Slam. He won the $100,000 grand prize.
- He also appeared on Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? on October 10, 2008, winning $500,000. Had he gone for the Million Dollar Question, he would've won the million.
- Ken appeared in a 2005 commercial for Allstate featuring actor Dennis Haysbert, proving to him how over 1 million drivers switched to Allstate last year with the question "Would a million people switch to Allstate if it was more expensive?", responding with "What is no way?"
- He also appeared in a 2005 commercial for Cingular Wireless.
- In 2005, University Games released "Can You Beat Ken?"
- On November 14 and 17, 2014, Ken Jennings walked away with $100,000 in Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.
- Ken appeared as the first contestant on the season two premiere episode of 500 Questions, but didn't add anything to his total.
- Ken appeared on GSN's 2019 Best Ever Trivia Show and its successor 2020 Master Minds as one of the regular "Trivia Experts."
- He is co-hosting a revival of The Chase for ABC with Brad Rutter, James Holzhauer, and (as of season 2) Mark Labbett. His nickname is "The Professor."
- On May 10, 2023, he appeared on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune alongside Mayim Bialik and Vanna White.
Cumulative Total[]
Out of the totals Ken won on Jeopardy!, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, 1 vs. 100, and Grand Slam, he has won an overall total of $5,223,414. He is the top rank for American game show winnings records.