‘Jeopardy!’: Ken Jennings Gets Candid About ‘Cringe’ Contestant Interviews, Show Questions & Celeb Guests
‘Jeopardy!’: Ken Jennings Gets Candid About ‘Cringe’ Contestant Interviews, Show Questions & Celeb Guests
Jeopardy! YouTube
Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings stopped by the Trivia Reddit subforum on Wednesday (October 8) to take part in an AMA (Ask Me Anything) while promoting his new trivia puzzle book, The Complete Kennections.
The Jeopardy! Greatest of All-Time champion answered many questions, opening up about behind-the-scenes details, his thoughts on the late Alex Trebek, and Pop Culture Jeopardy! host Colin Jost, what kind of questions he’d like to see more of, how he approaches awkward contestant interviews, and more.
Jennings, who was named the sole Jeopardy! host in December 2023, following Mayim Bialik‘s departure, was asked how he makes “even the most mundane, awkward contestant bio story charming and relatable.”
The host admitted that he “never liked the interviews as a viewer,” finding them “Too cringe too often.” He even said he’d leave the room to “get a pop” instead of watching them. However, after becoming a contestant in 2004, Jennings said he now has “a great feeling of warmth for these interviews.”
“It’s not the players’ fault we stop the game and make them chat about nothing! They are not experienced talk show guests!” he added. “So I try to make that part of the show as smooth as I possibly can, for viewers like me who also don’t like it.”
Jennings holds the record for most consecutive Jeopardy! wins with 74, and he still carries that competitive edge. He confessed how he likes to “play along” when he gets the scripts “by covering up the responses and seeing how I do.”
“I am definitely not in 2004 Jeopardy fighting shape (50yo brain is not the same as 30yo brain, unfortunately). But I’m not terrible, I think I’d still be in the mix most nights,” he stated.
In addition to learning scripts, Jennings also wears an earpiece throughout the taping to receive instructions from producers. However, he revealed the earpiece is primarily used to signal breaks and “the only time it gets used during gameplay is to tell me we are on the 15th clue of the first round and it’s time to go to break.”
Sony/Jeopardy! Inc.
As for favorite categories, Jennings noted there is a split of opinion regarding the celebrity guest categories, where a famous person reads out the clue in a pre-recorded video.
“I’ve noticed that harder-core Jeopardy! fans don’t love the guest categories, because it alters the show rhythm, but we love them and we think casual viewers do too,” he shared, noting that it adds “much-needed variety” and “production value” when a guest turns up.
“Wouldn’t you rather look at Scarlett Johansson than me? We just had Ari Shapiro do a category and I learned I’m not even NPR-hot,” he quipped.
However, there are some lesser-used categories Jennings would like to see more of, both on Jeopardy! and in trivia competitions in general. “More pro wrestling and Doonesbury [the comic strip] please,” he said. “In fact 100% pro wrestling or Doonesbury questions would be fine.”
One category Jennings struggles with, though, is pop culture, even though he said he loves watching Prime Video’s Pop Culture Jeopardy!
“I think Colin is very good and like the teams angle,” he shared. “I love pop culture and yet I do MUCH MUCH WORSE than I do on the regular game.”
While Jennings has settled into his role as Jeopardy! host, the presence of former host Trebek still looms large.
“I am basically thinking about Alex all the time on that stage,” Jennings confessed. “How could you not? He did the job every weeknight for almost forty years.”
He noted that he didn’t get to hang out often with Trebek back when he was a contestant because it “would have been a violation of FCC regulations,” but he “got to watch him host, for decades as a home viewer, and then up close.”
“You would not believe the perfection and control. He never made mistakes. It was like watching a very precise athlete in a way. The Olympic figure skater of game show hosts,” he said.
You can check out Jennings’ full AMA at this link and let us know your thoughts below.
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