Jeopardy!’s Ken Jennings blurts out ‘naughty’ answer that makes Alex Trebek gasp ‘woah!’ when host was a contestant

KEN Jennings has been called out for giving a naughty response during his time as a contestant on Jeopardy!.

The now-host, who took over for Alex Trebek after his death in 2020, once gave a response that raised viewers’ eyebrows.

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Current Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings was seen in a resurfaced clip from his time as a contestantCredit: TikTok/Jeopardy

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Ken shocked late host Alex Trebek as he answered ‘hoe’ on a prompt about a gardening tool and pleasure seekerCredit: TikTok/Jeopardy

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The clip resurfaced on Reddit where fans have been siding with Ken and saying the answer should’ve been correctCredit: TikTok/Jeopardy
The moment was recently shared in a resurfaced clip from when Ken, 50, was a contestant on Jeopardy!.

A young Ken chose a clue that read, “This term for a long-handed gardening tool can also mean an immoral pleasure seeker.”

Ken buzzed right away with the answer, “What’s a hoe?”

“No,” Alex immediately replied before taking a long pause.

Ken quickly smiled, knowing the depth of the response he had just given.

Alex was notably shocked, continuing the moment with two exaggerated and drawn-out “Whoahs!”

Ken hung his head in shame as Alex then asked, “They teach you that in school in Utah, huh?”

A fellow contestant chimed in with the right answer, “What’s a rake?” shortly after.

TEAM KEN!

After the video was shared on Reddit, fans said they “loved” the moment and thought Ken’s answer should’ve been counted as correct.

“What I love about this moment is Ken’s mischievous grin. He knew he was wrong, but he couldn’t not say it,” one person wrote.

Jeopardy!’s Ken Jennings admits he stole Alex Trebek’s secret hosting tip after ‘confusing’ players with ‘wrong’ move
“I still think the answer should’ve been accepted. While it wasn’t what they were looking for, it’s accurate!” a second said.

“For close to two decades now I’ve wanted to know how the judges considered this a wrong response!” a third exclaimed.

“Alex’s response is arguably funnier,” a fourth wrote.

“Love this!” another said, as someone else commented, “One the funniest responses ever.”

Jeopardy! Host Timeline

Jeopardy! has had a tumultuous history regarding hosts after the death of the iconic Alex Trebek in 2020. Here are all of the hosts since the game show’s inception in 1964.

Art Fleming – 1964 to 1975, he was the original host of the daytime version of Jeopardy! on NBC.

Alex Trebek – 1984 to 2020, the late, great Alex hosted Jeopardy!’s modern iteration for 36 years until his death from pancreatic cancer.

Guest hosts – 2020 to 2021, Jeopardy! tested out a series of guest hosts for week or two-week stints, including Anderson Cooper, LaVar Burton, and Aaron Rodgers.

Mike Richards – 2021, he was named host for one week before resigning amid controversy. He was the show’s executive producer at the time.

Mayim Bialik – 2021 to 2023, when Mike was announced as the show’s new host, Mayim was chosen to host tournaments and primetime specials.

Mayim and Ken Jennings – 2022 to 2023, 74-time champion Ken (the longest-winning contestant ever) joined Mayim as a guest host and they split hosting duties.

Ken Jennings – 2023 to present. Last December, Mayim announced on Instagram that she would “no longer” host Jeopardy! after a lengthy hiatus, having stood with the writer’s strike, and Ken was named sole host.

Ken now helms all editions of Jeopardy! including Celebrity Jeopardy!, the nightly show, and other primetime specials like Masters.

PLAYER TURNED HOST

Ken made a massive name for himself in the Jeopardy! universe, once having a 74-game winning streak on the show.

After Alex’s passing four years ago, Ken and former host Mayim Bialik, 48, split the role as the show’s host.

After Mayim was let go at the end of 2023, Ken fully took over the reins.

With Alex having hosted for 37 seasons, some viewers have been quick to compare his style to Alex’s.

Recently, one fan pointed out how Ken “only ever prefaces a clue with ‘answer’ when it’s the daily double,” which is different from Alex’s approach.

They noted how Alex would also use it on some non-Daily Doubles, which kept fans on their toes.

Some have also shown how much they miss some of Alex’s quirks, including his pronunciation of “genre” and “oooh, sore-y?”

However, others have realized how much more fun Ken makes the show — especially after rewatching Alex’s past episodes on Pluto TV.

LEARNING FROM THE PRO

Earlier this month, Ken admitted he adapted a tip that Alex had written on his Jeopardy! script.

“When I was first asked to guest host Jeopardy!, they gave me a set of scripts that Alex had already gone over,” Ken said on his Omnibus podcast.

“And he had written essentially musical notations above the words of the clues to kind of show these words run together, here’s where the pause is, here’s where you emphasize.”

“It wasn’t exactly like the pitch of every syllable, but he wanted to convey to himself in the moment to really get the right information, to convey the right sense of meaning here,” the host continued.

Incorporating the advice, Ken said he now recognizes when he says a certain phrase wrong.

When Ken’s co-host asked if he had adopted Alex’s shorthand, Ken replied, “I do. Like when I get a script now I do his little tricks and-”

John interrupted, asking, “You use HIS notations?”

“I do,” Ken admitted.

“Wow! What a behind-the-scenes gift you just gave us,” John replied.

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Ken and Mayim Bialik, who was let go from the game show at the end of 2023, took over hosting Jeopardy! following Alex’s death in 2020Credit: Getty

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Some fans have said they miss some of Alex’s hosting quirks while other have praised Ken for making the game more funCredit: Jeopardy!

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Ken recently admitted to adapting some of Alex’s notations he had written on his Jeopardy! scriptCredit: Getty