Ken Jennings | Jeopardy.com (2024)

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Season 40 is Ken Jennings’s second season behind the lectern as the host of JEOPARDY!, for which he was Emmy-nominated in 2023 for “Outstanding Host For A Game Show.” Jennings and Mayim Bialik officially became the hosts of the show ahead of Season 39 in July 2022, after guest hosting the show in Season 37 and sharing hosting duties for Season 38. In May 2023, he hosted the first-ever “Jeopardy! Masters” tournament in primetime on ABC.

Jennings grew up in Seoul, South Korea, where he became a daily devotee of JEOPARDY!. In 2004, he successfully auditioned for a spot on the show and went on an unprecedented 74-game victory streak worth $2.52 million. He then went on to appear in several special JEOPARDY! tournaments, including the Ultimate Tournament of Champions in 2005, JEOPARDY!: The IBM Challenge in 2011, the Battle of the Decades in 2014 and JEOPARDY! All-Star Games in 2019.

In 2020, he bested Brad Rutter and James Holzhauer in the ABC special event “JEOPARDY! The Greatest of All Time.”

Jennings is the author of 14 books; “Brainiac,” about his JEOPARDY! adventures, was a critically acclaimed New York Times best-seller, as were his follow-up books “Maphead” and “Because I Said So!” His latest book, “100 Places To See After You Die,” was released in 2023. Since 2017, he has co-hosted the podcast Omnibus, about forgotten oddities from history and culture.

Jennings lives in Seattle with his family.

Ken Jennings | Jeopardy.com (2024)

FAQs

How much did Ken Jennings originally win on Jeopardy? ›

Life as a Jeopardy!

Contestants could now play as many games as they could win. And boy did Jennings win. He wracked up $37,201 in the first game, and over the course of the next 74 he would buzz in with the correct answer some 2,700 times and earn $2.52 million in winnings.

Why did Mayim leave Jeopardy? ›

Executive Producer Michael Davies spoke on the departure during an “Unscripted Storytellers” panel of the Television Critics Association's press tour, saying the decision came from wanting more “consistency” in the show, according to People.

Who won the most money in Jeopardy? ›

Brad Rutter is the biggest all-time money winner on Jeopardy! and briefly held the record for biggest cumulative game show winnings for any U.S. game show contestant. Rutter retained the record for Jeopardy! winnings with either $4,255,102 (or $4,270,102, including a pair of Chevrolet Camaros).

What nationality is Ken Jenning? ›

Kenneth Wayne Jennings III was born on May 23, 1974, in Edmonds, Washington, a suburb of Seattle. His father was a lawyer employed overseas, and Jennings spent 15 years growing up in South Korea and Singapore where his father worked. Upon returning to the United States, Jennings attended the University of Washington.

Who will host Jeopardy in 2024? ›

. We made the decision to have one host for the syndicated show next season to maintain continuity for our viewers, and Ken Jennings will be the sole host for syndicated 'Jeopardy! '" "We are truly grateful for all of Mayim's contributions to 'Jeopardy!

What does Ken Jenning get paid? ›

Ken Jennings holds the record for the highest-earning American game show contestant in history. He's won $4,522,700 from Jeopardy! Jennings also holds the record for the longest winning streak on Jeopardy! with 74 consecutive wins.

Who is Mayim Bialik's son? ›

Who hosted Jeopardy before Alex Trebek? ›

Before Alex Trebek, however, every iteration of “Jeopardy!” had been presented by original host Art Fleming.

What ethnicity is Mayim Bialik? ›

Her family were Jewish immigrants who lived in the Bronx, New York City. Three of her four grandparents migrated from Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary. After being raised as a Reform Jew, she described herself as Modern Orthodox Jewish in 2013.

What was the question that Ken Jennings lost? ›

The Final Jeopardy answer that tripped him up? "Most of this firm's 70,000 seasonal white-collar employees work only four months a year." Jennings guessed Federal Express, but it was, in fact, tax preparer H&R Block.

Do Jeopardy contestants get paid? ›

The top scorer in each game is paid their winnings in cash and returns to play in the next match. Non-winners receive consolation prizes instead of their winnings in the game.

What is James Holzhauer doing now? ›

James has been a professional sports gambler since 2005 and currently stars on the ABC game show The Chase. James Holzhauer was a contributor for The Athletic covering sports betting. James has been a professional sports gambler since 2005 and currently stars on the ABC game show The Chase.

What is the IQ of Ken Jennings? ›

Conversation. Go ask Ken Jennings. He has an IQ of 175.

Does Ken Jennings have a college degree? ›

At BYU, he double-majored in English and computer science, and graduated in 2000. Ken was working as a software engineer for a Salt Lake City health care staffing company in 2004 when he got the phone call telling him that his contestant audition had been successful and he would appear on a June game of *Jeopardy!*

Is James Holzhauer German? ›

Born on August 6, 1984, Holzhauer was born and raised in Naperville, Illinois. His father was a German immigrant.

What was Alex Trebek's salary? ›

Throughout his tenure as the host of Jeopardy, which spanned an impressive 36 years, Trebek's net worth remained around $80 million. His salary during his time on the show reached an impressive $20 million.

How much is Ken from Jeopardy worth? ›

Ken Jennings gained fame by winning various game shows, notably the Ultimate Tournament of Champions in 2005 and Jeopardy!'s IBM Challenge in 2011. 2. How much is Ken Jennings worth? As of 2023, Ken Jennings' net worth is approximately $6 million.

Who was the original host of Jeopardy? ›

Art Fleming

Fleming, a TV actor and radio announcer, was chosen to host the original version of “Jeopardy!” in 1964. He stayed with the program through its cancellation in 1975, and years later hosted an iteration known as “The All-New Jeopardy!” that aired between 1978 and 1979.

How much do Jeopardy contestants win? ›

Prizes are given out at the end of each regular episode- the winner gets the amount they accumulated, second place gets $2,000 and third place gets $1,000. The tournaments work on a similar process, but with prizes only awarded in the finals. ranging from $10,000 to $100,000.

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