SALT-MEERSTAD – Who’s Ken Jennings?
This is the beginning of a new era for one of the country’s longest running television games.
Jennings, a BYU alumnus who first became famous for ‘Jeopardy!’ during a series of 74 consecutive wins from 2004 to 2005, the program will host from Monday, as the popular games program is still seeking a permanent host following the death of beloved host Alex Trebek in November 2020.
“Danger!” first aired in 1964, but the version that most TV viewers know most began in 1984 with Trebek as host. It was in the middle of his 37th season when Trebek died of cancer at the age of 80. His last show was recorded just before his death and aired Friday.
Shortly after Trebek’s death, it was announced that Jennings would serve as interim host until a permanent replacement was found. Monday, the TV show posted a short video with Jennings providing his thoughts on presenting the program. In it, he calls the presentation of the program ‘unimaginable’ and adds that he still can not believe it.
That said, Jennings understands that it will be a difficult transition from what the fans of the program are used to.
“Honestly? I’m in the audience. I do not want to be out here. I want to see Alex here. I know exactly how they feel when they see someone else behind this chair,” he said. “But there are tens of millions of people who love this show. We love this show. Alex loved the show. I’m just very happy to fill it in and help.”
Ken has come a long way from his contestant days. Here, Ken’s thoughts from behind the desk are first in a series of hosts. pic.twitter.com/0HaxSv8mmW
– Danger! (@Danger) 11 January 2021
Jennings added that the move from participant to host offers a different perspective of the work Trebek has been doing for nearly four decades at the helm of the program. He said he quickly learned that his predecessor did more than just keep the game going and master all the clues on the program.
“I thought I understood everything, and when I had to do it, I realized he was doing ten things I was not aware of for everyone I saw,” he said. “It’s a very demanding job and he was just the best.”
Jennings still holds two of the program’s records: the most consecutive wins (42 against any other contestant in history) and the most money earned from wins from regular shows ($ 2.52 million). Jennings won more than $ 4.3 million from all his appearances in the program, even after ending his series of 74 consecutive wins. This is the second best everyday in the history of the program.
He was accompanied by other “Jeopardy!” James Holzhauer and Brad Rutter play alongside the presenter of a new program called ‘The Chase’ that appeared on ABC last week.
Yet he is the choice for the program “Jeopardy!” Offer. controversy. Late last month, Jennings apologized for insensitive tweets he posted on Twitter over the years.
“I definitely tweeted some unarticulate and insensitive things,” did he tweet. “Sometimes they worked as jokes in my head and I was shocked to see them read on screen.”
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Carter Williams