KEN Jennings is working to overcome his “bratty little brother” reputation among Jeopardy!’s famously low-turnover staff, a studio source tells The US Sun.
Ken, 50, became the sole permanent host of Jeopardy! after actress Mayim Bialik was fired in December.
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The greatest competitor of all time, who has won a record 74 consecutive games, is adapting well to his job as the only host of the syndicated show.
Ken, who just wrapped up his first season as the sole face of the late-night show, aims to channel Alex Trebek and host for decades to come.
But since the game show’s insular team of writers and judges have already been on Jeopardy! for decades, he still has a reputation as the new guy in the studio.
“Ken has a lot of fans on the team because a good number of the team members who saw his rise to fame on the game show 20 years ago are still in those jobs,” a Sony source shared.
Read more about Ken Jennings
“They’ve all grown old together, and he can have a ‘bratty little brother’ vibe at times, but Ken is still an important part of the family.”
“It remains to be seen whether he will be able to evolve into the father figure and leader that Alex has been for almost his entire career,” they continued.
‘DON’T KILL THE GOLDEN GOOSE’
The source said the team’s goal is to maintain the pristine status of Jeopardy! like the quiz show GOAT American.
And now, that largely depends on how Ken fares as his next potential long-term host.
“Right now, everyone’s focus, but especially Ken’s, is, ‘Don’t kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.’
“Everyone working on the show now wants it to continue for another 20 years, preferably with Ken as host,” they said.
“The team, like the public, values consistency in reviews and production.”
Fortunately, Jeopardy! ratings remained steady with Ken in the driver’s seat and fans embraced the host; most think he does a great job.
NOT ‘BITING THE BAIT’
One sign that Ken is taking his role as host more seriously is that he has stopped posting to his once controversial Twitter account.
His resurfaced “wheelchair” tweet, among others, got him into trouble when the host search began in 2021 and nearly cost him his job.
Danger! Host timeline
Danger! has had a tumultuous history regarding hosts following the death of the iconic Alex Trebek in 2020. Here are every host since the game show’s inception in 1964.
Art Fleming – from 1964 to 1975, he was the original host of the daytime version of Jeopardy! on NBC.
Alex Trebek – From 1984 to 2020, the late, great Alex hosted the modern iteration of Jeopardy! for 36 years until his death from pancreatic cancer.
Guest Hosts – 2020 to 2021, Jeopardy! tested a series of guest hosts for one- or two-week stints, including Anderson Cooper, LaVar Burton and Aaron Rodgers.
Mike Richards – 2021, he was named host for a 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 winningest contestant of all time) joined Mayim as guest host and they shared hosting duties.
Ken Jennings – 2023 to present. Last December, Mayim announced on Instagram that she would “no longer” host Jeopardy! after a long hiatus, having defended the writers’ strike, and Ken was named sole host.
Ken now runs all editions of Jeopardy! including Celebrity Jeopardy!, the late night show and other primetime specials such as Masters.
Even when Ken was co-hosting with Mayim, he regularly argued on Twitter with fans when they accused him of mistakes.
Fans were surprised that the host couldn’t resist their Twitter fingers, even while hosting the beloved living room quiz show.
In 2023, Ken responded to a disgruntled fan by making a joke about the fan’s wife in a wild post that has since been deleted.
The fan said he and his wife preferred Buzzy Cohen as a host, and Ken responded, “Maybe Buzzy could come over to your house and watch your wife?”
In another post from 2023, Ken responded to a fan about an on-air pronunciation disagreement: “You guys lost the war and now the North writes the dictionaries.”
It remains to be seen whether he will be able to evolve into the fatherly figure and leader that Alex [Trebek] it was for almost his entire run.
Internal source
Since Mayim was fired, Ken has improved his social media presence and only posts on the platform once a month.
The US Sun’s source said this is a clear sign of Ken’s arc of improvement and the seriousness with which he takes his work.
Focused on channeling Alex’s impartiality, he is no longer “taking the bait” from social media.
“The problem is that [Twitter/X] the first place where angry fans will complain about something they see in an episode.
“Ken has gotten a lot better at not taking the bait and getting into online fights, that’s for sure,” the source said.
The 41st season of Jeopardy! with Ken as host premieres on September 9, 2024.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
