DANGER! host Ken Jennings has revealed his ambitious plans as the game show’s now sole host.
Ken, 49, made an unannounced appearance on a live Jeopardy! event last Friday with the presence of The US Sun.
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Danger! launched its new Inside Jeopardy! Live on Tour — which the game show plans to take nationwide — at The Edge at Hudson Yards in New York City.
Ken, 49, was the last speaker at the instantly sold-out event and received a standing ovation from the 230 attendees.
He spoke at length about growing up and becoming a big show, comparing himself to the late Alex Trebek.
He joked that he might not be as handsome as Alex as the years go by, and no, he will never wear a mustache.
“I don’t think I’ll be the pretty silver fox we were lucky enough to have with Alex,” Ken said.
Executive producer Michael Davies, joined by producer Sarah Whitcomb-Foss, asked bluntly: “Won’t we see a mustache?”
“I don’t think you guys would like it if you did that,” Ken responded to laughter from the audience. “You’ll see ratings drop.”
‘I ASPIRE TO PERFECTION’
Ken also talked about how he would like to channel Alex, despite the mustache.
“But the thing about Alex is that you would be amazed at his perfection, almost never making mistakes on stage,” he said.
Ken said Alex looked at the clues occasionally during commercial breaks, but “not very often.”
“I aspire to that kind of perfection where he has that control at all times,” he said.
‘NOT CONFORTABLE’
He also mentioned a trait he brings from being a former champion that could separate him from the famous ice-cold Alex.
“The other thing I noticed is we talked about the endless tournaments that weren’t our choice,” he said.
“Now that we have new contestants, the difference isn’t really the gameplay, but how comfortable they feel on television.”
“There is something I want to do when someone is not comfortable; I remember what it was like. I remember that deer-in-headlights feeling.
“How can I calm this person down? Is there a way to bring them up in the interview? Is there a way to make them laugh, to catch them off guard, to make them enjoy this moment?”
He sweetly concluded, “Because I think they deserve it, and the moment often passes.”
Ken also bowed to announcer Johnny Gilbert, 95, who has been with the show since 1984.
He said his predecessor, Don Pardo, lived to be 101, so maybe the secret to not getting old is advertising Jeopardy!
Finally, Ken name-checked some of his favorite recent players, including Victoria Groce, who he said made the recent Invitational Tournament feel like “kids’ week.”
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‘AGGRESSIVE CHANGE’
The live event, hosted by EP Davies and producer Foss, had some drama in terms of the program announcements made.
The ambitious new executive producer has announced that he is pushing for the iconic game show to abandon one of its cardinal rules.
First, producer Foss announced that a change that is is definitely happening: Competitors who competed in youth events will be able to rejoin the regular pool of competitors as adults.
“For the first time, if you competed on Kids Week, Teen Tournament or College Jeopardy, you’ll be able to go back and play on the syndicated show and see if you can run things and have a long streak. We are very excited about this new announcement,” said Foss.
When someone isn’t comfortable, I remember what it was like.
Ken Jennings
Then came Davies, saying he wanted to relax the eligibility rules even further and allow all previous players – including major champions – to re-audition for the late-night show after 10 years.
“I had a slightly more aggressive proposal,” Davies interrupted.
“I wanted a 10-year rule that would apply to many other game shows, where anyone, after a 10-year stay, could sign up again and continue.”
“We’ll see if I can get this across to Sarah or our colleagues at Sony,” he added, to which producer Foss clarified: “Not yet.”
Fans took to Reddit after the news spread, expressing that they did not want the change to be implemented like regular Jeopardy! works as is.
“There is a time and place for multiple former contestants to compete against each other and it is TOC or Second Chance,” one fan wrote.
“Honestly, I’m fed up with Michael Davies’ antics. The danger was perfectly fine. While yes, I’ve been supporting the second chance and champions wildcard, I don’t like how he’s playing the format of everything,” wrote another.
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MASTERS ANNOUNCEMENT
That wasn’t the only announcement made at the live event that fans didn’t believe.
The showrunners also announced that their mystery producer choice for Masters 2024 would be Amy Schneider.
Amy will compete against Season 1 champion James Holzhauer, returning contestants Matt Amodio and Mattea Roach, and newcomers Yogesh Raut and Victoria Groce.
The six Jeopardy! contestants will compete in the primetime tournament, facing off in two matches per one-hour episode, beginning May 1, 2024, on ABC Primetime.
Davies even expected a negative reaction: “I have to prepare for the Redditors,” he said.
He then announced, “So first of all, it’s the producer’s choice, but it’s not just me. It’s all the producers”, mentioning ABC and Sony.
“We have to recognize that there were several worthy people. But one person was above all others.”
“I have to believe that they can get up on that stage at the Masters and beat everyone,” he added.
“Secondly, we are a TV show. We depend on the ratings,” he admitted, saying Amy’s “following” was a factor.
Amy placed third at last year’s Masters, eliminating her from this year’s event.
Amy recently and decisively lost Jeopardy! Invitational tournament for Groce, only for both to go to the Masters anyway.
Fans tore up Jeopardy! Masters Season 1 for almost being a rematch of the 2022 Tournament of Champions and the JIT Finals for almost being a repeat of Masters Season 1.
Now, Season 2 of the Masters will once again see a nearly identical lineup, with only two of the six competitors being new.
“How do you have a tournament that eliminates people from the masters, but still chooses them…” one fan reacted to the news.
“For the record, as a huge fan of Amy… I’m not a huge fan of this choice. It’s a predictable choice and I just don’t know if its gameplay will compare to the other five,” wrote another.
“So what was the point of JIT,” asked a third
MATT AND MATTEA ON THE STAGE
The event also featured special appearances from future Masters contenders Mattea Roach and Matt Amodio.
Mattea shared that last year’s Masters players have developed a “great bond” and are looking forward to meeting newcomers Victoria and Yogesh.
Mattea, who nearly defeated James last year, has vowed to “get revenge” for the Canadian leads that James stole from them last year.
Matt surprised the audience by revealing that he has been preparing a lot since last year’s Masters.
“Although I didn’t learn everything I set out to achieve, I feel like a stronger competitor,” he said.
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Celebrity Danger! finalist Katie Nolan also appeared and said Ken refused to speak to her backstage and preferred to sit “alone in a corner.”
EP Davies also stated that Ken “won the presenter job” and told attendees that he makes “something so difficult look easy”.
Danger! airs at 7pm ET on ABC – check your local listings.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
