DANGER! Master’s Ken Jennings shared the unlikely story of how he became host.
The 50-year-old game show host was on Jeopardy! since 2023, but first joined as a guest host in 2021 following the death of the beloved Alex Trebek.
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Ken spoke before Jeopardy! Final of the Masters and recalled how he was offered his role.
He first appeared on the show as a contestant, where in 2004 he won 72 consecutive games and collected $37,201 in his first match alone.
“Next month is the 20th anniversary of my first appearance on ‘Jeopardy!’ In a week or two it’s the 20th anniversary,” said Ken ABC 7.
“I was a rather unhappy computer programmer at the time, thinking to myself: I should do something different with my life.
Read more about Ken Jennings
“You know, just on a whim I started ‘Jeopardy!’ So I guess there’s another world where I’m a somewhat unhappy computer programmer and Dr. Oz is hosting ‘Jeopardy!’ It’s a very dark universe,” Ken joked.
When Ken appeared on the show, the late Alex was the host.
Ken said he feels his predecessor’s presence as he performs.
“Alex’s presence is big and now we call it the Alex Trebek stage and the players and the public really like that and who better to name the trophy after than Alex, especially when you have that amazing alliteration, Trebek Trophy,” he added. .
The winner of Jeopardy! Masters receives the Trebek trophy in honor of the show’s host of 37 seasons and more than 8,200 episodes.
Ken was in high spirits before the tense match and said everything was on the line.
“Unlike the average ‘Jeopardy!’ night, these are people who are very comfortable with the game. Their minds are always changing,” he explained.
He added that they will give tough answers, but also give the host some criticism, which he appreciated.
WHO WON?
Victoria Groce, Yogesh Raut and champion James Holzhauer were the final three players of the second Masters tournament.
Victoria won the crown after a tense battle and finished with a total score of $55,400.
As the winner, she also received US$500,000 and US$100,000 to the charity Partners in Health for her tournament victory.
Danger! Universe
Danger! it first aired in 1964 until 1975. Then, the nighttime version began in 1974. Since then, spinoffs of the game show have appeared. Here are all those
Danger! – (primetime) 1974 to present, weekdays on ABC at 7 p.m.
Tournament of Champions – 1984 to present, features the top champions who have appeared on the show since the last tournament
Celebrity Danger! – From 1992 to the present, celebrities compete against each other to raise money for the chair
Danger! Masters – 2023 to present, features six notable recent Jeopardy! champions competing against each other
Danger! National College Championship – From 2022 to present, undergraduates from 36 colleges and universities across America compete to win $100,000
Other versions of Jeopardy! disappeared over the years
James appeared for the precursor, but Victoria thwarted his chances.
Just like the semifinals, the final cleared the classification to equal conditions.
The last category featured popular retired Philadelphia Eagle Jason Kelce, brother of current Super Bowl champion Travis Kelce, reading the clues.
THE FINAL BATTLE
Victoria got an early lead, but James got back into the game, tying the score at $1,400 before betting big and losing it all in the Daily Double.
James regained the lead due to some incorrect responses from Victoria and Yogesh, but that didn’t last long.
All three correctly answered the final “Henrietta Lacks” question to the clue “The New York Times wrote about this woman who died in 1951: ‘Though she was forgotten at the time, part of her lived on.'”
James knew he had been defeated and added “final boss death music” and started imitating Mario’s death music when asked about it.
New champion Victoria wrote along with the correct answer: “Great games everyone. See you next year!”
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
