Ken Jennings says, “It’s dangerous!” Fans who want to be contestants should not think too much about the preparation.
“I think watching the show is the best way to prepare for the show,” the host explained to FOX News Digital on the TCM Classic Film Festival red carpet.
“When you watch Jeopardy!” It’s like the rhythm of the host’s voice touches your pulse. You can see what kind of thing will come out and what kind of material it will be made of. Then you too can become a great Jeopardy! player. “
If someone is trying to cram for this show, he suggests learning the order of U.S. presidents and first ladies and the capitals of the world.
“And if you’re packing on ‘Jeopardy!,’ I think those are the two that give you the most bang for your buck,” said Jennings, who admitted he learned “a lot” before achieving a record-breaking 74-game winning streak on the show in 2004.
And as a former competitor, Jennings admits he has “a lot of empathy” for the players.
“Everyone there passes a very rigorous test to be on the show. So it comes down to who can perform under pressure, because they’re not used to doing this with lights and cameras and things like that,” he revealed, adding that some players “step up.”
“It’s like suddenly being the best on Jeopardy!” myself. Some have a little more deer in the headlights. I’ll definitely remember that. It’s so overwhelming. ”
He added, “I always think about their well-being because I remember that time. It’s so intense.”
Because of that compassion, Jennings tries to do things like help make the contestants’ interview articles interesting.
And I hope I can help them when they make mistakes during the game.
“I once saw someone mess up her bet on ‘Final Jeopardy!’ and when they confirmed the bet, she just said, ‘Oh, I miscalculated,'” he said. “But I wish I could have stepped in and done the math for people, but the constitution doesn’t allow for that.”
Despite his historic run, there was one category that made Jennings sweat a little.
“There’s always been a lot of hockey on Jeopardy! “When I was on it, it was probably because Alex was Canadian,” he revealed. “And it turns out I didn’t know as much about ice hockey as a native Canadian like Alex.”
Jennings, who has helmed the game show for five years, said he feels that “doing an Alex Trebek impression is basically the best way to host ‘Jeopardy!'” It’s not a slave thing. Well, he had it really perfect, so if you’re going to get it as close to Alex as possible, you’re going to get it as close to perfection as possible. ”
He admitted that he doesn’t have the late Trebek’s “skill set” and said that’s why he imitates him, but that he differentiates himself by bringing his own personality to the show.
“You know, I think I really enjoy the interview. You know, he was just like, ‘Okay, great. Let’s get back to the game,'” Jennings said.
Jennings said she also learned from Trebek, who passed away in 2020, “as the host of ‘Jeopardy!'” Not a star. You don’t have to pay attention to the hosts of “Jeopardy!” For example, if everything goes well, the game and the contestants are the stars, and that’s absolutely how it should be. ”
For the contestants, it simply comes down to “who can perform under pressure,” he said.
And he’s especially looking forward to “Jeopardy!” “At tournaments, when you see our best players play against each other, viewers will know who they are and think, ‘Oh, that’s Amy Schneider. I love her.'” Or, ‘That’s Mattea Roach or Matt Amodio.’
The 45-year-old said he loves watching “Jeopardy!” The veterans said, “It warms my heart to see people as excited about our little trivia game as star athletes, former nerds, trivia nerds like me, and current trivia nerds.”
Jennings believes some viewers may be surprised to learn that a week’s worth of games will actually be filmed in one day.
“I don’t think a lot of viewers realize that we’re broadcasting a week at a time,” Jennings explained. “For example, we do ‘Jeopardy!’ five times a day. So when a player wins, they have to rush off the stage and put on a new costume. I put on a new suit.”
“Ten minutes later I come back and tell a big lie. It was like yesterday’s Jeopardy!” But that wasn’t yesterday! That was 10 minutes ago. we are just fooling you. ”
That means, he explained, “When players keep winning week after week, like Jamie Dean has done in recent weeks, it’s an endurance test. It’s a real marathon for them. They play and they have to play again.”
And for Jennings, her love of trivia runs much deeper than her memorable time on the show.
“I think I remember running home from school every day when I was a kid to watch ‘Jeopardy!’ with Alex as host, and it’s kind of weird just thinking about it, even though in real life I would love to know something like this,” he explained.
“For example, I’m very aware that this is what separates me from other people. But for Alex, it was like a safe space. You know? ‘Jeopardy’ was a safe space for that.”
He added: “Certain people need a safe space, because curiosity is very important.”
The ever-humble Jennings admitted he never in a million years thought he’d end up hosting the show.
“People ask me, ‘Hey, if you were Alex, you were on Jeopardy for months, but if Alex retired, would you want to be the host?’ And I said, ‘That’s not going to happen in a million years.’ They’d hire a real broadcaster for this job.”
“Anyone with a good TV resume would want this job. I’m not even going to try out. No one is more surprised than me that I’m hosting Jeopardy!” But I absolutely love the show. I feel very lucky. ”
