Ken Jennings on Jeopardy!

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Rallispec

Rallispec

Lifer
Jul 26, 2001
12,375
10
81
http://www.washingtonpost.com/.../A20961-2004Nov29.html

After amassing the largest pot of winnings in TV game show history -- more than $2.5 million -- in a "Jeopardy!" winning streak that began way back on June 2, Jennings is brought down tonight after he flubs two Double Jeopardy responses and then blows the Final Jeopardy round, according to a report circulating yesterday.

A dramatic two-minute audio clip that sounded like it was Jennings's entire final Final Jeopardy encounter mysteriously popped up yesterday on the Internet, almost as though someone wanted The Reporters Who Cover Television to find it and alert viewers that today's broadcast was Must See TV, like maybe they were trying to goose the broadcast's ratings in the November sweeps or something.

The clip popped up on the Web site Kottke.org. That's the same site that in September posted a report from "super-tipster Phillip" that Jennings would lose after 75 consecutive games and about $2.5 million in winnings. Which would put it at, say, now.
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Even skeptics started to take that September spoiler seriously when King World took Jennings off for two weeks early in the November ratings sweeps in favor of the 2004 "Jeopardy!" College Championship. Jennings has been a major ratings boon for the long-running syndicated game show. Industry wags speculated that producers must not have had enough Jennings episodes to get through the sweeps and wanted to make sure his final appearance coincided with its end tomorrow night.

No one involved on the show, which is produced by Sony Pictures Television and distributed by King World, would comment on the audio clip on Kottke.org.

Interestingly, however, Jennings is scheduled to be a guest on tonight's "Late Show With David Letterman," which airs on CBS, which is owned by Viacom, which also owns King World.

And, in another of those incredible coincidences, "Nightline" -- which airs on ABC, many of whose stations carry "Jeopardy!" -- will this very night devote its entire broadcast to that show. ABC News correspondent Judy Muller will interview Jennings and show creator Merv Griffin, a "Nightline" rep told The Washington Post's TV Team, while emphasizing that the show is about "a day in the life of 'Jeopardy!,' " as opposed to, say, a show about Ken Jennings losing. Because they want to make sure we get word to you that Jennings is on "Nightline" tonight, but they don't want to be accused of letting the cat out of the bag about Jennings losing. I'm just guessing here that the "Nightline" folks do not even realize the episode is going to air during the November sweeps.
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I'll be sad to see him leave, definetly was fun watching him play :)
 
E

EpsiIon

Platinum Member
Nov 26, 2000
2,351
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I was watching that guy last week. He was simply amazing and I had to wonder to myself what the Jeopardy people were going to do when viewers got tired of seeing such one-sided matches. I'm not accusing anybody of anything, but this sounds suspiciously Quiz Show-esque. :) Excellent movie, BTW. You should all see it.
 
L

lancestorm

Platinum Member
Oct 7, 2003
2,074
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Anyone have the actual audio clip? It is down from that site now because of the Sony lawyers..
 
Rallispec

Rallispec

Lifer
Jul 26, 2001
12,375
10
81
Originally posted by: lancestorm
Anyone have the actual audio clip? It is down from that site now because of the Sony lawyers..
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no - but here is the transcript from the washington post article.

Alex Trebek: "The category is Business and Industry and here is the clue, ladies and gentlemen: Most of this firm's 70,000 seasonal white-collar employees work only four months a year. You have 30 seconds. Good luck."

("Jeopardy!" muzak is heard:)

Tumty tum tum

Tumty tum

Tumty tum tum tumty tumty tum tum

Tumty tum tum

Tumty tum

Tumty tum tum tumty tum

"Nancy, you wrote down your response rather quickly, I thought. I hope it's correct," Trebek told someone apparently named Nancy, who appears to be Jennings's only opponent by the Final Jeopardy round, meaning his other competitor already had flamed out in red ink.

"What is H&R Block," Nancy had written. She got it right. Nancy had wagered $4,401. She now had $14,401, giving her a $1 lead over Jennings, who went into the Final Jeopardy round with a puny $14,400, which has to be a worst-ever for him. According to the Web site, that's because Jennings bet big on both Double Jeopardy rounds and got both wrong.
And, yes, it appears that this giant among game show contestants -- a man who knows things like that, in the Nibelungenlied, Siegfried is the hero who twice defeats the dwarf Alberich and takes his cloak of invisibility -- gets taken down by some chick named Nancy Sounds-Like-Zerg who went into the Final Jeopardy round with a pathetic $10,000 in her kitty. It's just like those Greek tragedies you read about in high school.

But we're getting ahead of ourselves. Back to Trebek:

Trebek: "And his final response is . . . "

(Much gasping and groaning appeared to come from the audience.)

"FedEx," Trebek read. "His wager was $5,601; he winds up in second place with $8,799."

Trebek's long Ken Jennings nightmare was finally over. He was once again star of "Jeopardy!"

"Nancy [Sounds-Like Zerg], congratulations, you are indeed a giant killer!" Trebek said, and even on a crummy audio clip you could hear his joy.

"All good things have to come to an end, don't they," Trebek continued giddily. "Well, too bad for Ken, but he's going home with a lot of money -- 2 1/2 million dollars. Congratulations, young man."
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zbalat

zbalat

Platinum Member
Oct 9, 1999
2,501
1
81
Originally posted by: lancestorm
Anyone have the actual audio clip? It is down from that site now because of the Sony lawyers..
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There is another thread that has a working link. Search for Jeopardy. I can't link to it directly for some reason.
 
A

Anonemous

Diamond Member
May 19, 2003
7,361
1
71
Originally posted by: HardcoreRobot
noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
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well at least he wasn't a robot sent from the future whose mission was to take down jeopardy by winning all the $$$....

/mad tv
 
Legendary

Legendary

Diamond Member
Jan 22, 2002
7,019
1
0
This sucks. I'll bet Nancy soundslikezerg loses tomorrow too. What an unworthy victor.
 
F

Furyline

Golden Member
Nov 1, 2001
1,212
0
0
kind of sad that he lost. Had to go sometime, though. Kind of convenient that in this game he tied the record for most consecutive appearances on a game show. I don't know how he got both the daily doubles wrong in double jeopardy. I don't think he threw the game though. He seemed genuinely concerned during the game when he fell behind early.

:beer: for the stormin' mormon.
 
EvilYoda

EvilYoda

Lifer
Apr 1, 2001
21,198
9
81
dammit, the final night of Ken's reign and I have an appointment at 8! Could someone cap this for the ATOT crowd? I'll even host the file if need be. I have a cap card too, but my 2-7 channels come in really weak due to the bad lines.
 
M

MustISO

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
11,927
12
81
It has to be rigged, out of no where comes a woman who keeps up with him. I think not! Did I mention it was a woman, a mere woman I say!
 
C

Coquito

Diamond Member
Nov 30, 2003
8,559
1
0
Those last sports questions, along with the last double jeopardy were horribly easy. I barely could answer anything past the first round though.
 
N

Ninjo

Member
Nov 24, 2004
131
0
0
I live in Utah so I will go to Ken's house and ask him for $15.89. Think he will give it to me?
 
S

SirPsycho

Senior member
Jul 12, 2001
245
0
0
Originally posted by: Furyline
kind of sad that he lost. Had to go sometime, though. Kind of convenient that in this game he tied the record for most consecutive appearances on a game show. I don't know how he got both the daily doubles wrong in double jeopardy. I don't think he threw the game though. He seemed genuinely concerned during the game when he fell behind early.

:beer: for the stormin' mormon.
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Sheesh. Don't you know Mormons don't drink? :)

Besides, he can afford all the Sprite or caffeine-free root beer he wants now.
 
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