What is rap, yo?
-- Ken Jennings
responding to a Jeopardy! answer concerning hip-hop music
In the future, everybody will be famous for fifteen minutes
-- Andy Warhol
apparently prophesizing Ken Jennings
To put it simply, Ken Jennings is one of the greatest Jeopardy! player of all time.
Background
Ken was born in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1973 and is a lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Ken spent much of his childhood in Seoul, South Korea, after which he served as a missionary for two years in Madrid, Spain. After this, he went to Brigham Young University, where he majored in computer science and English and played on the school's quiz bowl team (ed: according to my personal journal, there is a chance I might have played in a quiz bowl match against Ken in 1996; I mention getting destroyed by Brigham Young.). He later went on to study literature at the University of Washington.
Ken currently is employed as a software engineer. In his free time, Ken writes and edits literature and mythology questions for NAQT. Ken is also apparently something of a film buff, as witnessed by his website, http://jenningsbaby.8m.com/, where he ranks more than a thousand films, grouping them by year.
Essentially, Ken is an average guy, albeit one you would not want to face in a game of Trivial Pursuit.
"The Streak"
Ken's first appearance on the television game show Jeopardy! aired on June 2, 2004, in which Ken decisively won $37,201. Following this, Ken Jennings did not lose until the November 30, 2004 edition of Jeopardy!.
During the streak, Ken Jennings had appeared on 75 consecutive episodes of Jeopardy!, winning all but the final episode and amassing winnings totaling $2,522,700 US. Among the records held: most consecutive appearances (75), most total winnings for a single player ($2,522,700), and most one-day winnings ($75,000, which he achieved twice).
Ken's streak resulted in an average 41% increase in Jeopardy! ratings for the length of his streak, making Jeopardy! the top syndicated television program in the United States for this period.
During the streak, Ken tied the record for most consecutive appearances on a game show (75, shared with Ian Lygo on 100%) and set the record for highest total winnings on a game show (previously at $2,180,000 by Kevin Olmstead on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?). However, this second record has been topped by Brad Rutter, whose cumulative winnings on Jeopardy! total $3,270,102 US. For more information on this, see the section below on the Ultimate Tournament of Champions.
It should be noted that Frank Spangenberg might be the only Jeopardy! player comparable to Ken's success. Frank won $102,597 over five days in 1997, when the prize values were significantly lower and champions were allowed to play a maximum of only five episodes. Both rules were changed in 2003. For additional information on Frank, see the section below on the Ultimate Tournament of Champions.
The source for the above numbers is http://tvgameshows.net/.
Daily Winnings During The Streak
Day Original Air Date Day's Winnings (US $) Overall Winnings (US $)
--- ----------------- --------------------- -----------------------
1 June 2, 2004 $37,201 $37,201
2 June 3, 2004 $22,000 $59,201
3 June 4, 2004 $37,000 $96,201
4 June 7, 2004 $30,000 $126,201
5 June 8, 2004 $29,799 $156,000
6 June 9, 2004 $25,000 $181,000
7 June 10, 2004 $50,000 $231,000
8 June 11, 2004 $35,158 $266,158
9 June 14, 2004 $25,000 $291,158
10 June 15, 2004 $50,000 $341,158
11 June 16, 2004 $35,000 $376,158
12 June 17, 2004 $34,000 $410,158
13 June 18, 2004 $30,000 $440,158
14 June 21, 2004 $31,601 $471,759
15 June 22, 2004 $15,200 $486,959
16 June 23, 2004 $26,000 $512,959
17 June 24, 2004 $40,000 $552,959
18 June 25, 2004 $48,801 $601,760
19 June 28, 2004 $21,000 $622,760
20 June 29, 2004 $40,000 $662,760
21 June 30, 2004 $35,000 $697,760
22 July 1, 2004 $40,000 $737,760
23 July 2, 2004 $17,600 $755,360
24 July 5, 2004 $19,600 $774,960
25 July 6, 2004 $14,000 $788,960
26 July 7, 2004 $40,000 $828,960
27 July 8, 2004 $40,000 $868,960
28 July 9, 2004 $52,000 $920,960
29 July 12, 2004 $52,000 $972,960
30 July 13, 2004 $32,000 $1,004,960
31 July 14, 2004 $17,500 $1,022,460
32 July 15, 2004 $28,000 $1,050,460
33 July 16, 2004 $50,000 $1,100,460
34 July 19, 2004 $35,000 $1,135,460
35 July 20, 2004 $29,200 $1,164,660
36 July 21, 2004 $30,000 $1,194,660
37 July 22, 2004 $52,000 $1,246,660
38 July 23, 2004 $75,000 $1,321,660
39 September 6, 2004 $10,001 $1,331,661
40 September 7, 2004 $21,800 $1,353,461
41 September 8, 2004 $27,200 $1,380,661
42 September 9, 2004 $21,800 $1,402,461
43 September 10, 2004 $30,000 $1,432,461
44 September 13, 2004 $45,000 $1,477,461
45 September 14, 2004 $40,000 $1,517,461
46 September 15, 2004 $37,600 $1,555,061
47 September 16, 2004 $30,000 $1,585,061
48 September 17, 2004 $50,000 $1,635,061
49 October 4, 2004 $29,601 $1,664,662
50 October 5, 2004 $35,038 $1,699,700
51 October 6, 2004 $38,400 $1,738,100
52 October 7, 2004 $40,000 $1,778,100
53 October 8, 2004 $30,000 $1,808,100
54 October 11, 2004 $35,000 $1,843,100
55 October 12, 2004 $35,000 $1,878,100
56 October 13, 2004 $28,300 $1,906,400
57 October 14, 2004 $29,900 $1,936,300
58 October 15, 2004 $40,000 $1,976,300
59 October 25, 2004 $30,000 $2,006,300
60 October 26, 2004 $25,000 $2,031,300
61 October 27, 2004 $34,001 $2,065,301
62 October 28, 2004 $30,000 $2,095,301
63 October 29, 2004 $30,000 $2,125,301
64 November 1, 2004 $26,600 $2,151,901
65 November 3, 2004 $45,099 $2,197,000
66 November 4, 2004 $50,000 $2,247,000
67 November 5, 2004 $25,600 $2,272,600
68 November 6, 2004 $33,201 $2,305,801
69 November 8, 2004 $19,200 $2,325,001
70 November 9, 2004 $30,000 $2,355,001
71 November 24, 2004 $55,099 $2,410,100
72 November 25, 2004 $50,000 $2,460,100
73 November 26, 2004 $31,600 $2,491,700
74 November 29, 2004 $29,000 $2,520,700
75 November 30, 2004 $2,000 (consolation) $2,522,700
Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions
The Jeopardy! Ultimate Tournament of Champions was a fifteen-week single-elimination tournament Jeopardy! that aired between February 9, 2005 and concluded on May 25, 2005. To qualify for the tournament, a participant had to either retire as a five-time Jeopardy! champion or have won a previous Jeopardy! tournament. The prize for the tournament was $2,000,000 US.
145 entrants were selected for the tournament. Nine participants (including Frank Spangenberg and Brad Rutter, mentioned above) were given first round byes due to exceptional performances in earlier years of Jeopardy!, whereas Ken was given a bye directly to the finals.
After four elimination rounds, Ken, Brad Rutter, and Jerome Vered met in the finals, aired on May 23, 2005 through May 25, 2005. (Frank Spangenberg finished fourth in the tournament, narrowly missing the finals but topping all other semifinalists in winnings).
Brad Rutter won the match in a runaway, earning $2,000,000, with Ken finishing second in the tournament (earning $500,000).