Ken Jennings is coming clean about his time on “Jeopardy!” The TV host opened up to PEOPLE about lying to Alex Trebek during his 74-game run as a contestant. He admitted that there just wasn’t much he had to share, which turned into Jennings making up stories. He was candid about the reason why he felt that anecdotes are “like a Mad Lib,” and why he went through with them.
Ken Jennings has been lauded for his role as the host. The former contestant took over after Alex Trebek’s passing. After initially splitting duties with Mayim Bialik and a spate of guest hosts, he has been at the helm as a solo host.
Ken Jennings Started Making Up Stories After His 3rd “Jeopardy! Appearance
Ken Jennings became a “Jeopardy!” mainstay for his legendary run on the game show. Since much of the experience is about exchanging banter, Jennings was frequently asked about his life experiences by Alex Trebek. Jennings confessed he had run out of stories early on and resorted to lying about anecdotes to keep things moving.
“I didn’t feel like I had a great story in game number three, much less game number 73. So a lot of my stories are — and I’ve confessed this before — not 100% true,” Jennings told PEOPLE. “It’s just, you know, something that you and Alex Trebek can chat about for 25 seconds. Like, mission accomplished.”
The current “Jeopardy!” host also joked about once telling Trebek he had taken a man’s life “down south once.” He completed the humorous comment by mentioning that they don’t fact-check on the show. Since he was free to tell any story, Jennings also made things up, like saying he liked airline food and that he had “dark secrets” from his past.
Ken Jennings Reveals Who His Favorite Contestant Has Been
Ken Jennings talked about his favorite contestant so far in his “Jeopardy!” run. The host maintained that he’s never shown any favoritism in the game, but did take a liking toward one person. Jennings admitted he was “rooting” for recent champion Jamie Ding, saying he was just as invested in Ding’s 31-game streak as the audience.
When asked if he felt Ding could have beaten his own record, Jennings said he was the first person he felt had a good shot. He also called Ding a “sweetheart” and was glad that viewers were on Ding’s side. Jennings said he had figured out how good anecdotes on “Jeopardy!” work. He compared them to Mad Libs, where a seemingly boring setup can be tweaked to become an exciting story.
Jennings had recently revealed that he was never his wife’s favorite host. According to him, his wife, Mindy, preferred Aaron Rodgers because she thought he was attractive. Ken, 52, has been married to Mindy since 2000 and shares two children with her. The “Jeopardy!” host has no problems with his wife’s preference and feels Rodgers did a good job as a guest host.
As far as why the show continues to resonate with viewers, Jennings said the reason is that everyone comes together for entertainment.
“For young audiences, old audiences, red states, blue states, it doesn’t matter. This is a place where America comes together,” he told PEOPLE.
