KEN Jennings is ‘working toward’ a bigger role on Jeopardy! and ‘knows what he wants’ for the future of the franchise, The U.S. Sun can exclusively reveal.
The beloved host of the trivia game show was tapped to replace the late Alex Trebek in 2020, and while their main roles appear to be the same, there are big differences in how each of them has been credited.
Ken Jennings hosts Jeopardy! Masters tournament[/caption]
Ken also hosts all of the Jeopardy! spinoffs, including Celebrity Jeopardy![/caption]
Before he passed away in 2020 at the age of 80, Alex hosted Jeopardy! beginning with its revival all the way back in 1984.
In addition to being the host, Alex was also credited as a producer of the series for 620 episodes.
He maintained a producer title from when he joined in 1984 until 1987, when he was forced to give up the credit to begin hosting another game show, Classic Concentration.
While he continued to host Jeopardy!, his involvement with other game shows led Alex to have to forfeit his producer credit on the series.
After a few years of Ken, 51, leading the program with universally rave reviews, the trivia buff now has his eyes set on a bigger role.
A production insider told The U.S. Sun, “Ken is feeling more comfortable than ever in his role as host.
“He reads over clues the night before and practices the pronunciation of the words the night before, and if there are any questions or concerns, he comes in first thing in the morning to clear it up with producers.
“And he’s had fewer questions; he seems to just know exactly what he’s doing and what he wants.”
Alex Trebek was the beloved host of Jeopardy! from 1984 until his passing in 2020[/caption]
Jeopardy host Alex Trebek, (L) poses contestant Ken Jennings after his earnings from his record-breaking streak on the game show surpassed 1 million dollars July 14, 2004[/caption]
The source added that his confidence has led him to want an even bigger role within the show, “If anything, now he’ll be the one making suggestions or tweaking things.
“So much so that he’d like to get more involved as a producer and be a force in that producer role.
“He knows he’d be great at it, but is hesitant to step on any toes. He really is the nicest guy on the set. He’s only been a full-time host for less than 3 years, so he’s still relatively new.
“But he’s definitely headed down that path. His goal is to follow in Alex Trebek’s footsteps and earn a producer title.”
The insider added that the goal still “seems a bit down the road,” but that’s what Ken is “now working toward.”
KEN DO ATTITUDE!
Ken will be back to hosting Jeopardy!’s season 42, which premieres on Monday, September 8th.
As The U.S. Sun previously reported, major shifts are in store for fans, but a controversial part of the show will remain the same.
Jeopardy! Set Secrets
Jeopardy! fans don’t see everything behind the scenes from watching on TV. These hidden set features make the show run smoothly:
- Each podium has a hidden riser so that all contestants appear to be the same height.
- After each clue is read, signal lights go off around the game board, indicating players can buzz in and respond.
- Buzz in too early, and you’re locked out for .25 seconds.
- The podiums have a small white light in the lower left corner, which tells Ken Jennings who goes next.
- Contrary to popular belief, the player with control doesn’t have a buzzer advantage on the next clue.
- To the game board’s left is a scoreboard so the players can see their opponents’ scores.
- All contestants must bring three outfits to the studio, but only the host and returning champion change for the next episode.
- There are wardrobe rules, including restrictions on busy patterns, solid white, purple (like the background), and logos.
- Five episodes are taped in a single day, and sometimes more.
- The categories, players (aside from the returning champion), and Final Jeopardy! for a tape day are all drawn randomly to ensure fairness.
- Female contestants are asked not to wear makeup, which is applied backstage, and don’t wear mascara because of sweat.
- Contestants fill out a questionnaire, and producers select five Q&A topics for the host.
- Host Ken isn’t allowed to interact with the contestants until after the game.
- Players can request to sit in a chair while competing without question.
A series insider told The U.S. Sun, “The show has some changes in the works to jazz up season 42.
“No one is jumping the shark, the format and all that, the heart of the show, will be the same.
“But there will be new set pieces and, unfortunately for the fans, there will be some, perhaps even an increase, in sponsored categories.
“Producers know that’s not popular with fans, and quite frankly, a lot of the production team doesn’t like it either.
“But it’s part of the game. It helps with revenue and cross promotion so it is what it is.”
In recent Jeopardy! seasons, sponsored categories have sporadically popped up within the game.
These sponsored categories are often videos of celebrities reading off the clue, instead of the typical process of host Ken saying them.
In late July, season 41 of Jeopardy! concluded with a bang after Scott Riccardi had his 16-game winning streak crushed by Jonathan Hugendubler in a shocking finale.
The end of the season marked the rare occasion where new Jeopardy! episodes took a hiatus from airing – though that will change when the show returns on Monday, September 8th.
Ken Jennings hosts the Jeopardy! Masters tournament[/caption]
Ken Jennings is seen in Midtown on May 11, 2023 in New York City[/caption]
