'Jeopardy!' fans disappointed as host Ken Jennings misses out on '$100,000 Pyramid' victory

The 74-day 'Jeopardy!' champ Ken Jennings lost to Mario Cantone on the word association game show '$100,000 Pyramid'
UPDATED JUL 20, 2023
'Jeopardy!' host Ken Jennings misses out on a '$100,000 Pyramid' win (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images, @pyramidabc/Instagram)
'Jeopardy!' host Ken Jennings misses out on a '$100,000 Pyramid' win (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images, @pyramidabc/Instagram)

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: 'Jeopardy!'s current co-host Ken Jennings has been a legend on the trivia game show and is yet to pass on the title after retaining it for almost 20 years. Hence, it's usually surprising for viewers to see Jennings ending up with anything other than a perfect win on any game show. 

However, the much-loved 'Jeopardy!' host recently lost out on a big win on the '$100,000 Pyramid' show. While many of his fans were a bit disappointed to see him lose, most agreed that it was a fun game and that Jennings faced decent competition. 

How did 'Jeopardy!' host Ken Jennings lose on '$100,000 Pyramid'?

'$100,000 Pyramid', hosted by Michael Strahan, has a similar format to other game shows like 'Jeopardy!' where you are given clues that need to be associated with answers in a short time frame. The setup of 'Pyramid' works similarly to a game of charades where the player has a partner to give them clues for the word. Unfortunately, Jennings wasn't able to keep a good pace in figuring out the cues given by his partner in either of the two rounds of the word association game. On the other hand, 'Sex and the City' star Mario Cantone managed to reign over the 74-day 'Jeopardy!' champ through a good partnership with his fellow contestant, which Jennings lacked. 

Ken Jennings on '$100,000 Pyramid' (Pyramid/ABC)
Ken Jennings lost on '$100,000 Pyramid' (Pyramid/ABC)

Fans say Ken Jennings got the perfect competitor on '$100,000 Pyramid'

Many fans were understandably disappointed by the outcome of the game, as they often assume Jennings to be the undefeatable victor of all game shows. Soon after his loss came to light, a Reddit thread on the r/Jeopardy subreddit went on to discuss the said '$100,000 Pyramid' episode. A user commented, "It was a shocking result too. He actually lost twice to Mario Cantone. I can't believe it." Another put it up to Jennings' bad luck on this particular episode, saying, "It was the luck of the draw. He and his partner in each round chose categories that were slightly trickier. Could have gone either way."

Several 'Jeopardy!' fans agreed that Cantone gave him good competition with his own quick thinking and trivia skills. "That exchange where Ken complained about getting "salivate" and Mario said something like, "damn right I got 'biscuit'!" is the exchange I've been hoping for for years. They're both right. Ken got harder categories, but he really should have a huge advantage. I wish I'd have seen him in the winners circle, though." One user shared, "I really feel like ken had bad luck with some of the words,, especially salivate and the word that came right after. But Ken and Mario are two of my favorite people, both are excellent game players, and it was so enjoyable. some of the celebrities they have on the show are so bad it makes it hard to watch."

"Funny story: At a Jeopardy taping in October of last year, an audience member asked Ken about his appearance on Pyramid and congratulated him for how well he did. He told us he had since taped another episode and did not do as well the second time, then swore us to secrecy. I’ve kept the secret until now," expressed a Reddit user who claimed that Jennings had told them about his appearance on '$100,000 Pyramid'. "It was a fun episode of Pyramid all around," said one who seems to have enjoyed seeing Jennings on a different game show, especially in the position of a player. 

RELATED TOPICS JEOPARDY! KEN JENNINGS

GET THE BIGGEST ENTERTAINMENT STORIES
STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX.

MORE STORIES

The comedy-drama series is set in the 1960s, and it sees Kristen Wiig as Maxine trying to carve out a place for herself in high society
2 hours ago
Nicole Kidman and Jamie Lee Curtis star in Prime Video's next crime thriller, 'Scarpetta,' based on Patricia Cornwell’s bestselling book series.
18 hours ago
The sophomore season of 'The Pitt' has so far depicted the rise of generative AI in medicine as well as the ICE.
21 hours ago
The sequel series 'Marshals' continues Kayce's story as he leaves his ranch life behind to join the U.S. Marshals.
22 hours ago
Michael B. Jordan, Noah Wyle, and more took home prestigious awards during the ceremony on March 1
23 hours ago
The Season 4 finale seemingly sets up Henry (Kit Harington) and Whitney's (Max Minghella) fates in the financial drama
1 day ago
The sequel series sees Kayce Dutton charting new territories as a US Marshal after experiencing a devastating loss
1 day ago
The previous episode saw Colter and Keaton's car dangling from a cliff, leaving their fates undecided
1 day ago
World-renowned actors are set to take the stage at the 98th Academy Awards as Hollywood gears up for a glittering night on March 15
1 day ago
Netflix made intentional attempts to keep the suspense throughout Episode 6
2 days ago