'It's all a blur': Ken Jennings talks about why he never watched his 74-day winning streak on 'Jeopardy!'
CULVER CITY, CALIFORNIA: The game show ‘Jeopardy!’ and the current co-host Ken Jennings is, at this point, a package deal and can hardly ever be talked about without the mention of the other. The 49-year-old host was both a contestant and now, has been a host since 2021.
So, it was quite shocking when Jennings revealed that he never watched his own winning streak, the longest in the history of the game when it broadcasted on TV. The show host shared his thoughts about being the most popular contestant and now hosting the game show.
Ken Jennings was 'sick' of himself
Jennings joined the weekly podcast of the game show ‘Inside Jeopardy!’ for episode 50 titled 'Who is Ken Jennings?' with Sarah Whitcomb Foss and Buzzy Cohen. Jennings discussed the process of working on his next book '100 Places to See After You Die' and of course his time as a contestant on the show. Cohen brought up Jennings’ long run at the game show, asking, “Was it weird to kind of hear those voices and hear those little game clips again?”
“Hearing the audio clips was the weirdest thing,” Jennings confessed, “because in most cases I was not watching every night while I was on Jeopardy.” The game show host was quick to say, “Not that I don't love Jeopardy, but often it was on during dinner and I was more to the point…sick of myself.” Jennings also seemed to have forgotten the details of 2004 when he was the popular contestant.“A lot of those anecdotes, I have no memory of them, it’s all a blur,” the host admitted.
'Can’t watch Jeopardy! the same way'
In a previous interview with Deseret News, Jennings had confirmed that even after becoming a host, he has been consistent with refusing to watch ‘Jeopardy!’ Jennings told the source that his wife, Mindy Jennings, wanted to have the show put on the TV every day and he would say to her, “Do we have to have this on?”
He further added, “She wanted to watch me daily on ‘Jeopardy!’ Maybe I was not supportive . . . I love ‘Jeopardy!’ the same way I did when I was a kid, but I can’t watch it the same way I did when I was a kid.” Currently, Jennings is hosting ‘Jeopardy!’ with co-host Mayim Bialik.