Ken Jennings Was Asked If Jeopardy Will Ever Change Under His Watch, And His Answer Warmed My Heart As A Lifelong Fan

Ken Jennings has been at the forefront of Jeopardy!’s hosting duties by his lonesome since late 2023, when former co-host Mayim Bialik was dropped for the sole host model. So far, he hasn’t seen anyone come close to breaking his 74-game win streak, but anything can happen on this show. Well, so long as it doesn’t radically alter the format that the late, great Alex Trebek stuck with for his 37-season run.

Indeed, while Jennings is certainly quippier behind the lectern than Trebek was in his later years (or possibly ever), and asks contestants sillier questions during the mid-round meet-and-greet, his reign on the all-time great game show has largely resembled that of his predecessor. Sure, there are more tournaments now, but that’s the handiwork of executive producer Michael Davies, and not Jennings himself. In fact, when asked by People about any potential changes on the way, Jennings was quick to point out why the show shouldn't change, saying:

I totally get his point. Even though the Jeopardy!'s production as a whole has evolved over time — with changes made to the podiums, the backgrounds, the clue board and more — the basics of the game have remained the same without many fan requests to alter that streak. The 30-clue rounds and question-based answering have been tenets since Alex Trebek's earliest days, and not even announcer Johnny Gilbert's delivery has changed much in the past 40 years.

I suppose one of the biggest swings that Jeopardy! has taken with format and gameplay adjustments came when Celebrity Jeopardy! added a third round with $300-$1,500 clue amounts. But that's only for the primetime spinoff, where all of the prize winnings go to charity, so it makes beneficial sense to up the ante there.

As far as daily syndicated episodes go, however, expect more of the same Jeopardy! we've come to know and love. Which just so happens to be the way Ken Jennings wants it as well. In his words:

Now, would I stop watching the show altogether if Jennings suddenly did have a new catchphrase that he shoe-horned into every episode? Of course not. In fact, I've come to consider "What appeals?" to be as close to a catchphrase as we'll get, and I find myself repeating it every so often.

Jennings also talked in the interview about being more comfortable now than ever in the driver's seat, especially after the guest-host brouhaha that followed Trebek's death. But hopefully we won't have to worry about anything vaguely close to that happening again. Or if it does happen, just make it a tournament.