After making his mark on Jeopardy! with 74 consecutive wins, Ken Jennings has been making his mark on the show in a different way as a host. He took over as the long-running game show’s permanent host following the death of Alex Trebek, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s forgotten how it all started. He’s occasionally looked back at his time as one of the biggest winners in Jeopardy! history, and now he’s roasting himself from 20 years ago.
Jennings has changed a lot since his time as a Jeopardy! contestant and now as a Jeopardy! host, and it turns out, old episodes don’t age so well. In a hilarious way, that is. Jennings looked back at some of his interviews during his first run on the show, including one where he was asked by Trebek what his expectations were going into the show, and he admitted he didn’t have much faith and “didn’t want to be the guy naked going into Final Jeopardy!” Between that and his “bulky shirt,” Jennings had a lot of thoughts for his interview during his seventh appearance all those years ago:
I can’t remember if I actually had that prepped or if Alex was just calling an audible. So that could have been an actual story. Like, I just didn’t want to be naked going into Final Jeopardy! But also, apparently, I just wanted to wear a lot of just big boxy dress shirts on TV; that was my main dream. My Jeopardy! dream.
A lot of Jennings’ comments about himself while watching his old interviews are about the shirts and ties that he’s worn. Like most people, his fashion has definitely changed, and it’s never fun looking back at those horrendous fashion choices from two decades ago. Not only that, but hearing his thoughts on the stories he told and how they came together really opens up a new perspective on the interview process on Jeopardy!
Speaking of interview stories, Jennings reacted to one where he was talking about his love for French toast after winning nine games. After commenting on his mistake of a tie, Jennings recalled the “good Jeopardy! story” he told about winning a contest after eating 108 pieces of French toast in one week. Although he said back then that he’s done with French toast, that wasn’t actually the case, and he did it for a good reason:
I was humoring Alex because he had a funny bit there, but I actually love French toast. I can eat 108 pieces probably in any given week. That’s a perfect Jeopardy! story because it’s boring, but in an interesting way.
Considering Jennings won 74 straight games, there is a lot content that he can react to and look back on, whether fondly or in cringe. Of course, there was no way of knowing back then that he’d go on to win as many games as he did and host Jeopardy! after Alex Trebek, who is one of the best game show hosts ever. It is always fun seeing him go back to that time, though, including over the summer when he referenced his viral “Hoe-ment” in 2004.
Jeopardy! has had a lot of viral moments over the years, and even if they don’t always age well, they’re fun to look back on, and it seems Jennings feels the same way. It does make me wonder what other viral moments the show will have in the future, and if any will harken back to his early days on the show.
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