Good article about Ken Jennings in local paper

[Josephine96]

Who Is Ken Jennings?
A 30-year-old software engineer, he recently set the all-time Jeopardy! consecutive victory record and has passed $1 million in total winnings.

RESEARCH BY J. STEPHEN SMITH; NATIONAL REVIEW ONLINE, http://WWW.JEOPARDY.COM, http://WWW.TVGAMESHOWS.NET |
Posted July 16, 2004






Ken Jennings is to Jeopardy! what Wayne Gretzky was to hockey, what Michael Jordan was to pro basketball: The best there's ever been. Over the past month, the unassuming Salt Lake City resident has emerged as the quickest wit and greatest champion in the two decades since the show's revival. Where Gretzky dazzled with his skates and Jordan with his jump shot, Jennings' weapons are his razor-sharp mind and lightning-quick buzzer finger.

Jennings' totals: 32 consecutive wins and earnings exceeding $1 million, figures that would have been impossible were it not for a pair of rules changes made over the years. "Jeopardy!" recently dropped a restriction that limits champions to only five days on the show.

The value of the questions are also worth double what they used to be.

(Jennings' potential defeat is also one of the most speculated subjects in TV game show history. His episodes were .lmed mostly in February and he has held to a vow of media silence since his return to Salt Lake City. Filming for next season begins in August and Jeopardy! officials have not said whether he is part of the new season.)

One magazine likened Jenning's streak to that of Secretariat in his Triple Crown romp. He recently did guest spots on David Letterman's "Late Show" ("Top 10 Ways to Irritate Alex Trebek"), ESPN SportsCenter and "Good Morning America." His name blares across Internet chat rooms with equal parts admiration and disdain. (Some believe he's made the show less compelling, although ratings are up sizably during his run.)

Love him or not, most people now know the answer to the question:

Who is Ken Jennings?

The man who knew too much:

Some questions posed to Ken Jennings during his record-setting run on "Jeopardy!"

1) First designed as a surgical disinfectant, in 1895 it was available to dentists and by 1914 was sold over the counter.

2) In 1901, U.S. Surgeon General Walter Wyman helped establish a hospital in Hawaii for this disease.

3) People who study and collect these like to call themselves conchologists.

4) The first two New York Times headlines set in 96-point type were in these two years, five years apart.

5) The only Central American country whose national anthem is sung in English.

6) This 1973 thriller was re-released in 2000 with extra footage, including a scene in which Ritalin is prescribed.

7) With 3,307, Nick Vermeulen holds the record for the largest collection of these ... for people on planes.

8) This title character's full name is Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkle Emmannuel Ambroise Diggs.

9) Born in 1564, he was employed by (Queen) Elizabeth I's secretary of state to uncover Catholic plots against her reign.

10) This name in Genesis 32 means He strives with God.

11) Historic Americans: For his role in writing this 1861 document, Thomas Cobb of Georgia has been compared to James Madison.

12) Universities: Its logo contains the same tree as appears on the state flag.

13) Anagrams: He wrote that she partly rewrote the movie "Hear No Evil."

14) Foreign leaders: It's the military rank of the head of state of Libya.

15) In 2002, Helen Clark won election to a second term as this Down Under country's prime minister.

16) The 16th century corsairs of Northern Africa were known collectively as these pirates.

17) Group in the 60s who were the first "S" in SDS.

18) The Jacobins were a party in France in 1789; 100 years earlier, the Jacobites were supporters of this family in England.

19) "V" shall overcome: Named for the British logician who created it, it's a representational diagram of sets.

20) A chorus of angels: In 1997 this company introduced its Angels line of lingerie.

Creature of habit

Jennings brings his own method to the madness of "Jeopardy!" Some of his idiosyncracies include:

o Keeping a stuffed Japanese forest spirit in his podium for luck.

o A Final Jeopardy! betting strategy that secures him a round figure at the end of most shows.

o A preference for moving down categories in order, rather than skipping from one category to another.

o Answering questions about foreign countries in that country's accent.

All we needed to know

One of Jennings' (and Trebek's) greatest challenges has been coming up with something new to say about himself each night. During the Jeopardy! portion, each contestant gets a few moments to share an anecdote with the audience. Throughout his record-setting run, Jennings already has shared:

o The details of his family wife, Mindy, son Dylan, 1, and puppy, Banjo.

o How he played on a successful quiz bowl team while at Brigham Young University.

o His plans to tithe 10 percent of his winnings to the Mormon Church.

o How he writes and edits literature questions for the National Academic

Quiz Tournament.

o ... Even, how he loves roller coasters but hates Ferris wheels.

In the money

Helped by a rules change that extended his run on the show, Ken Jennings has blown past previous "Jeopardy!" champions in total earnings. The top 10 winners in total earnings since the show's revival in 1984:

Ken Jennings, Salt Lake City $1,050,460*

Tom Walsh, Washington, D.C. $184,900

Brian Weikle, Minneapolis $149,200

Arthur Gandol., Manhattan $137,300

Sean Ryan, State College, Pa. $123,797

Chris Miller, Louisville, Ky. $123,597

John Beck $117,099

Scott Renzoni, Burlington, Vt. $112,998

Seth Alcorn $106,400

Frank Spangenberg, Queens $102,597

The million-dollar club

The advent of the million-dollar quiz show in 1999 made many previous winnings records obsolete. Where Ken Jennings ranks among all-time quiz show winners:

1. Kevin Olmstead, "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" 2001 $2.18 million

2. Ed Toutant, "Millionaire," 2001 $1.86 million

3. David Legler, "Twenty-One" 2000 $1.76 million

4. Curtis Warren, "Greed" 2000 $1.41 million

5. John Carpenter, "Millionaire" 1999-2000 $1.12 million

6. K en Jennings, " Jeopardy!" 2004 $1.05 million*

7. Rahim Oberholtzer, "Twenty-One" 2000 $1.12 million

8. Joe Trela, "Millionaire" 2000 $1 million

9. Dan Blonsky, "Millionaire" 2000 $1 million

10. Robert Essig "Super Millionaire" 2004 $1 million

*Total earnings through Wednesday

Answers

1 Answer: "What is Listerine?" (A stumped competitor answered: "What is ...

whatever Ken's answer is?")

2 Answer: "What is leprosy?"

3 Answer: "What are seashells?"

4 Answer: "What is 1969 and 1974?" (Man walks on the moon and President Richard Nixon's resignation.)

5 Answer: "What is Belize?"

6 Answer: "What is The Exorcist?"

7 Answer: "What are barf bags?"

8 Answer: "What is "The Wizard of Oz?"

9 Answer: "Who is Christopher Marlowe?"

10 Answer: "Who is Israel"?

11. What is the Confederate constitution.

12. What is the University of South Carolina (palmetto)?

13. Who are Leonard M-A-L-T-I-N and Marlee MA-T-L-I-N

14. What is colonel?

15. What is New Zealand?

16. What are the Barbary pirates?

17. What are students?

18. Who are the Stuarts?

19. What are Venn diagrams?

20.What is Victoria's Secret?

SOURCES: NATIONAL REVIEW ONLINE, http://WWW.JEOPARDY.COM, http://WWW.TVGAMESHOWS.NET