Ken Jennings just revealed the worst part of Jeopardy!, and it was something he had to do 75 times as a contestant and every time as a host. He admitted that as a kid, he found this part of the show “so cringey,” he would leave the room.
Jennings and Amy Schneider appeared on the August 10 episode of the Lovett or Leave It podcast, hosted by comedian Jon Lovett. After discussing politics and AI, they got into Jeopardy!.
Ken Jennings shared that he came straight from work to do the podcast and had to host five episodes that day. This led Lovett to ask him about interviews during the games. “When you’re on Jeopardy! episode number five, and it says on the card, ‘So, it says here, you like skateboarding?’ Is your heart in it?”
The host laughed and said that as a kid, he found the Jeopardy! interviews “so cringey” that he left the room. “Because these people mean well, but you make them stop playing Jeopardy! for a second to talk about their cat or their trip to Thailand or something, and they’re not there for that. They just want to answer the little questions,” he said.
“So, I try to make it good. I try to make it the least bad it can be and get out of there. My promise to you, the viewer.”
Lovett asked the host, “What percentage of the time do you have to say, ‘No, I’m sorry, you can’t also talk about trains’?”
“My version of that joke would be cats,” Jennings replied. “It is 100%, ‘You would not believe the crazy thing my cat does.’ And I’m like, ‘I bet I can. Does it sit on top of the couch? That’s nuts.’”
Schneider chimed in and said, “As someone who has seen Ken work up close, his ability to laugh at any story is remarkable.”
“I spend my whole life trying to get out of conversations in 25 seconds,” Jennings joked. “That’s why Jeopardy! host is the job for me.”
The two Jeopardy! contestants then engaged in a few rounds of Kennections, where they had to answer trivia questions and then figure out what the connection was between the three answers.
Jeopardy!, Season 42, September 8, check local listings