It's official. Ken Jennings really is the biggest thing in American game show history.
By winning $45,099 in the episode of "Jeopardy!" that aired Wednesday, Jennings ran his total earnings to $2,197,000 — eclipsing the previous record of $2.18 million won by Kevin Olmstead on "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" in 2001.
What makes Jennings' accomplishment so much more amazing is not the money but how the mild-mannered 30-year-old software engineer from Murray has won it — 65 consecutive victories in a daily quiz show.
The most money Jennings has won in a single day is $75,000, which is yet another "Jeopardy!" record (easily surpassing the previous mark of $52,000). But his average daily total is $33,800, a decided contrast to Olmstead's one-shot, 15-question appearance on "Millionaire."