The cycle is familiar: A “Jeopardy!” contestant goes on a massive winning streak, generates attention from fans and media, and eventually gets stumped on a clue or doesn’t wager enough money, ultimately falling to a new “Jeopardy!” champion.
And almost every single time that happens, fans begin to speculate: Did the contestant throw the game? Did the player really not know the answer?
It happened in 2019, when James Holzhauer lost after his 32-game winning streak. It happened when Matt Amodio lost his 39th game two years later.
And speculation recently resurfaced for “Jeopardy!” host Ken Jennings, who won a staggering 74 games back in 2004.
Did Ken Jennings throw his 75th ‘Jeopardy!’ game?
On Nov. 30, 2004, a Final Jeopardy clue about H&R Block dethroned Jennings after a 74-game winning streak earned him $2.52 million — a streak that remains untouched 22 years later.
The clue: “Most of this firm’s 70,000 seasonal white-collar employees work only four months a year.”
Jennings addressed speculation that he might have thrown his 75th game during a recent “Jeopardy!” taping.
“This question has been haunting me for 20 years,” a fan attending the taping asked Jennings during a Q&A session. “Did you really not know the ... last ‘Final Jeopardy’ question?”
“For 20 years, this gentleman has been thinking I took a dive,” Jennings responded with a laugh. “You don’t sleep, is that right, sir? You can barely eat. You’re like, ‘H&R Block, he must have known!’”
“Have you ever willingly quit a job where you were making $70,000 an hour?” Jennings continued in the clip, which was shared on the “Inside Jeopardy!” podcast. “I think people who ask me this question usually just want to say one thing, which is, ‘Ken, I knew it was H&R Block.’”
Jennings, who wrote down FedEx for his answer, said he did his own taxes and that H&R Block would never have occurred to him.
“I think I could have thought about that one all day, and I would not have figured out that was H&R Block,” he said. “That’s kind of how these long runs go — they always seem inevitable until a few things happen, and then suddenly, they’re not so inevitable anymore.”
Will Jamie Ding break Ken Jennings’ record?
Twenty-two years later, Jennings remains No. 1 for most consecutive games won and for highest winnings in regular season play on the “Jeopardy!” Leaderboard of Legends,
But current “Jeopardy!” champ Jamie Ding is steadily inching his way toward Jennings’ records. The law student from New Jersey has 26 wins under his belt — sitting No. 5 for most consecutive games won. Ding also sits at No. 6 for highest winnings in regular season play, with over $700,000.
Early on in his run, during his third game, Ding correctly answered 45 clues — tying a record with Jennings for most correct responses.
During a recent “Jeopardy!” taping, Jennings told the studio audience he “would be very excited” if Ding beat his record.
“I’m of course perfectly impartial every game, but I actually believe that my record can be beaten,” he said in a clip shared on the official “Jeopardy!” Instagram. “I just hope I am hosting when it happens.”