Followers are all the time asking Ken Jennings — certainly one of Jeopardy’s greatest winners — if he thinks his 74-game win streak from 2004 will ever be damaged, and whereas present champion Scott Riccardi isn’t fairly knocking on that door simply but, his run on the 2025 TV schedule has drawn fairly a little bit of consideration. Jennings mentioned the present buzz surrounding among the finest recreation exhibits ever, and there’s one thing ominous about his remark.
On July 24, Scott Riccardi gained his sixteenth recreation of Jeopardy!, tying him at No. 10 within the report books for Consecutive Video games Gained. Enthusiasm began to construct across the New Jersey engineer when he grew to become an official tremendous champion — a moniker bestowed to contestants with double-digit victories — and Ken Jennings spoke to TV Insider about whether or not he thinks his report is in … jeopardy. He stated:
It’s been some time since we’ve had an excellent champion, so Scott’s run has been actually thrilling for us. It’s all the time thrilling to have an excellent champ. I’m typically rooting for them to interrupt my report. I imply, I’m not rooting for any specific participant, however I like the concept my report is breakable. Like I feel that’s true, and I simply need to be there firsthand and watch it if it occurs.
Ken Jennings admitted to having to mood his feelings a bit as host of the sport present, although. He actually can’t be cheering for one contestant over the others, which he acknowledged, persevering with:
So I all the time get enthusiastic about that, however the line you’re making an attempt to stroll is you don’t need to discuss up the tremendous champ an excessive amount of. You need to come out on stage and be a little bit of a hype man to inform the viewers what sort of expertise we’re taking a look at right here. However there’s two different contestants that don’t need to hear Scott’s bona fides on the prime of the sport, and so that you need to stroll a tightrope of, let’s not demoralize the opposite two gamers, as a result of there’s all the time an upset.
I perceive that Ken Jennings has to let the house viewers know the place the champion stands, what the stakes are, whether or not they’re near any data, and so forth. Nevertheless, I additionally typically get the sensation when these sorts of statistics are given on the prime of a recreation that it’s a bit like calling out a no-hitter in progress. Just like the host’s mere point out of a streak will jinx it.
Additionally, is it simply me, or does Ken Jennings’ remaining thought on the matter sound a bit foreboding? He concluded:
All people loses on Jeopardy! ultimately. That’s the ironclad legislation.
Ken Jennings sounds a bit devious right here, however it’s true. Demise, taxes and shedding on Jeopardy! are life’s solely certainties, as ole Ben Franklin would say. Talking of Benjamins, as of Thursday, July 24, Scott Riccardi had amassed a whopping $455,000.
Jeopardy! Season 41 ends with the Friday, July 25, recreation, so we’ll have to attend to see if that “ironclad legislation” is enacted on this cycle, or if Scott Riccardi is given a reprieve to proceed his run into subsequent season, when episodes will even be accessible for next-day streaming with both a Hulu subscription or a Peacock subscription. Test your native listings to see when the sport present airs in your space.