Spoilers for Matt Damon and Ken Jennings run on Who Needs to Be a Millionaire are forward!
Effectively, they did it. Ken Jennings and Matt Damon received Who Needs to Be a Millionaire; nonetheless, I can’t say I’m shocked. As these episodes aired on the 2025 TV schedule, I totally anticipated Jeopardy’s host and Jimmy Kimmel’s fake nemesis to win, they usually did. Nonetheless, when requested concerning the challenges of taking part in on this recreation present, the Jeopardy legend didn’t mince his phrases as he stated it felt like “teetering over an Indiana Jones dying pit.”
The A-list actor and one in all Jeopardy’s largest winners grew to become the third staff of celebrities to win the million {dollars}. Nonetheless, it wasn’t all simple work. That they had to make use of their lifelines – Jennings brilliantly referred to as out of its traps final week, by the best way – they usually needed to speak by way of their choices. It wasn’t a complete stroll within the park, and the Jeopardy! host opened up about that whereas evaluating the sport present he hosts with the one he simply received, telling TV Insider:
I suppose you would say that we received the million, so clearly, it’s not a Jeopardy!-like crucible, and that’s true. Jeopardy! most likely, objectively, has a number of issues which are more durable about it, however the factor about Millionaire is it’s like it’s important to swing at each pitch. You can not let a ball go by and say, ‘That’s not my pitch.’ You’ll be able to’t miss a query. And also you all the time are so conscious of that. It’s such as you’re teetering over an Indiana Jones dying pit, as a result of the following query may very well be it at any level. So it’s tense on the market. I feel Matt felt it too.
I completely get what Jennings is saying. On the floor, since Jeopardy! isn’t a number of selection, it appears objectively more durable. Additionally, you don’t play for a single sum of money; you retain taking part in till you lose, so it will probably require a distinct type of endurance.
Nonetheless, Millionaire has increased short-term stakes. In case you miss a query, you don’t simply lose cash, you’re out for good. So, there’s no room for error, whereas on Jeopardy! you may miss a query or two, you simply must ensure you’re not within the crimson earlier than the ultimate spherical.
So, on Millionaire, you do need to take greater swings, and I agree that it will probably really feel like “you’re teetering over an Indiana Jones dying pit.” Fortunately, although, Jennings had somebody he may speak his proverbial swings out with, a lot to Jimmy Kimmel’s hilarious chagrin.
To that time, very like how Matt Damon complimented his companion’s intelligence, Jennings spoke extremely of the Good Will Searching star. He stated that having a companion on the present actually did make it higher, explaining:
Completely simpler with a companion. It turned out to be simpler that Jimmy knew the one we didn’t know. We had a number of good Millionaire luck.
Effectively, teamwork, luck and expertise taking part in a few of the greatest recreation exhibits actually paid off huge time, as Jennings and Damon finally received the million for the actor’s charity water.org.
In the meantime, we received a superb present out of it, too. The episodes, which now you can stream each with a Hulu subscription, have been wickedly entertaining. We received to see Jimmy Kimmel and Matt Damon’s rivalry on full blast, we received to witness the actor and Jennings kick butt at trivia, and ultimately, we received to see them win a bunch of cash that’s going to an amazing trigger. So, it was a win-win throughout, regardless that it made the Jeopardy! icon really feel like he was “teetering over an Indiana Jones dying pit” at occasions.