History of Ken Jennings in Timeline
Ken Jennings is an American game show host, author, and former contestant, most notably recognized for his remarkable winning streak on Jeopardy!. Born in Edmonds, Washington, he spent much of his childhood abroad in South Korea and Singapore. Prior to his Jeopardy! fame, he worked as a computer programmer. In 2004, Jennings achieved widespread recognition with his unprecedented 74-game winning streak on Jeopardy!, setting a record for the highest earnings by an American game show contestant and significantly boosting the show's popularity.
May 23, 1974: Ken Jennings's Birth
On May 23, 1974, Kenneth Wayne Jennings III was born in Edmonds, Washington.
1996: Transferred to Brigham Young University
In 1996, Ken Jennings transferred to Brigham Young University (BYU).
2000: Graduation from BYU
In 2000, Ken Jennings graduated from Brigham Young University (BYU) with a double major in English and computer science.
2003: Takes Jeopardy! contestant exam
In 2003, Ken Jennings took the contestant exam for Jeopardy!
January 2004: Tom Walsh's Winning Streak
In January 2004, Tom Walsh set a record winning streak on Jeopardy!, winning $186,900 in eight games.
June 2, 2004: First Jeopardy! Episode
On June 2, 2004, Ken Jennings's run on Jeopardy! began, unseating two-time returning champion Jerry Harvey.
September 20, 2004: Tournament of Champions Aired
The Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions aired from September 20, 2004, through October 1, 2004.
October 1, 2004: Tournament of Champions Aired
The Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions aired from September 20, 2004, through October 1, 2004.
November 2, 2004: US Presidential Election
On Tuesday, November 2, 2004, no first-run Jeopardy! episode was scheduled due to the 2004 United States presidential election.
November 10, 2004: College Championship Aired
The Jeopardy! College Championship aired from November 10, 2004, to November 23, 2004.
November 23, 2004: College Championship Aired
The Jeopardy! College Championship aired from November 10, 2004, to November 23, 2004.
November 30, 2004: Loses 75th Jeopardy! Game
On November 30, 2004, Ken Jennings lost his 75th Jeopardy! game to Nancy Zerg after incorrectly answering the Final Jeopardy! question about H&R Block, ending his reign as champion.
December 1, 2004: Guest Appearance on Jeopardy!
On December 1, 2004, Ken Jennings made a guest appearance on Jeopardy!, where Alex Trebek acknowledged his success and broken records.
2004: Jennings Tries Out for Jeopardy!
In 2004, Ken Jennings tried out for Jeopardy! after working as a computer programmer.
2004: Ken Jennings' Jeopardy! winning streak ends
In 2004, Ken Jennings's 74-game Jeopardy! winning streak ended after being defeated by Nancy Zerg in his 75th appearance.
2004: TV Appearances and Notoriety
In 2004, Ken Jennings's Jeopardy! run brought him widespread attention, leading to appearances on shows like The Tonight Show, Sesame Street and an offer of free tax services from H&R Block.
November 2005: Six Degrees of Ken Jennings column debuts in Mental Floss
In November 2005, Ken Jennings' column "Six Degrees of Ken Jennings" debuted in Mental Floss magazine.
2005: Jeopardy! Ultimate Tournament of Champions
In 2005, Ken Jennings participated in the Jeopardy! Ultimate Tournament of Champions, finishing second to Brad Rutter and winning $500,000.
2005: Ken Jennings slated to host a game show for Comedy Central
In 2005, Ken Jennings was slated to host a new game show for Comedy Central, produced by Michael Davies, but the project stalled in development.
2005: Ken Jennings takes second place in Ultimate Tournament of Champions
In 2005, Ken Jennings won a $500,000 second-place prize in the Jeopardy! Ultimate Tournament of Champions.
2005: Ken Jennings signs endorsement deals
In 2005, following his Jeopardy! success, Ken Jennings signed with the United Talent Agency and engaged in several endorsement deals, including deals with Microsoft and Cingular Wireless.
2005: Jeopardy!: An Inside Look at America's Favorite Quiz Show DVD Release
Ken Jennings's losing episode was featured on the 2005 DVD release of Jeopardy!: An Inside Look at America's Favorite Quiz Show.
July 4, 2006: Trivia Tuesday newsletter launches
On July 4, 2006, Ken Jennings launched his trivia newsletter, Trivia Tuesday, sending out an email containing seven questions every Tuesday.
2006: Potential game show shopping
As of mid-2006, Ken Jennings was still shopping a potential game show titled Ken Jennings vs. the Rest of the World.
2006: Ken Jennings endorsements continue
In 2006, Ken Jennings continued his endorsements, including a deal with Microsoft to promote its Encarta encyclopedia software and appearing in commercials for Cingular Wireless. He also had speaking deals through American Program Bureau and was featured in the board game Can You Beat Ken? by University Games.
2006: Ken Jennings moderates NAQT tournament
In 2006, Ken Jennings served as a moderator at the National Academic Quiz Tournaments (NAQT) High School National Championship Tournament in Chicago, reading literature and mythology questions.
2006: Ken Jennings appears on game shows
In 2006, Ken Jennings taped a pilot for Million Dollar Pyramid and was a contestant on other game shows including Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! and 1 vs. 100.
2006: Ken Jennings wins American Crossword Puzzle Tournament
In 2006, Ken Jennings won the rookie division of the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament.
2006: Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs published
In 2006, Ken Jennings' book, Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs, was published. It details his experiences on Jeopardy! and his research into trivia culture.
December 2007: Marion Jones Stripped of Medals
In December 2007, Marion Jones was stripped of her medals after Ken Jennings' initial Jeopardy! episode accepted her last name as the correct response.
2007: Jeopardy! uses recycled content during strike
During the 2007-2008 strike, Jeopardy! used a mix of recycled material and newly-written questions made before the strike, similar to the approach used in 2023.
2007: Ken Jennings competes on Grand Slam
In 2007, Ken Jennings appeared as a contestant on the game show Grand Slam.
October 2008: Appearance on Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?
In October 2008, Ken Jennings appeared on Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, contributing to his record for the highest American game show winnings at the time.
2008: Ken Jennings appears on Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?
In 2008, Ken Jennings appeared on Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?. He also competed on Stump the Master from 2008-09.
2009: Ken Jennings moderates NAQT tournament
In 2009, Ken Jennings served as a moderator at the National Academic Quiz Tournaments (NAQT) High School National Championship Tournament in Chicago, reading literature and mythology questions.
October 2010: Six Degrees of Ken Jennings column ends
In October 2010, Ken Jennings' column "Six Degrees of Ken Jennings" ended its run in Mental Floss magazine.
2011: Jeopardy's IBM Challenge
In 2011, Ken Jennings participated in Jeopardy!'s "IBM Challenge" against Watson and Brad Rutter, finishing second to Watson and winning $300,000 for charity.
2011: Asked to Run for US Senate
In 2011, Ken Jennings recalled how in 2004, Democratic politicians unsuccessfully asked him to run for the United States Senate from Utah.
2011: Ken Jennings takes second place in IBM Challenge
In 2011, Ken Jennings won a $300,000 second-place prize in Jeopardy!'s IBM Challenge, losing to the Watson computer but defeating Brad Rutter.
2012: Jeopardy! College Champion
In 2019, Ken Jennings chose 2012 Jeopardy! College Champion Monica Thieu to complete his three-person "Team Ken." team
2014: Ken Jennings appears on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
In 2014, Ken Jennings appeared on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire during Guinness World Records Edition themed week, where he won $100,000.
2014: Jeopardy! Battle of the Decades
In 2014, Ken Jennings participated in the Jeopardy! Battle of the Decades tournament, placing second and winning a $100,000 prize.
2014: Ken Jennings takes second place in Battle of the Decades
In 2014, Ken Jennings won a $100,000 second-place prize in the Jeopardy! Battle of the Decades.
March 2015: Parade magazine ceases Kennections quiz
In March 2015, Parade magazine ceased the Kennections quiz and removed links to archived quizzes.
2015: Tournament of Champions runner-up
In 2019, Ken Jennings chose 2015 Tournament of Champions runner-up Matt Jackson to complete his three-person "Team Ken." team
2016: Ken Jennings appears on 500 Questions
In 2016, Ken Jennings appeared as a contestant on the game show 500 Questions.
September 7, 2017: Omnibus podcast launched
On September 7, 2017, HowStuffWorks unveiled a new show entitled Omnibus, co-hosted by Jennings and John Roderick.
2017: Ken Jennings appears on @midnight
In 2017, Ken Jennings appeared as a contestant on @midnight.
March 2018: Ken Jennings participates in FleetWit
As of March 2018, Ken Jennings was an active member of the trivia app FleetWit, regularly playing in live trivia races, answering an average of 89% of questions correctly, and winning over $2,000.
2018: Planet Funny: How Comedy Took Over Our Culture released
In 2018, Ken Jennings published Planet Funny: How Comedy Took Over Our Culture, which analyzes the impact of comedy on mainstream pop culture and everyday life.
2019: Jeopardy! All-Star Games
In 2019, Ken Jennings captained "Team Ken" in the Jeopardy! All-Star Games, finishing second and winning $100,000.
2019: Ken Jennings appears on Best Ever Trivia Show
In 2019, Ken Jennings was one of eight recurring Trivia Experts for Best Ever Trivia Show.
2019: Ken Jennings takes second place in All-Star Games
In 2019, Ken Jennings won a $100,000 second-place prize (his share of his team's $300,000 prize) in the Jeopardy! All-Star Games.
January 2020: Jeopardy! Greatest of All Time Tournament
In January 2020, Ken Jennings won the Jeopardy! Greatest of All Time tournament against Brad Rutter and James Holzhauer, winning $1,000,000 and the "Greatest of All Time" title.
March 3, 2020: Washington State Legislature Congratulates Jennings
On March 3, 2020, the Washington State Legislature approved Senate Resolution 8704, congratulating Ken Jennings for his achievements on game shows.
May 2020: Ken Jennings' last LearnedLeague Season
In May 2020, Ken Jennings' last active season with LearnedLeague was LL85. He played in the A Rundle of the Laguna league and finished the season in 5th place.
September 2020: Ken Jennings becomes Consulting Producer
In September 2020, Ken Jennings signed on as a consulting producer of Jeopardy! for the show's 37th season. His responsibilities included reading on-air categories.
October 29, 2020: Alex Trebek tapes final Jeopardy! episode
On October 29, 2020, Alex Trebek taped his final episode of Jeopardy! after being diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer the previous year.
November 8, 2020: Alex Trebek's death
On November 8, 2020, Alex Trebek passed away from cancer. Rehearsals for the next Jeopardy! taping, scheduled for November 9-10, were cancelled.
November 2020: Ken Jennings joins The Chase revival
In November 2020, Ken Jennings was announced as one of the chasers on the ABC revival of The Chase.
November 2020: Ken Jennings announced as first guest host of Jeopardy!
In November 2020, Ken Jennings was announced as the first in a series of guest hosts for Jeopardy! following the death of Alex Trebek.
2020: Returns to Jeopardy! as Producer and Guest Host
In 2020, Ken Jennings returned to Jeopardy! as a producer and later guest-hosted the program after the death of Alex Trebek.
2020: Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time
In 2020, Ken Jennings was awarded the first-place prize in Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time.
2020: Ken Jennings appears on Master Minds
In 2020, Ken Jennings was one of the six trivia experts on Best Ever's successor, Master Minds.
2020: Ken Jennings wins Greatest of All Time
In 2020, Ken Jennings won a $1,000,000 first-place prize in Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time.
February 19, 2021: Ken Jennings guest hosting episodes end
On February 19, 2021, Ken Jennings' episodes as the first in a series of guest hosts of Jeopardy! ended. He had been hosting since January 11, 2021.
November 16, 2021: Trivia Tuesday newsletter discontinued
On November 16, 2021, Ken Jennings discontinued his Trivia Tuesday newsletter after 800 quizzes due to increasing commitments and a lack of material for the seventh question.
2021: Ken Jennings guest hosts Jeopardy!
In 2021, Ken Jennings guest hosted the daily syndicated program Jeopardy!, alternating with actress Mayim Bialik.
2022: Lives in Seattle
As of 2022, Ken Jennings primarily resides in Seattle, flying to Los Angeles twice a month for Jeopardy! taping sessions.
May 8, 2023: Jeopardy! Masters series premiere
On May 8, 2023, the Jeopardy! Masters series, hosted by Ken Jennings, premiered on ABC. The primetime tournament featured notable Jeopardy! champions competing against each other.
May 11, 2023: Mayim Bialik withdraws from Jeopardy!
On May 11, 2023, Mayim Bialik withdrew from Jeopardy! due to the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes, leaving Ken Jennings to host the last 20 episodes of season 39.
May 2023: Ken Jennings wins on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune
In May 2023, Ken Jennings competed on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, winning $72,800 for the Equal Justice Initiative.
May 2023: WGA strike impacts Jeopardy!, Jennings hosts
In May 2023, Mayim Bialik refused to participate in the final week of filming Jeopardy! due to the Writers Guild of America strike. Ken Jennings hosted in her place.
2023: Sole Host of Jeopardy!
In 2023, Ken Jennings was made the sole host of Jeopardy!, after initially splitting hosting duties with Mayim Bialik.
2023: Entire Run Streaming on Pluto TV
In 2023, Ken Jennings's entire Jeopardy! run became available for streaming on Pluto TV.
March 25, 2025: Jennings loses title of highest-earning American game show contestant
On March 25, 2025, David Genat broke Ken Jennings' record for the highest-earning American game show contestant, winning $5,800,000 on Deal or No Deal Island.
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