Posted on 12/02/2004 7:28:34 AM PST by COUNTrecount
Questions asked over the defeat of trivia titan
Robert Lusetich December 03, 2004 WHEN Ken Jennings, trivia titan and nerd role model, was breaking every record in the long history of US television game show Jeopardy!, conspiracy theories abounded that he was being allowed to win to boost flagging ratings.
As millions tuned in every night to see if the 30-year-old Mormon computer programmer could keep winning, some believed he was being given answers in advance, just like in the Robert Redford film Quiz Show. Others insisted he had cranial implants.
Now that he has been dethroned, with his 74-episode winning streak coming to a shock end on Wednesday, Americans are so overcome with thoughts of dark cabals that all that was missing amid the hysterical reaction was a gunman on a grassy knoll.
It was not that KenJen, as he's known to his legions of fans, lost but how he lost that had a nation in disbelief - and rushing to dust off copies of Quiz Show, which was based on the 1959 scandal surrounding the hit game show, 21, whose producers predetermined winners based on their popularity with viewers.
For some, art mirrored life when Jennings - much like Herbie Stempel, the out-of-favour Jew who dominated 21 before being instructed to lose to the WASP-ish, handsome, aristocratic literature professor Charlie Van Doren - could not correctly answer a simple question to win what would have been a world record 75th straight show.
Stempel was ordered to pretend he did not know which film won the 1955 Academy Award, as millions of Americans were mouthing Marty in their living rooms. On a show taped in September but not shown on US television until Wednesday - the final night of the important "sweeps" ratings period - Jennings was asked in Final Jeopardy to name the firm whose 70,000 white-collar employees were mostly seasonal, working only four months of the year.
If he provided the right answer - tax firm H&R Block - Jennings would easily have defeated challenger Nancy Zerg, a 48-year-old former actress who sells real estate in California and now is destined to be the answer to a trivia question herself.
Instead, a man who demonstrated an astonishing breadth of general knowledge during his reign, answered "FedEx", for courier company Federal Express, which prides itself on its 24-hour, 365-days-of-the-year service. Some muttered darkly that Jeopardy! producers wanted him out as viewers began to tire of his success. They recalled recent comments by series creator Merv Griffin that producers "could not find anybody to really challenge (Jennings) ... and that scared me a little".
But the more likely scenario is that Jennings had simply had enough. "It's boring to have the same guy win. I'm actively rooting against myself," he said in a recent interview. Asked about his loss yesterday, he said "there was some initial disappointment" but "there was also some big-time relief". "My life had essentially been on hold for six months," he said.
But if he did throw in the towel, Jennings does not want anyone crying for him. His run earned him $US2.52 million ($3.25 million), one-tenth of which he is donating to the Mormon church, and an elongated 15 minutes of fame that he's planning to stretch out.
"I'm going to have a book coming out next year and I've got some ideas for some Ken Jennings-themed games."
Robert Lusetich is The Australian's Los Angeles correspondent
You've got to admit
that answer is very strange.
But all TV's strange . . .
Personally, I never really liked Jeopardy. People thought that 'genius' followed someone like Jennings who could answer out of context trivia questions like some sort of 'human calculator'. It was a freak show. And I won't watch it now. But I did tune in a few times to watch Jennings. And web had given everyone the scoop that he was going to lose on Tuesday's episode. So I made sure to watch.
Of all the questions to get wrong -- H&R Block???? Come on KenJen - you threw the game.... :(
What is "I'm tired of this and want to go home", Alex?
I thought is was answers provided and we must guess the question.
When reading the article, the first thing which came to mind after seeing that question was "UPS". Of course when I saw the correct answer it was obvious.
Still I can see "Fed Ex" as a legitimate answer.
DING DING DING!
I agree. I think that not only was he tired of it but also as far as he was concerned had won enough money and decided to throw the game.
I also guessed UPS and was surprised with H&R Block.
UPS hires most of it's permanent employees after htye have worked the Christmas season as temps. 40,000 might be a little low though.
To be fair, I'm pretty good at playing the game from the comfort from my own home, and even there, with no pressure at all, it took me the entire 30 seconds to come up with the answer... and I have a brother-in-law who is an accountant and my father worked for H&R Block one year as a tax preparer...
Because about a week ago there was a news clip I read about a company hiring 70,000 seasonal workers – but that was UPS, not FedEx.
So initially I was ready to pop up with the “UPS” answer, but the “white collar” and “four months” part ruled that out.
You can see what caused the confusion on my part (other than only hearing select parts of the question) here: UPS to Hire 70,000 Workers for Holidays
I heard yesterday that Ken was going to retire after he won 100 games. Also, the woman that defeated him was defeated yesterday, after her only win.
I agree. My first thought was UPS until I saw her H&R Block answer. "Seasonal" makes me think of Christmas time, not tax time.
I believe that I read it in an article yesterday.
I think it's quite possible Ken figured 2.5 M and 75 games were enough, and he tanked the game. I don't really fault him for it. If he tanked, he did it, as he's done everything else during his long moment in the sun, with a lot of class.
"40,000 might be a little low though."
Yeah, it's closer to 70,000 permanent employees and they're hired year-round.
UPS also employees about 260,000 (!!) Teamsters to drive their brown trucks year-round.
Good point.
Yeah, but the real clue was "white collar"...FedEX, UPS is
not "white collar"...so you knew it had to be "office-paper work"....and if that doesn't describe seasonal private TAX work, he only other answers would have been IRS auditors, or
democratic insurers of republican democracy vote counters...
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