Ken Jennings crowned greatest ‘Jeopardy!’ champ
Clue: The greatest “Jeopardy!” player of all time. Question: Who is Ken Jennings?
The 45-year-old Washington state native Tuesday claimed the GOAT title,
$1 million and the congratulations of revered host Alex Trebek with his third victory in four matches in ABC’s “Jeopardy: The Greatest of All Time” tournament, triumphing over fellow top money winners James Holzhauer and Brad Rutter.
The tournament was also a celebration of the skills and long-running tenure of Trebek, who is battling stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
It was a battle between Jennings and Holzhauer, as it has been the whole tournament, with the two trading the lead throughout both games Tuesday.
In the first matchup, Jennings led the way, standing at 32,800 before Final Jeopardy!
Jennings, who mimicked Holzhauer’s famous “push” gesture as he wagered his entire points total, gave a correct response and ended the game with 65,600, leading Trebek to ask, “Can he be beaten?”
Holzhauer kicked off Game 2 with the crack, “Hey, Brad’s score is still on there.” (Everyone had zero, of course.) And the competition heated up from there, but only between Holzhauer and Jennings.
In Final Jeopardy!, Rutter’s “You are the best, Alex!” meant little, and he didn’t wager anything.
The tension mounted when Jennings’ correct response was revealed, but his wager of zero left him at 65,600, for a match total of 88,600.
Holzhauer looked stone-faced, and Trebek drew out the tension for a few seconds before revealing what turned out to be an incorrect response. That took Holzhauer to zero, and it was all over except the trophy ceremony.