Jeopardy! champ says Ken Jennings is not allowed to hang out with show contestants in devil’s deal
2Jeopardy! champ says Ken Jennings is not allowed to hang out with show contestants in devil’s deal
Jeopardy! champ says Ken Jennings is ‘not allowed’ to hang out with show contestants in ‘devil’s deal’ rule
A JEOPARDY! champ has revealed that the game show's host, Ken Jennings, must keep a certain level of distance between himself and the contestants.
Many fans wondered if Ken interacting with Jeopardy! contestants was a conflict of interest.
Recently, a fan questioned if it was appropriate for Ken, 49, to be chummy with the players on Jeopardy! in a thread on Reddit.
Being that Ken is a host and a former Jeopardy! champ, the fan, wondered if Ken's closeness to the contestants would compromise the integrity of the game show.
"One thing that always gets mentioned when past contestants are asked about Alex [Trebek] is that most didn’t know him especially well because the requirement for the host to maintain distance from contestants is considered to be very important for maintaining the integrity of the show. How does this work with Ken however," the fan asked.
Fellow Jeopardy! fans attempted to answer the question in their replies.
"This must have been a known risk in choosing Ken as host and (apparently) a risk that was deemed acceptable," someone answered.
"I would think that there was a thorrough review in any potential conflicts of interest, and Ken would probably have to detail the extent of any pre-existing relationships with former contestants."
They added: "Jeopardy! has gone out of their way to avoid any potential conflicts over the years, so that probably gave them a bit of wiggle room in this unique situation.
Also, my understanding is that Ken had to agree that he would never compete again on the show. I believe that other former contestants were not willing to give that up even to make it onto a list of potential hosts."
Additionally, an unnamed Jeopardy! champ added some insight in the forum to help clarify things.
"During the taping of JIT, much like Alex would during tournaments, Ken came out while the whole lot of us were together, had a quick welcome, and said (to paraphrase) 'I see some old friends, some new ones, some familiar faces, some people I've not had the chance to meet; one of the worst parts of being host of J! is I can't hang out with you, some of my good friends,'" the champ wrote.
THE DEVIL'S DEAL
"Firewall between production and contestant is real. That's the only time we saw him out of suit & tie and not in host capacity (other than the final photos)."
The champ divulged how Ken relates to contestants can be attributed to the "Devil's Deal."
The champ disclosed that the Devil's Deal meant that a "host and/or guest-host on Jeopardy! can never play again."
They expressed: "You've seen the workings, so you're out."
WHAT'S THE TRUTH?
Another unnamed former Jeopardy! contestant cosigned the champ, interjecting: "[Ken] made a similar comment to us during taping. That he’d love to hang out with Jeopardy! contestants because we’re his kind of people but that he legally can’t.
"He said it as a joke but it also felt quite a bit like not exactly a joke."
Although the ex-Jeopardy! contestants tried to explain that Ken wasn't allowed to hang out with contestants, it still didn't convince some fans.
"I think some of the JIT player-host photos prove that Ken was reuniting with old pals he hadn’t seen in awhile," one countered.
"Clearly a conflict of interest; he gives the contestants all the answers," another claimed.
Ken won 74 Jeopardy! games consecutively before he took over as a permanent host in 2022.
Before his game show days, Jennings worked as a software engineer.
Ken is married to Mindy, and they have two children, Dylan and Caitlin Jennings.
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