Coordinates	52°0′54″N4°21′24″N
fullname	George Alexander Trebek
birth name	George Alexander Trebek
also known as	Kebert Xela
birth date	July 22, 1940
birth place	Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
occupation	Television personalityGame show host
years active	1963–present
spouse	Elaine Callei (1974–1981)Jean Currivan-Trebek (1990–present)
signature	AlexTrebek.png }}

George Alexander "Alex" (formerly "Alec") Trebek (; born July 22, 1940) is a Canadian/American game show host who has been the host of the game show ''Jeopardy!'' since 1984, and prior to that, he hosted game shows such as ''Pitfall'' and ''High Rollers''. He has appeared in numerous television series, usually as himself. A native of Canada, he became a naturalized United States citizen in 1998.

Early life

Trebek was born in Sudbury, Ontario, the son of Lucille (née Lagacé, which was the name of the street on which he grew up), a Franco-Ontarian, and George Edward Trebek, a Ukrainian immigrant. He was educated at a Jesuit school before graduating from Toronto's Malvern Collegiate Institute in 1958, and later the University of Ottawa with a degree in philosophy. As a student at the University of Ottawa, he was a member of the English Debating Society. Interested in a career in broadcast news, he began his broadcasting career working for the CBC as a newscaster and sportscaster. Trebek specialized in national news and covering a wide range of special events for the CBC's radio and television divisions, including curling and horse racing.

Trebek once attended Collège Militaire Royal de Saint-Jean, in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Québec, Canada, but for only six days. Trebek briefly talked about his military school experiences in a 2003 interview in ''Esquire'' magazine.

Rise in television

Trebek's first hosting job was on a Canadian music program called ''Music Hop'' in 1963. In 1966, he hosted high school quiz show ''Reach for the Top''. In 1973, he moved to the United States and worked for NBC as host of a new game show, ''The Wizard of Odds''. A year later, Trebek hosted the popular Merrill Heatter-Bob Quigley game show, ''High Rollers'', which had two incarnations on NBC (1974–76 and 1978–80) and an accompanying syndicated season (1975–76). In between stints as host of ''High Rollers'', Trebek hosted the short-lived CBS game show, ''Double Dare'' (not to be confused with the 1986 Nickelodeon game show of the same name), which turned out to be both the only CBS network show Trebek hosted and the first show he hosted for what was then Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions, as well as the second season of the syndicated series ''The $128,000 Question'', which taped in Toronto. Since the second incarnation of ''High Rollers'' premiered while ''The $128,000 Question'' was still airing and taping episodes, Trebek became one of two hosts to emcee shows in both the United States and Canada, joining Jim Perry, who was hosting ''Definition'' and ''Headline Hunters'' in Canada and ''Card Sharks'', which coincidentally premiered the same day as ''High Rollers'' in 1978, in the United States. Trebek's Francophone side was put on display in 1978, in a special bilingual edition of Reach for the Top and its Radio-Canada equivalent ''Génies en herbe''. In this show Trebek alternated smoothly between French and English throughout.

Like other hosts of the day, Trebek made several guest appearances as panelist or player on other shows; one of his guest appearances was on a special week of NBC's ''Card Sharks'', in 1980, where he and several other game show hosts (including Allen Ludden, Bill Cullen, Wink Martindale, Jack Clark, Gene Rayburn, and Jim Lange) competed in a week-long round robin tournament for charity. Trebek won the tournament, defeating Bill Cullen in the finals. Trebek also appeared as a celebrity teammate on the NBC game show The Magnificent Marble Machine in 1975, as well as the Tom Kennedy-hosted NBC word game To Say The Least in 1978. Both of those shows were produced by Merrill Heatter-Bob Quigley Productions, who also produced High Rollers, the show Trebek was hosting during both of those guest appearances.

After ''High Rollers'' was cancelled in 1980, Trebek moved on to ''Battlestars'' for NBC. The series debuted in October 1981 and was canceled in April 1982 after only six months on the air. In September 1981 Trebek took the helm of the syndicated ''Pitfall'', which taped in Vancouver and forced him to commute as he had while hosting ''High Rollers'' and ''The $128,000 Question'' in 1978. After both series ended, Trebek hosted a revival of ''Battlestars'' called ''The New Battlestars'' that ended after thirteen weeks, then shot a series of pilots for other series for producers Merrill Heatter (who he had worked for on ''High Rollers'' and ''Battlestars'') and Merv Griffin. The Heatter pilots were ''Malcolm'', an NBC-ordered pilot featuring Trebek with an animated character as his co-host, and ''Lucky Numbers'', an attempt at a revival of ''High Rollers'' that didn't sell. For Griffin he shot two pilots for a revival of ''Jeopardy!'', which he began hosting in 1984 and has done ever since.

In 1987, while still hosting ''Jeopardy!'', Trebek returned to daytime television as host of NBC's ''Classic Concentration'', his second show for Mark Goodson. He hosted both shows simultaneously until September 20, 1991, when ''Classic Concentration'' aired its final episode. In 1991 Trebek made broadcast history by becoming the first person to host three American game shows at the same time, earning this distinction on February 4, 1991, when he took over for Lynn Swann as host of NBC's ''To Tell the Truth'', which he hosted until the end of the series' run on May 31, 1991.

Trebek also appears in many Colonial Penn Life Insurance commercials, and reprises his role as host of ''To Tell the Truth'' in a 2010 advertisement for DirecTV.

In December 2010, Trebek guest-starred on ''How I Met Your Mother''.

Personal life

Divorced from his first wife, Elaine Callei Trebek, who was married to Trebek from (1974–1981) along with her 6 year old daughter Nicola "Nicky" Trebek whom Alex lovingly raised and gave his last name to.He has been married to Jean Currivan Trebek, a real estate businesswoman and the mother of their two children Matthew and Emily, since April 30, 1990.

Trebek became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1998. He now lives in Studio City, California with his wife, Jean, and two children, Matthew (born 1990) and Emily (born 1993). In an interview with a talk show host, Trebek joked that "I had only been a citizen for two weeks when I received a summons to appear for jury duty!"

In 1996, Trebek ran the Olympic Torch in Jacksonville, Florida, through a leg of its journey to Atlanta.

In late 2001, during ''Jeopardy!'''s 18th season, Trebek shaved the mustache that he had worn for over 30 years. He wore a fake mustache for the first half of the April 1, 2008 episode as an April Fools' joke.

Trebek and Pat Sajak, host of ''Wheel of Fortune'', traded places on April Fools' Day 1997. Sajak hosted ''Jeopardy!'', and Trebek hosted ''Wheel of Fortune'' with Sajak's wife, Lesly, as Trebek's co-host. Sajak and Wheel of Fortune co-host Vanna White played contestants at the Wheel, with winnings going toward charities.

On Friday, January 30, 2004, Trebek escaped major injury after falling asleep behind the wheel of his pickup truck while driving alone on a rural road in the Central Coast town of Templeton, California, returning from a family home in Lake Nacimiento. The truck sideswiped a string of mailboxes, flew 45 feet over an embankment, and came to rest against a utility pole in a ditch. Trebek was not cited for the accident and returned to work taping ''Jeopardy!'' the following Tuesday.

Trebek appeared on Celebrity Poker Showdown in 2005. He came in second place in his qualifying game, losing to Cheryl Hines. On May 9, 2008, Trebek was a guest on ''Jimmy Kimmel Live'', on which he discussed his 24-year career as the host of ''Jeopardy!'' Kimmel's other guest was Kelsey Grammer, who had won an episode of Celebrity Jeopardy 17 years earlier. The segment included a video clip from that episode.

Trebek formerly owned and managed a 700-acred (2.8 km²) ranch near Paso Robles in Creston, California previously owned by Fred and Helen Sahadi, parents of trainer Jenine Sahadi. The property was known as Cardiff Stud Farm but Trebek renamed it Creston Farms where he bred, trained and provided state-of-the-art care for Thoroughbred race horses. Among Thoroughbreds raced by Trebek, his colt, Reba's Gold, is a stakes-winning son of Slew O'Gold.

Health problems

On December 11, 2007, Trebek was admitted to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center after suffering a minor heart attack in his home. He was released on December 15, 2007. Trebek returned to the production of ''Jeopardy!'' as scheduled on January 14, 2008 to tape the Teen Tournament.

Hotel break-in

It was reported on July 27, 2011, that he was robbed in a hotel room in San Francisco. He told a crowd at Google's HQ, while hosting the National Geographic World Championship that he "snapped an Achilles tendon early Wednesday morning, while chasing a burglar at a San Francisco hotel. He woke up to sounds of a woman in his room, going through his things. He said he then got out of bed put on his underwear and chased the robber down the hall. During the chase, Trebek was injured, but he hobbled back to his room to call security, and the woman was apprehended. Trebek says all was recovered except cash and a bracelet (a gift from his mother). He expects to be in a cast for close to six weeks."

Honors and awards

Alex Trebek has been awarded five Outstanding Game Show Host Emmy Awards and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (located at 6501 Hollywood Boulevard, near those for Ann-Margret and Vincent Price).

He hosts the annual ''National Geographic Bee'' in the U.S. and ''The Great Canadian Geography Challenge'' in Canada. Active with the World Vision charitable organization, he has traveled to many Third World countries with World Vision projects, taping reports on the group's efforts on behalf of children around the world.

In 1995, Trebek and the entire ''Jeopardy!'' crew became involved with the USO, and have appeared on several military bases throughout the world, both in an attempt to find contestants, and as a morale booster for the troops.

The American Federation for the Blind in 2001 awarded Trebek with one of six Access Awards for his role in accommodating notable Jeopardy! champion Eddie Timanus.

In the 2003 film S.W.A.T starring Samuel L Jackson, Michelle Rodriguez, Colin Farrell & LL Cool J, on the Hollywood walk of fame Alex Trebek's Star is shown when a convict (Olivier Martinez) is handcuffed after being pinned down by the S.W.A.T team.

In March 2006, it was announced that he would receive a star on Canada's Walk of Fame. He is the second game show host to be inducted (the first being Monty Hall of Let's Make a Deal and the third being Howie Mandel of Deal or No Deal). His star is located on King Street West near those of the Crazy Canucks and Eugene Levy.

On November 4, 2010, Trebek received the Royal Canadian Geographical Society's Gold Medal, for his contribution to geographic education and the popular study of geography. Previous recipients of this award include the author and anthropologist Wade Davis (2009), Peter Gzowski (1997), and Mary May Simon (1998), among others.

In 2011, it was announced that Trebek would be one of the recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Daytime Emmy Awards.

Television and film appearances

Shows hosted

''Music Hop'' (1962–1972) - Host from 1963–1964

''Vacation Time'' (1964) - Co-host

''Reach for the Top'' (1966–1973) - Quizmaster

''Strategy'' (1969) - Host

''The Wizard of Odds'' (1973) - Host

''Double Dare'' (1976–1977)

''High Rollers'' - Host (NBC, 1974–1976, 1978–1980)

''Stars on Ice'' (CTV, 1976–1980) - Host

''The $128,000 Question'' (1977–1978)

''Wall $treet'' (1980–1981)

''Battlestars'' (1981–1983)

''Pitfall'' (1981–1982)

''Starcade'' (1983 pilot)

''Malcolm'' (1983 pilot)

''Jeopardy!'' (1984–present)

''Lucky Numbers'' (1985 Pilot)

''VTV-Value Television'' (1987) - Co-host with Meredith MacRae

''Classic Concentration'' (1987–1991)

''Super Jeopardy!'' - Host (1990)

''To Tell the Truth'' (1990–1991) - Host from February to May 1991

''Wheel of Fortune'' - Host for April Fools' Day episode in 1997, also a substitute host in August 1980

''Barris & Company'' - Co-host/Announcer

''Outside/Inside'' - Host

''Pick and Choose'' - Host

''T.G.I.F.'' - Announcer

''Live from the Hollywood Bowl'' - Host of annual live broadcasts.

''The Red Badge of Courage'' / ''Heart of Courage'' - Canadian-produced show highlighting brave individuals

The National Geographic Bee national finals - Host (1989–present)

The Pillsbury Bake-Off - Host (1996–1998)

Cameo appearances

''Mama's Family'' (1987) - himself as the host of ''Jeopardy!''

''For Keeps'' (1988) - himself as the host of ''Jeopardy!''

''Cheers'' (1990) - himself as the host of ''Jeopardy!''

''Predator 2'' (1990) - himself as the host of ''Jeopardy!'' (voice)

''Wrestlemania 7'' (1991) - himself as a ring announcer and interviewer

''The Golden Girls'' (1992) - himself as the host of ''Jeopardy!''

''White Men Can't Jump'' (1992) - himself as the host of ''Jeopardy!''

''Short Cuts'' (1993) - himself as the host of ''Jeopardy!''

''Groundhog Day'' (1993) - himself as the host of ''Jeopardy!''

''Rugrats'' (1993) - as Alan Quebec, the host of ''Super Stumpers'', on which Didi Pickles is a contestant (Season 2 Episode 37 - Game Show Didi)

''The Nanny'' (1995) - himself as the host of ''Jeopardy!''

''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (1995) - himself as the host of ''Jeopardy!''

''The X-Files'' - himself as a Man in Black with Jesse Ventura (1995-96 season: episode "Jose Chung's From Outer Space")

''Seinfeld'' (1996) - himself as the host of ''Jeopardy!'' (Season 8 Episode 9 - The Abstinence)

''The Magic School Bus'' (1996) - Announcer (voice) (Season 2 Episode 6 - Shows and Tells)

''The Simpsons'' (1997) - himself as the host of ''Jeopardy!'' in ''Miracle on Evergreen Terrace'' (Voice)

''The Weird Al Show'' (1998) - himself, as the Host of ''Jeopardy!'' (Voice)

''Finding Forrester'' (2000) - himself as the host of ''Jeopardy!''

''Saturday Night Live'' (2000) - himself

''Arthur'' (2000) - as Alex Lebek, the host of ''Riddle Quest'', on which Arthur is a contestant

''Pepper Ann'' (2001) - as himself in the 2001 finale. His character was to have married the title character's mother Lydia Pearson sometime during the fifteen year span between the events of the series and the futuristic final episode.

''Family Guy'' (2006) - himself as the host of ''Jeopardy!'' (voice)

''The Bucket List'' (2008) - himself as the host of ''Jeopardy!'' (voice)

References

External links

Alex Trebek at the Notable Names Database

Alex Trebek's Charity Work

Q&A; with Alex Trebek

Category:1940 births Category:American game show hosts Category:American racehorse owners and breeders Category:American people of Canadian descent Category:Canadian horse racing announcers Category:Canadian game show hosts Category:Canadian emigrants to the United States Category:Canadian people of Ukrainian descent Category:Curling broadcasters Category:Daytime Emmy Award winners Category:Franco-Ontarian people Category:Living people Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States Category:People from Greater Sudbury Category:People from Ottawa Category:University of Ottawa alumni Category:American horse racing announcers Category:American television sports announcers

de:Alex Trebek es:Alex Trebek fr:Alex Trebek ja:アレックス・トレベック pt:Alex Trebek ru:Алекс Требек simple:Alex Trebek fi:Alex Trebek uk:Алекс Требек

Coordinates	52°0′54″N4°21′24″N
Name	Ken Jennings
Birth name	Kenneth Wayne Jennings III
Birth date	May 23, 1974
Birth place	Edmonds, Washington, U.S.
Nationality	American
Known for	74-time ''Jeopardy!'' championAll-time game show winnings leader
Alma mater	Brigham Young University
Occupation	Computer scientistAuthor
Footnotes	}}

Kenneth Wayne "Ken" Jennings III (born May 23, 1974) is an American game show contestant and author. Jennings is noted for holding the record for the longest winning streak on the U.S. syndicated game show ''Jeopardy!'' and as being the all-time leading money winner on American game shows. In 2004, Jennings won 74 ''Jeopardy!'' games before he was defeated by challenger Nancy Zerg on his 75th appearance. His total earnings on ''Jeopardy!'' are $3,172,700 ($2,520,700 over his 74 wins, a $2,000 second-place prize in his 75th appearance, a $500,000 second-place prize in the ''Jeopardy!'' Ultimate Tournament of Champions, as well as half of a $300,000 prize in the IBM Challenge), giving him the highest all-time game show winnings record.

During his first run of ''Jeopardy!'' appearances, Jennings earned the record for the highest American game show winnings. His total was surpassed by Brad Rutter, who defeated Jennings in the finals of the ''Jeopardy!'' Ultimate Tournament of Champions (first aired on May 25, 2005), adding $2,000,000 to Rutter's existing ''Jeopardy!'' winnings. Jennings regained the record after appearing on several other game shows, culminating in an appearance on ''Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?'' (first aired on October 10, 2008), though Rutter retains the ''Jeopardy!'' record.

After his success on ''Jeopardy!'', Jennings wrote of his experience and explored American trivia history and culture in ''Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs'', published in 2006. Jennings also appeared as a member of the mob on the game show ''1 vs. 100'' in 2006, and, in 2007, he was the champion of the US version of ''Grand Slam''.

Early life

Born in Edmonds, Washington, Jennings grew up in Seoul, South Korea (1981–1992) and Singapore (1992–1996), where his father worked for an international law firm and then as Asia Pacific Division Counsel of Oracle Corporation. He watched ''Jeopardy!'' on American Forces Network television while growing up.

Jennings graduated with a degree in Computer Science and English at Brigham Young University, where he played on the school's quizbowl team for three and a half years. He graduated from Seoul Foreign School where he completed an International Baccalaureate diploma, and achieved honors at Brigham Young. Jennings attended the University of Washington during his freshman year.

Family and personal life

He and his wife Mindy (née Boam) have a son, Dylan, born in 2003, and a daughter, Caitlin, born in 2006.

Jennings is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served a two-year mission in Madrid, Spain from 1993 to 1995.

As reported by ''The Salt Lake Tribune'' and other sources, Jennings is a member of the Democratic Party.

Now residing just outside Seattle, Washington, Jennings identifies himself as an avid comic book and movie buff with a website listing his top 4,000 favorite movies. He also writes questions for, edits the literature and mythology categories of questions of, and is otherwise active in the National Academic Quiz Tournaments (NAQT), a quiz bowl organization; in particular, he moderated (i.e., read questions) at the 2005, 2006, and 2009 NAQT National High School Tournaments in Chicago.

During his ''Jeopardy!'' winning streak, Jennings was a software engineer for CHG Healthcare, a healthcare-placement firm in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Streak on ''Jeopardy!''

Before 2003, ''Jeopardy!'' contestants were limited to five consecutive games. At the beginning of the show's twentieth season (in 2003), the rules were changed to allow contestants to remain on the show as long as they continued to win. After this rule change, and until Jennings's run, the record winning streak was set by Tom Walsh, who won $186,900 in eight games in January 2004.

Before his ''Jeopardy!'' appearance, Jennings was a member of BYU's Quiz Bowl Team. Jennings's run began during ''Jeopardy!'''s 20th season with the episode aired on Wednesday, June 2, 2004, in which he unseated two-time returning champion Jerry Harvey, and continued into season 21. Jennings's run was interrupted by the 2004 Kids' Week, the Tournament of Champions (aired from September 20, 2004 through October 1, 2004), and the College Championship (aired from November 10, 2004 through November 23, 2004). He did not participate in the Tournament of Champions, as invitations are only extended to champions who have already been defeated (with the exception of the winner(s) of the College Championship), which Jennings had not yet been.

End of the streak

On November 30, 2004, Jennings' reign as ''Jeopardy!'' champion ended when he lost his seventy-fifth game to challenger Nancy Zerg. Jennings responded incorrectly to both Double Jeopardy! Daily Doubles, causing him to lose a combined $10,200 ($5,400 and $4,800, respectively) and leaving him with $14,400 at the end of the round. As a result, for only the tenth time in 75 games, Jennings did not have an insurmountable lead going into the Final Jeopardy! round. Only Jennings and Zerg, who ended Double Jeopardy! with $10,000, were able to play Final Jeopardy! as third-place contestant David Hankins failed to finish with a positive score after Double Jeopardy!.

The Final Jeopardy! category was Business & Industry, and the answer was "Most of this firm's 70,000 seasonal white-collar employees work only four months a year". Zerg responded correctly with "What is H&R; Block?" and wagered $4,401 of her $10,000, giving her a $1 lead over Jennings with his response still to be revealed. Jennings incorrectly responded with "What is FedEx?", and lost the game with a final score of $8,799 after his $5,601 wager was deducted from his score. He was awarded $2,000 for his second place finish, which gave him a final total of $2,522,700 for his run on ''Jeopardy!''. Zerg, whom Jennings called a "formidable opponent," finished in third place on the next show.

Jennings' 75 matches took place over a span of 182 calendar days, which included stoppages for the show's summer break, one Kids Week series of episodes, the 2004 Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions, and the 2004 Jeopardy! College Championship.

Impact of the streak on ''Jeopardy!''

''Jeopardy!'' implemented some backstage changes during Jennings's run. Normally, players only get a short time to practice, but more rehearsal time was added so that the new players could get comfortable with the buzzers. Additionally, the person who managed the buzzer system was changed.

On December 1, 2004, the day after his defeat, ''Jeopardy!'' broke with tradition by having Jennings make a "guest appearance" at the start of the broadcast, during which host Alex Trebek acknowledged his success and enumerated the various game show records he had broken.

Jennings appeared in ''The Guinness Book of World Records'' under "Most cash won on a game show."

Ratings impact

According to the Nielsen TV National People Meter, ''Jeopardy!'''s ratings were 22% higher during Jennings's run than they were during the same period the previous year. For several weeks of the winnings streak, Jeopardy! was ranked as TV's highest-rated syndicated program. By the end of ''Jeopardy!'''s 20th season several weeks later, the show had surpassed ''Wheel of Fortune'' in the ratings (the first time any show had displaced ''Wheel'' as the highest-rated syndicated television show since 1984), but ''Wheel'', which is usually paired with ''Jeopardy!'' in programming, also benefited from Jennings's streak.

Media appearances and coverage during the streak

Jennings has received a good deal of American media coverage. After his 38th win on ''Jeopardy!'', during the summer break between tapings, Jennings made a guest appearance on ''Live with Regis and Kelly''. There Jennings revealed that he had failed to qualify for ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire'', once hosted by Regis Philbin. During that guest appearance, Jennings said, "''Jeopardy!'' is a man's game... it's not like ''Millionaire''."

Jennings appeared on ''The Late Show with David Letterman'' to present Letterman's "Top Ten List" (Top ten ways to irritate Alex Trebek). He appeared again on the program on the night his final show was televised, in addition to interview segments airing that night on local late evening news programming and on ''Nightline''. Barbara Walters selected Jennings as one of the "Ten Most Fascinating People of 2004" for her twelfth annual ABC News special, which aired on December 8, 2004. While on his media tour following his final game, Jennings taped a segment for ''Sesame Street''. ''TV Guide'' featured a segment of "The Top Ten TV Moments of 2004", in which Ken Jennings's loss placed third. On December 1, 2004, A&E; aired an episode of ''Biography'' on Jennings and other ''Jeopardy!'' notables, including Frank Spangenberg and Eddie Timanus.

Ultimate Tournament of Champions

On December 28, 2004, Sony announced a 15-week, 75-show ''Jeopardy!'' Ultimate Tournament of Champions. It featured Tournament of Champions, College Championship, and Teen Tournament winners from the show's 21-year run, as well as over 100 five-time champions. ''Jeopardy!'''s executive producer, Harry Friedman, explained:

:"The 2003 rule change, which allows ''Jeopardy!'' players to keep playing until they're defeated, raised the question about how other five-time champions might have played under this rule. This tournament is an opportunity to give those past champions another chance to shine."

The field totaled 145 players including Jennings, who, unlike the other competitors, was automatically placed in the finals. The Ultimate Tournament of Champions offered substantial cash prizes; with a grand prize of $2,000,000 to the winner, $500,000 for the first runner-up, and $250,000 for the second runner-up. Guaranteed prize money was offered to all contestants.

In the final round of the Ultimate Tournament, Brad Rutter decisively defeated Jennings and Jerome Vered, with respective final scores of $62,000, $34,599, and $20,600. Jennings won the $500,000 prize for second place, but as a result of the Ultimate Tournament, Rutter temporarily displaced him as the highest overall winner of money on a game show. Jennings has said he is still happy with his second-place finish.

After ''Jeopardy!''

When asked what he intended to do with his streak winnings, Jennings said that he intended to tithe ten percent to his church, donate to public television and National Public Radio, go on a trip to Europe, and invest the rest for his family. ''Jeopardy!'' contestants typically receive their winnings approximately 120 days after their last game airs in the form of a check. Taking advantage of the notoriety that Jennings's losing Final Jeopardy! answer afforded, H&R; Block offered Jennings free tax planning and financial services for the rest of his life. H&R; Block senior vice president David Byers estimated that Jennings would owe approximately $1.04 million in taxes on his winnings.

In 2004 Democratic politicians Chuck Schumer and Harry Reid unsuccessfully asked Jennings to run for the United States Senate from Utah. Jennings observed that "That was when I realized the Democratic Party was f@#$ed in '04."

Jennings has written two books, both published by the Villard imprint of Random House. The first, ''Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs'' (2006, ISBN 1-4000-6445-7, trade paperback ISBN 0-8129-7499-9) details his experiences on ''Jeopardy!'' and his research into trivia culture conducted after the completion of his run. The second, ''Ken Jennings's Trivia Almanac: 8,888 Questions in 365 Days'', a hardcover book (released in January 2008, ISBN 0-345-59997-2), is a compilation of trivia questions—with 3 categories and about 20 questions per day of the year.

Jennings also had a column in ''Mental Floss'' magazine called "Six Degrees of Ken Jennings", in which readers submit two wildly different things and he has to connect them in exactly six moves, much in the same vein as the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon game. The column has been written since at least November 2005; the feature was retired after the September–October 2010 issue.

According to Variety.com, Jennings and television producer Michael Davies teamed up as executive producers on a new game show format for Comedy Central. According to Comedy Central execs, it was planned that Jennings would co-host and participate. The series was planned to premiere late in 2005 or in the first quarter of 2006; as of April 2006, development had stalled, and the show's future remained uncertain. Jennings explained on his website that "Stephen Colbert's show was doing so well in its post-''Daily Show'' spot that Comedy Central decided they weren't in the market for a quiz show anymore." However, as of mid-2006, he was still shopping a potential game show titled, ''Ken Jennings vs. the Rest of the World''.

Jennings appeared on ''The Colbert Report'' on September 14, 2006. During the interview, Colbert discussed Jennings's book, ''Brainiac'', and mocked him not knowing the number of pages the book contained. After Colbert coined a word to describe intellectual nerdiness, "poindexterity", Jennings was going back and forth of what is the correct noun for "poindexter." Jennings noted, as he had done earlier that day on NPR's ''Talk of the Nation'', that since his streak, people "seem to have an extra-hard trivia question" in case they run into him.

He also appeared twice on NPR's ''Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!'' program. In his Feb. 25, 2006 appearance on the "Not My Job" segment, he answered all three questions correctly, winning for a listener Carl Kasell's voice on that person's answering machine. Jennings stated, "This is, this is the proudest moment of my game show life."

Other game show appearances

Ken Jennings appeared on the first two episodes of the NBC game show ''1 vs. 100'' on October 13 and 20, 2006 as a mob member. He incorrectly answered the question, "what color is the number 1 space on a standard roulette wheel?" as "black" instead of "red" in his second episode, eliminating him from the game. (He explained that he did not know the answer because his Mormon faith prohibits gambling.) He left the show with $714.29, his share of a $35,000 prize shared among 49 Mob members. Jennings returned to the show for a special "Last Man Standing" episode aired on February 9, 2007. He was eliminated on the final question, which asked which of the three options had been married the most times; he answered King Henry VIII, while the correct answer was Larry King. This episode was the first time Jennings had a chance at a rematch against rival Brad Rutter, who was also part of the mob and was eliminated before Jennings.

In 2007, Jennings was invited to be a contestant on the game show ''Grand Slam'' hosted by Dennis Miller and Amanda Byram, also a Sony Pictures production. The show debuted on GSN on August 4, 2007, and featured sixteen former game-show winners in a single-elimination tournament. Jennings, seeded second behind Brad Rutter, won the tournament and became the 2007 Grand Slam Champion after defeating Ogi Ogas (a second-round winner against Rutter) in the finals. He earned $100,000 for his victory.

Jennings was a contestant on an episode of ''Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?'' that aired on October 10, 2008, which held the possibility of exceeding fellow ''Jeopardy!'' winner Brad Rutter's total game show winnings. After winning $500,000, enough to surpass Rutter's total, Jennings chose not to attempt the final $1,000,000 question, which would have deducted $475,000 from his winnings if he missed it. As is customary on the show, Jennings was then shown the question to see what would have happened, and he provided the correct answer. Had he risked his winnings and correctly answered the question, he would have become the show's second $1,000,000 winner.

As of October 31, 2008, Ken is appearing on GSN on Fridays for the trivia game ''Stump the Master''. Home viewers send questions via the GSN website. Four callers are put on hold and Ken selects from one of the categories. The category for the caller he picked comes on the line and reads the question. If Ken does not answer or is incorrect, the caller wins $1,000 or more. Anytime Ken is right, the jackpot is increased by $1,000. All callers are given a small prize, whether or not they participated on the air themselves.

Jennings also appeared on two other Sony Pictures Television game shows, ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,'' as a frequent expert for the lifeline "Ask the Expert" (his appearances were after Sony acquired ''Millionaire'' packager 2waytraffic in 2008), and also taped a pilot for the proposed 2009 CBS revival of Sony's ''The $25,000 Pyramid.''

Blog entry misinterpreted as critical of ''Jeopardy!''

Jennings made the news in July 2006 when an article in the ''New York Post'' written by Michael Starr was published claiming that Jennings had been critical of ''Jeopardy!'' on his blog. Citing statements that Jennings wrote on it, Starr's article focuses on Jennings's "criticism" of the show and host Alex Trebek.

Jennings responded on his own personal blog (at http://ken-jennings.com/blog/?p=83), saying, "...there’s no way I was genuinely calling for angry bees and ventriloquist’s dummies to be added to the ''Jeopardy!'' format. It’s a humor piece, and one which gets its laughs from the outrageous non sequiturs it proposes, not the ripeness of its target for criticism." Jennings had already posted a more serious comment defending Trebek that remains on his website.

''Entertainment Weekly'' put his performance on its end-of-the-decade, "best-of" list, saying, "Answer: A software engineer from Utah, he dominated the quizfest for a record 74 shows in 2004, amassing $2,520,700. Question: Who is Ken Jennings?"

American Crossword Puzzle Tournament

Jennings won the rookie division of the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament (ACPT) in 2006. In his first time competing, Jennings placed 37th overall. He also served as the award's presenter, becoming the first contestant to present an award to himself. He has not competed in the tournament since.

IBM Challenge

From February 14–16, 2011, the IBM Challenge featured IBM's Watson facing off against Jennings and Rutter in two matches played over three days. The winner of the competition was Watson, winning $1 million for two charities, while Ken Jennings took second place with Brad Rutter falling in a close third, receiving $300,000 and $200,000, respectively. Jennings and Rutter each pledged to donate half of their winnings to charity.

This was the first ever man-versus-machine competition in ''Jeopardy!'''s history. At the end of the first episode, in which only the first match's Jeopardy! Round was aired, Rutter was tied with Watson at $5,000, while Jennings was in third with $2,000. After the second episode in which the first game was completed, Jennings remained at third with $4,800 while Rutter at second had $10,400. The competition ended with Watson in clear first with $77,147, Jennings with $24,000, and Rutter with $21,600. Underneath his response during the Final Jeopardy! Round, Jennings wrote on his screen "I for one welcome our new computer overlords", an allusion to an oft-repeated line from ''The Simpsons'' episode "Deep Space Homer".

Jennings wrote about his experience playing against Watson for the online magazine ''Slate''.

Records

During his streak, Jennings broke the following records:

!Description	!Current record	!Previous record
Highest American game show winnings total	$3,773,414.29	$3,270,102.00 by Brad Rutter
Most consecutive appearances on ''Jeopardy!''
Most consecutive appearances on a syndicated game show	46 episodes (43 wins, 4 ties, 1 loss — more than one game could be played on an episode, and some games were part of two episodes) by Thom McKee on ''Tic Tac Dough'', 1980
Most total appearances on ''Jeopardy!'', including tournaments	81 episodes (including Ultimate Tournament of Champions and the 2011 ''IBM Challenge'')	16 episodes by Bob Verini, 1986–2002 (regular season-5x, Tournament of Champions-4x, ''Super Jeopardy!''-3x, Masters Tournament-4x)
Highest total winnings on ''Jeopardy!'' in non-tournament play1		US$2,520,700	US$184,900 by Tom Walsh, January 5–13, 2004			US$102,597 (adjusted to $205,194) by Frank Spangenberg, January 9–15, 1990 (prior to increase in clue value)
Highest 5-game total on ''Jeopardy!'', consecutive	US$221,200 (games 34–38)		US$102,597 (adjusted to $205,194) by Frank Spangenberg, January 9–15, 1990 (prior to increase in clue value)
Highest 5-game total on ''Jeopardy!'', best 5 games	US$286,099 (games 28, 29, 37, 38 and 71)

He also tied the following records:

!Description	!Current record
Most consecutive appearances on a game show
Most opponents defeated on a game show

The following records, having been set by Ken Jennings, have now been broken by others:

!Description	!Current record	!Jennings' record
Highest total earnings on ''Jeopardy!''		US$3,255,102 by Brad Rutter, May 25, 2005 (does not include value of two 2000 Chevrolet Camaro coupes he won as a five-time champion)		US$2,522,700
Highest 5-game total on ''Jeopardy!'', first 5 games (unadjusted)		US$195,801 by Roger Craig, September 17, 20102		US$156,000
Highest single-game total on ''Jeopardy!''		US$77,000 by Roger Craig, September 14, 2010

Jennings was not eligible for the 2006 Tournament of Champions. By accepting a bye into the Ultimate Tournament of Champions, Jennings was guaranteed $250,000. This bye also required that he give up his right to play in the 2006 Tournament of Champions. Rutter's total of $3,255,102 includes $55,102 in his five days and $3,000,000 in special tournament play, but does not include his two Chevrolet Camaros he won on the game.

Endorsements

Jennings agreed to a deal with Microsoft to promote its Encarta encyclopedia software. He is also engaged in speaking deals through the Massachusetts-based speakers agency, American Program Bureau. Cingular Wireless (now AT&T;) featured Jennings in commercials portraying Jennings as having lots of "friends and family" (coming out of the woodwork, because he is now "stinking rich") in 2005.

University Games produced a ''Can You Beat Ken?'' board game, in which players vie against each other and Jennings in an attempt to earn $2.6 million first. Each question in the game was asked to Jennings, and his answers are recorded on the cards.

See also

American game show winnings records

Jennings's book, ''Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs''

References

External links

Ken Jennings official web site

''Jeopardy!'' web site

Ken's Top 2000 Favorite Movies Page

2006 IMNO Interview with Ken Jennings

Category:1974 births Category:Living people Category:American bloggers Category:American Latter Day Saints Category:American Mormon missionaries Category:Brigham Young University alumni Category:Jeopardy! contestants Category:Mormon missionaries in Spain Category:Student quiz competitions Category:Utah Democrats Category:Contestants on American game shows Category:20th-century Mormon missionaries

de:Ken Jennings simple:Ken Jennings

Coordinates	52°0′54″N4°21′24″N
{{infobox person | name	Pat Sajak | image Pat-Sajak.jpg | caption Sajak on ''Wheel of Fortune'' | birth_name Patrick Leonard Sajdak | birth_date October 26, 1946 | birth_place Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | occupation Television personalityGame show hostFormer weatherman | yearsactive 1975–present | website http://www.patsajak.com/ }}

Pat Sajak ( ; born Patrick Leonard Sajdak on October 26, 1946) is a television personality, former weatherman, actor and talk show host, best known as the host of the American television game show ''Wheel of Fortune''.

Early life

Sajak, son of a Polish American trucking foreman, was born in 1946 and raised in Chicago, Illinois. His mother, Joyce, remarried Walter Backal. He graduated from Farragut High School in 1964 and then went on to Columbia College Chicago while working as a desk clerk at the Palmer House hotel.

Career

Sajak won a contest on WLS radio's ''Dick Biondi Show'' to be a guest teen deejay. While at Columbia College Chicago, his broadcasting instructor Al Parker told him that a local radio station (WEDC) was looking for a newsman. Sajak applied for the job and was hired to work from midnight to 6:00 AM. In 1968, Sajak joined the U.S. Army, and was sent to Vietnam, where he succeeded Adrian Cronauer as the primary disk jockey on Armed Forces Radio. In 1975, he began DJ'ing at 50,000-watt WSM in Nashville; at the time WSM was playing pop music during the day, and Sajak was the 3:00–5:00pm afternoon personality. NBC television affiliate WSM-TV hired Sajak to broadcast the weather, where he became acquainted with anchor Dan Miller. In 1977, KNBC-TV in Los Angeles was looking for a weatherman, and spotted Sajak working in Nashville. Sajak accepted KNBC's request for him to be a full-time weatherman for the station.

In 1981, Merv Griffin asked Sajak if he would be interested in taking over the duties as host on ''Wheel of Fortune'' from Chuck Woolery. However, Fred Silverman, then president and CEO of NBC, rejected his hiring, claiming he was too local, and Griffin responded by imposing a moratorium on new tapings until Sajak was hired. The issue became moot when Silverman was dismissed due to repeated programming failures and replaced by Brandon Tartikoff. Sajak, who had already hosted a few game show pilots, accepted the position. He hosted both the daytime (NBC) and syndicated evening versions of ''Wheel'' from 1983 to 1989, and continued to host the latter version as of January 2011.

Sajak had a small role as a Buffalo, New York newscaster in the 1982 comedy film ''Airplane II: The Sequel.'' When his late-night talk show on CBS premiered in January 1989, he left the daytime version of ''Wheel,'' and was replaced by former San Diego Chargers place-kicker Rolf Benirschke. Sajak appeared on ''Super Password'' several times from 1984–1989, as well as ''Password Plus'' in 1981, shortly before taking on hosting duties on ''Wheel.'' Other game shows on which Sajak guested were ''Dream House'' and ''Just Men!''.

Sajak hosted a late-night talk show on CBS from January 9, 1989 – April 13, 1990. Dan Miller, Sajak's old friend and former anchor at WSM-TV in Nashville, joined Sajak as his sidekick. He later became a frequent guest host for CNN's ''Larry King Live,'' effective when King himself was unable to attend. Sajak also became a regular substitute host for Regis Philbin on the syndicated ''Live with Regis and Kelly.'' Sajak also hosted a program, ''Pat Sajak Weekend,'' on the Fox News Channel in 2003. More recently, he commenced to host ''The Pat Sajak Baseball Hour,'' a syndicated radio sports talk show.

Sajak is an External Director of conservative publishing house Eagle Publishing and is on the Board of Trustees at Hillsdale College in southern Michigan, currently as vice chairman. He has written for ''Human Events'' and served on the Board of Directors for the Claremont Institute.

In 1983, Sajak appeared as Kevin Hathaway in the NBC daytime soap opera ''Days of Our Lives.''

In 1993, Sajak appeared as himself on the popular children's cartoon show ''Rugrats.''

In 1997, Sajak pulled an April Fool's Day prank on fans when he and Vanna White were contestants on an edition of ''Wheel'' hosted by Alex Trebek. Both the winnings of Sajak and White were donated to charity (in this case, the American Heart Association and the Boy Scouts of America). In return, Sajak hosted a regular episode of ''Jeopardy!'' in place of Trebek. He would also appear at the beginning of a 2010 April Fool's episode, along with Jeff Probst and Neil Patrick Harris.

In mid-November 2009, Sajak started as the national spokesperson for BigCityDeals.com which is now Voomerang.com.

Sajak began writing for the ''National Review Online'' in 2010. In his first post, he questioned whether public employees should be allowed to vote on issues that would benefit them directly.

Personal life

Sajak is divorced from his first wife, Sherrill, and is currently married to his second wife, Lesly Brown, a photographer, with whom he has a son, Patrick Michael James Sajak (born September 22, 1990) and a daughter, Maggie Marie Sajak (born January 5, 1995). The couple splits time between Severna Park, Maryland, and Manhattan Beach, California.

Sajak is an avid NHL hockey fan and has been a season ticket holder of the Washington Capitals since the 2005–06 NHL season. Prior to that he was a season ticket holder of the Los Angeles Kings from the 1988–89 NHL season, when he was a big fan of Wayne Gretzky and Luc Robitaille. He still regularly attends games in LA, and also other cities, and personally estimates he attends more than 50 regular season live games per year. He has also been to each of the first three NHL Winter Classics.

In 2005, Sajak became an investor in the Golden Baseball League, a professional, independent baseball league with teams in California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Alberta, British Columbia, and Baja California. During a guest appearance in the broadcast booth at a March 2011 Orioles - Red Sox spring training game, Sajak acknowledged that he had called some baseball games in the past. He is a Baltimore Orioles fan.

Sajak is an active supporter of conservative political causes and has written a number of columns for the conservative magazine ''Human Events''. According to NEWSMEAT, Sajak has donated over $17,000 to candidates and election committees all associated with the Republican Party. Sajak is also a regular poster and podcast participant on the conservative blog ricochet.com. Sajak is featured at Mount Vernon, the residence of George Washington, where he stars in a brief film explaining to tourists the attractions of the museum.

References

External links

Category:1946 births Category:American game show hosts Category:American military personnel of the Vietnam War Category:American television talk show hosts Category:Columbia College Chicago alumni Category:American bloggers Category:Daytime Emmy Award winners Category:Living people Category:People from Chicago, Illinois Category:American people of Polish descent Category:California Republicans Category:American philanthropists Category:Television news anchors in Los Angeles, California

de:Pat Sajak es:Pat Sajak ja:パット・セイジャック simple:Pat Sajak