They Killed Ken! 557
kwings writes "SF Gate (via the AP) is reporting that your pal, Ken Jennings has been beaten after his 75th(!) game. I fully expect Mr. Trebek to hold a wake, or to keep calling the champion 'Ken' for the rest of the season. :) Since they're only up to airing game 41, it will be an interesting few months (or 34 shows)."
You Bastards! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:You Bastards! (Score:5, Insightful)
Some of us like to be surprised by things. Now slashdot has decided to take it upon themselves to ruin the next 30 shows for their readers that have been watching Jeopardy.
Thank you oh so much
Please take this off the main page or reword the article so no one else has to have their enjoyment ruined.
Re:You Bastards! (Score:5, Insightful)
Then we complain thats the news is duped.
Now we complain that we didn't want to see the news!
(I'm actually 100% behind you on this, im not even American, and have never seen the show, but giving out spoilers on the main page is just bad m'kay!)
Re:You Bastards! (Score:3, Funny)
Don't other countries allow US made TV shows on their TV systems?
Not if they have good taste.
Re:You Bastards! (Score:3, Insightful)
His pointing out that he isn't American was on-topic. Your idiotic post was not.
Jeopardy doesn't worry me (Score:3, Funny)
We aired Baywatch. A show about a beach full of drama, where millions of people drown everyday at the same beach.
We aired Southpark. Enough said.
We aired who wants to be a millionaire. The contestants are absolutely no comparison to Jeopardy contestants.
We aired A-Team. No one can hit a target from 5 feet even though they were all vietnam vets.
Re:Jeopardy doesn't worry me (Score:3, Funny)
Dude! The A-Team always missed on purpose. It takes real skill to fire a fully-automatic weapon aimed right next to folks and just scare the bejeezus out of 'em. Not to mention blowing up all those cars without actually hurting anyone.
It's the bad guys who are lousy shots!
(Yes, I'm kidding.)
Re:You Bastards! (Score:4, Insightful)
Or that USians are watching Australian Jeopardy, and racking their brains for the name of the guy who dismissed Don Bradman for 0 in his final Test?
Re:You Bastards! (Score:5, Funny)
Q: What is the captial of Georgia?
A: Atlanta
Thats correct, however we would have accepted
A: Tbilisi
Re:You Bastards! (Score:3, Funny)
If it were only in the form of a question...
Tsk.
Re:You Bastards! (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:You Bastards! (Score:5, Funny)
I live in my parent's basement you insensitive clod!
Re:You Bastards! (Score:3, Funny)
*cave = my darkened cube, my basement laboratory, my total lack of interest in any news.
Re:You Bastards! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:You Bastards! (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:You Bastards! (Score:5, Insightful)
"Editor's Note: CNN picked this story up from The Associated Press, which gives details below. We have no idea as to the status of Ken Jennings' run. If you'd prefer to not know anything, stop reading now."
Slashdot should have done something similar with a "Read More" break.
Re:You Bastards! (Score:2)
Re:You Bastards! (Score:3, Funny)
Michael YOU killed Jeopardy! Lone Gunmen redux! (Score:4, Insightful)
If people are interested enough for Ken Jennings to be news for nerds then they are interested enough to not want it spoiled.
Take this off the main page or modify it immediately.
Idiot.
Re:Michael YOU killed Jeopardy! Lone Gunmen redux! (Score:4, Insightful)
chrisd even made a joke about it in a later posting. [slashdot.org] Notice though that he didn't post the actual spoilers this time, just that there were spoilers to be found and where to find them.
Spoilers? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Spoilers? (Score:5, Insightful)
It does seem a bit rude to those of us who watch Jeopardy as if it were a national sport. I know some people who would be horridly offended if you were to tell them the results of every football/baseball/basketball/soccar/nascar/rugby/
I know that for the whole last season I'd feel myself compelled to gravitate towards the TV whenever I heard that Ken was on... even if I was in the middle of something else, I found I couldn't concentrate until I watched the damn show. Mostly it was because I wanted to see if that night would be the last night for Ken or not. A few times there was at least a chance he could lose, and finding out by watching was the big event of the evening if nothing else was going on.
So please keep away from the spoilers.. I'm still hoping he's going to go on until Trebek gets sick of him and retires from the job
Re:Spoilers? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Spoilers? (Score:3, Funny)
I wouldn't be. I'd just like to know how they got that copy of Grey's Sports Almanac away from Biff.
Re:Spoilers? (Score:5, Funny)
And they surf lava! It's like Teenage Mutant Ninja Jedi or something
Re:Spoilers? (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Spoilers? (Score:5, Funny)
Main character stops bomb from exploding WITH ONLY 2 SECONDS LEFT, then takes female lead into bedroom. Start Barry Manilow music and......credits!
Done.
Re:Spoilers? (Score:5, Funny)
Re: technically no (Score:2)
$2.5 mil is not bad for 75 days work. I'd gladly retire on that. He probably got bored and is working on his book "Beating Jeopardy for Dummies"
Slashdot fucked up huge on this one. Thanks for letting me know. I've been watching Ken since his first appearance and have been obsessed with this guy. Now I know that in 30 shows he's gone. What's the point now? FUCKERS!
What's the point? I think for many people, it's the fa
Re:Spoilers? (Score:5, Funny)
The guy gets the girl, the aliens are defeated, and world is saved.
If it IS up for a "best picture" Academy Award:
The guy gets the girl, and one or both of them die. The safety of the world isn't even part of the story.
You can mail me 1/2 your movie money, or I can take paypal
Re:Spoilers? (Score:3, Informative)
Slashdot needs to be a little more responsible with its reporting.
Re:Spoilers? (Score:5, Funny)
It doesn't say that it is, and on which game.
Whoever modded my original post redudnant can eat a bag of cocks. Of course it was redundant, Michael and the other editors need to have it drilled into their heads that this was an enormous fuckup for those of us who decided to start watching Jeopardy for the streak.
Obligatory SNL Quote (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Obligatory SNL Quote (Score:2, Funny)
More SNL Jeopardy... (Score:2)
"Yeah, i'll take Ape tit"
Re:Obligatory SNL Quote (Score:2, Funny)
Anal bum cover (An album cover)
Penis mightier (Pen is mightier)
Re:Obligatory SNL Quote (Score:3, Funny)
Trebek: Okay, lets see what you wrote down. Jeff you wrote, a '2'...?
Jeff Goldblum: Uh.. what is the
Trebek: I hate all of you.
Re:Obligatory Cheers Quote (Score:5, Funny)
From the episode where Cliff made it onto Jeopardy
Alex: "And the categories are, `Civil servants' `Stamps from around the world', `Mothers and sons', `Beer', `Bar trivia' and 'Celibacy'?
I think they should give Ken Alex's job. (Score:3, Interesting)
I think it'd be cool if the host actually knew all the stuff when interacting with the contestants.
Re:I think they should give Ken Alex's job. (Score:2)
LK
Re:I think they should give Ken Alex's job. (Score:5, Insightful)
Seriously, he's more than a stuffed shirt that you see on most other gameshows.
Re:I think they should give Ken Alex's job. (Score:3, Interesting)
Quoted from http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,6216,00.htm l
It also may be that Trebek is too tied up with potential court dates to appear on the show. The 59-year-old host was sued Monday by a United Airlines employee, who says he left her with serious hand injuries during a confrontation at Los Angeles International Airport.
Marlene Andrade, 31, of Hawthorne, California, claims Trebek got irate last May when she said his carry-on luggage was too big
Re:I think they should give Ken Alex's job. (Score:3, Insightful)
Bummer. (Score:5, Interesting)
Jeopardy just won't be as fun to watch after he's gone. Ken's converted Jeopardy from an interesting game-show to a serious spectator sport in my house. It just won't be the same.
Re:Bummer. (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Bummer. (Score:5, Informative)
Jeopardy doesn't get the ad revenue; the TV stations do. Jeopardy is a syndicated TV show, which means that networks sign a contract at the beginning of the season. $3 million for 100 shows, or something like that. If the ratings go up during the season, that's great for the network (because they can charge more for advertising time), but the producers of Jeopardy don't see any of that. They've already signed their contract, and are delivering the agreed-upon number of shows for the agreed-upon sum of money.
Now, next season, the show's producers may be able to cite the increased ratings as a factor in requesting a higher-paying contract this time. However, given that the whole "Ken" thing is really just an unusual, one-time curiousity, it'd be hard for Jeopardy's producers to convince the networks that the increased ratings will stick for the entire upcoming season.
What I'm saying is, the networks are profiting from this much more than the show itself, so no, it wouldn't make much sense for Jeopardy producers to "rig" the show to keep Ken around. The networks would have a lot more motive for such manipulation than the producers, but the networks have no control at all over how the show is produced, so it'd be impossible for them to carry out such meddling.
Thanks (Score:2, Insightful)
Categories that Ken lost on... (Score:5, Funny)
- Things to do outside
- Post 1970's pop culture
in all seriousness, i think his run has been great...obviously it's helped jeopardy's ratings...heck, jeopardy has even made it onto my TIVO season pass list, so i can follow the exploits of Ken Jennigs each day...
Re:Categories that Ken lost on... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Categories that Ken lost on... (Score:2)
Re:Categories that Ken lost on... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Categories that Ken lost on... (Score:5, Funny)
Two chicks at the same time.
Re:Categories that Ken lost on... (Score:3, Funny)
What "Game" ? (Score:5, Insightful)
Could you at least put the subject of the article somewhere in the description?
Sure, I agree with RTFA, if I can determine it is worthwhile...
Re:What "Game" ? (Score:3, Insightful)
Like 6 billion people more.
Re:What "Game" ? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:What "Game" ? (Score:5, Insightful)
I only wish that people who contribute to a US-based website with a significant international audience would understand why people get pissed off when said website seems to be US-centric in a particularly impenetrable way.
I hadn't a clue what this article was supposed to be about. Some mention of 'Jeopardy', 'game-show' or whatever would have helped greatly...
Re:What "Game" ? (Score:3, Informative)
Re:What "Game" ? (Score:3, Insightful)
Where does it say that this is only for ammercians? I whish they would say in the title what the content is, without having to RTFA to find out if it is intersting or not!
Wait a minute, ...
Jeopardy rules (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Jeopardy rules (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Jeopardy rules (Score:5, Funny)
Interrogator: This man leaked the ending of the Ken Jennings winning streak.
Suspect: It wasn't me!
Interrogator: *sigh* For the last time, it's "Who is "not me?""
Re:Jeopardy rules (Score:3, Funny)
Jaysyn
wiki wiki wiki (Score:5, Informative)
It was the summer of JG (Score:2)
Don't count on it (Score:5, Interesting)
Ken's winning streak has been fantastic for Jeopardy's ratings (up 35% from the same time last season, last I heard). This could be just another ploy to try and drive the ratings up even further.
Come on, guys. We're notorious skeptics here on Slashdot. Don't believe everything you read.
Re:Don't count on it (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Don't count on it (Score:3, Insightful)
The wagering on the Daily Doubles? Wondering how Contestant X could possibly, possibly not know the question to *that* answer? The chitchat they use to fill the time slot when the play is too rapid? Seeing what sort of categories appeal to a left-handed pipefitter from Oshkosh who once bungee-jumped off the Sears Tower? The schadenfreude when a player relearns that pushing the button too soon makes it go dead? Discovering what the writers' idea of Really Tough
Don't count on it Indeed (Score:5, Informative)
Everyone should RTFA here - big time. This whole thing is based on something that showed up on this 'TV Week' website, and the company is not confirming the story...
Outsourced (Score:5, Funny)
It had to end sometime (Score:5, Interesting)
I mean, I'm sure even Ken would/will/did get tired of playing sooner or later. 75 games sounds like a nice round number to stop on; he set the single-game score record with something right around 75,000, as I recall (maybe even 75k even?).
So, it'll be interesting (to me) to see if he more or less quit on purpose - either just not coming back by choice, or obviously throwing the game to lose.
Xentax
Dumb question, but I gotta ask. (Score:2, Funny)
I presume he will be in the Tournament of Champion... but hasn't he already won? He'd be the only one there!
(Note - "Champion" singlular intentional)
My buzzer was failing! (Score:5, Funny)
So who beat him? (Score:2)
Thanks for ruining it... (Score:2)
I'm not too impressed Michael for revealing this. It just isn't right for folks like me that actually like to watch the show.
A few thoughts... (Score:2)
I like the idea of contestants (like Ken) taking Trebek's spot. Maybe just for a show or two. However, Trebek just reads the question and the answer, so there really isn't much required (other than presentation, rules monitoring, keeping things going, acting stuff, etc.).
Anyone know background information more on Ken too? Does he just ingest everything he reads...has no life...or just is super smart. I read about a kid th
Re:A few thoughts... (Score:2)
He's a mormon. You decide which of those applies to him.
Re:A few thoughts... (Score:2)
Re:A few thoughts... (Score:2)
I think the only Jeopardy! shows I've seen on the cable channels were the stupid variations, like the one for kids that had a really annoying host. The broadcast stations where you live must suck, as most would usually play the original show in syndication.
So what... (Score:2)
...and NO it is NOT because he has them all in front of him. :)
Re:So what... (Score:5, Funny)
Yes, but does he know the questions?
Never heard of a spoiler warning?!?!?! (Score:2)
obMST3K (Score:2)
For some reason, the headline made me think of MST3K instead of South Park.
Go figure.
This is the song, written for the train chase.
This is the chase, Rocky and Ken!
He tried to kill me with a forklift!
Olé!
The losing Final Jeopardy question of Ken Jennings (Score:5, Informative)
Re:The losing Final Jeopardy question of Ken Jenni (Score:3, Insightful)
Nothing personal intended, but I would not use anybody's weblog for the basis of a story. I would confirm it somewhere else, first. Believe it or not, not everything you read on a blog is true.
Re:The losing Final Jeopardy question of Ken Jenni (Score:5, Interesting)
I think TV Week should be called out on this one, because clearly their source is the blog, and the blog's source is a named informer; however, they way their article is written, they make it appear that the source went directly to them. This is good for them, because it makes it look like they have people "on the inside" that are willing to give them information.
When the NY Times can have a plagiarizer on their staff for a long time without knowing it, I do not think I would put such actions behind a much less credible periodical as TV Week.
You Would Be Spoiled... (Score:2, Informative)
Come on guys, I saw this on the local news this morning, hours before I checked Slashdot - so regarless of whether Slasdot posted the story, you were bound to find out about it sooner or later.
The guy was bound to loose sometime, you couldn't be terribly surprised by that! At least we can continue enjoying his run until it ends... it's not like we know what questions bring him down.
CNN did post a good disclaimer, though:
Editor's Note: CNN picked this story up from The Associated Press, which gives det
weird al (Score:4, Funny)
The Final Jeopardy that beat Ken [spoiler warning] (Score:5, Funny)
Topic: Life, the Universe, and Everything
Answer: 42
Unfortunatly a freak power outtage stopped the answer from being displayed once they gave their answers but afterwards an odd robot came out and told everyone that they were all simpletons and they along with the show were incredibly dreary and pointless and they all got the question wrong anyway but it didn't really matter because Life, the Universe, and Everything don't matter. The robot then talked to Mr. Jennings for a couple minutes after which Mr. Jennings announced in a depressed sounding voice that he didn't really see any point in going on so he was retiring from the show. A spacecraft then landed and an alien then came out and called Mr. Jennings a nerd then flew away.
Well there ya have it, the end of Ken Jenning's streak.
Re:that was a good run though (Score:2, Informative)
Re:that was a good run though (Score:3, Interesting)
Now, if this news is right that his final curtain closes on show 75, its roughly on course.
Re:so who beat him (Score:5, Funny)
Re:so who beat him (Score:2)
Re:Loaded questions (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Erm... (Score:4, Informative)
For example, the category might be Space. A contestant chooses the box for $200. The answer as revealed is "The closest natural satellite to Earth". The contestant who buzzes in first would answer, "What is the Moon?" If the contestant is correct they get the money.
Ken has been on Jeopardy since forever (ok, since last season) and has won more money and rounds than any other previous contestant.
However, even though I am from the US I do agree with your sentiment. Who cares? Yes, the guy has an amazing amount of knowledge on a wide range of subjects. Yes, it is a geeky thing to be amazed at this breadth of knowledge. Still, as the local source of trivia in my office I don't care about this guy.
TIAJ (Score:2, Funny)
Re:No it won't (Score:2)
or Tiger Woods in Golf,
or the Chicago Bulls in the Jordan era?
They all have/had huge followings, just because they're so good, they've almost raised it to an art form.
Re:What? (Score:2, Insightful)
I'm not in the UK but I've seen every episode of Blackadder...
Re:The 75th game eh? He wasn't beaten...he was bor (Score:2)
Re:this guy WRITES QUIZ SOFTWARE FOR A LIVING (Score:3, Insightful)
I know you're probabl