Ken Jennings

[GSFan]

...get to play in the standard Tournament of Champions this November?

Happy Memorial Day!


David

[Matt Ottinger]

[quote name=\'GSFan\' date=\'May 30 2005, 02:12 PM\']...get to play in the standard Tournament of Champions this November?[/quote]
At this point there's no guarantee that they'll even have a standard ToC in November, much less whether Ken would be invited to it.  Ken himself has speculated in another forum that the UTOC was his last opportunity to play Jeopardy, but even that is just a guess.  The producers may not have decided yet what they want to do.

[PYLdude]

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'May 30 2005, 03:20 PM\'][quote name=\'GSFan\' date=\'May 30 2005, 02:12 PM\']...get to play in the standard Tournament of Champions this November?[/quote]
At this point there's no guarantee that they'll even have a standard ToC in November, much less whether Ken would be invited to it.  Ken himself has speculated in another forum that the UTOC was his last opportunity to play Jeopardy, but even that is just a guess.  The producers may not have decided yet what they want to do.

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[/quote]

I thought I read somewhere that they were holding off on next season's ToC unti the spring of next year.

[digiblader]

BTW, to you Canadian viewers:

Ken Jennings appeared on the business show Squeeze Play on Report On Business Television(RoBTV) today. He was promoting some other trivia game there(not the Can You Beat Ken? game)

[Esoteric Eric]

[quote name=\'PYLdude\' date=\'May 30 2005, 12:32 PM\'][quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'May 30 2005, 03:20 PM\']At this point there's no guarantee that they'll even have a standard ToC in November, much less whether Ken would be invited to it.  Ken himself has speculated in another forum that the UTOC was his last opportunity to play Jeopardy, but even that is just a guess.  The producers may not have decided yet what they want to do.

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[/quote]I thought I read somewhere that they were holding off on next season's ToC unti the spring of next year.

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[/quote]Pardon the egotism, but on the off chance that this post is where one might have seen  the suggestion (however logical) that the next T of C should be delayed (whether or not Ken's invited), I just wanted to make sure everyone knows that it's just a suggestion at this point.
Likewise, the same post alluded to Ken mentioning that the final game was his last; Jeopardy.com's post-final video interviews are still available (in Real or Windows format) for those who would like to hear it for themselves.

Esoteric Eric

[Jimmy Owen]

With Ken getting his own game show on Comedy Central, does he really need "Jeopardy!"?

[MCArroyo1]

I think it's more Alex needing Ken than anything else.

[inturnaround]

[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'May 30 2005, 09:02 PM\']With Ken getting his own game show on Comedy Central, does he really need "Jeopardy!"?

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Well, I kind of wondered about that when Ken signed up for the UToC in the first place. How much is the perception of being the greatest J! champ worth? He's got a book, two games and a new show all hitched to that wagon. I mean, for him it was a guaranteed minimum payout and he did think it was worth it.

But should he have turned it down? I guess, considering the Comedy Central deal was made after the UToC was played, he made the right call in accepting the chance to play.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'inturnaround\' date=\'May 30 2005, 06:52 PM\']But should he have turned it down? I guess, considering the Comedy Central deal was made after the UToC was played, he made the right call in accepting the chance to play.

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[/quote]
"We'd like you to play three more games of Jeopardy, against two opponents who will have to scratch and claw for the chance to play against you, and you will be guaranteed at least $250,000. And that's if you just stand there and pick your nose."

What idiot even THINKS about turning that down?

[inturnaround]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'May 30 2005, 10:04 PM\']What idiot even THINKS about turning that down?

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Well, yeah, but the unknown would have been how badly he would have been hurt if he were whipped. Apparently he hasn't been, but he could have found all his deals fall through once the whole thing was over. Certainly he'll be making more from that than he did from J!.

It was a calculated risk, I feel. I'm glad it paid off for him.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'inturnaround\' date=\'May 30 2005, 07:08 PM\']Well, yeah, but the unknown would have been how badly he would have been hurt if he were whipped. Apparently he hasn't been, but he could have found all his deals fall through once the whole thing was over. Certainly he'll be making more from that than he did from J!.
[/quote]
That would surprise me a great deal. Even if he lost in a tournament where he got a bye to the finals, he's still KEN FRIGGIN' JENNINGS, and nobody is gonna take 76 days in a row away from him.

[Jimmy Owen]

I'm of the opinion that Ken losing in another tournament of champs could put his rep in "Jeop"

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'May 30 2005, 08:53 PM\']I'm of the opinion that Ken losing in another tournament of champs could put his rep in "Jeop"

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I'm of the opinion that any man who make three million dollars for playing a game should no longer give a rip about his rep.

[Matt Ottinger]

[quote name=\'inturnaround\' date=\'May 30 2005, 10:08 PM\']Well, yeah, but the unknown would have been how badly he would have been hurt if he were whipped. Apparently he hasn't been, but he could have found all his deals fall through once the whole thing was over. Certainly he'll be making more from that than he did from J!.[/quote]
On a theoretical level, I see your point.  The Comedy Central thing and other recent appearances suggest that Ken's out to take full advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and more power to him.  So yeah, there was potentially a chance that he'd look foolish against a couple of Jeopardy aces and no longer be a Big Deal to the folks willing to shell out endorsement bucks.  But he acquitted himself very well, and even though he lost, he'll probably still get the attention and acclaim while poor Brad Rutter must endure the humiliation of being a pathetic local host of a small-market high school quiz.

Hey, wait a minute...

[Jimmy Owen]

I like my heroes invincible.