Ken Jennings gave credit where credit is due during a recent appearance on Who’s Talking To Chris Wallace? on Max.
The Jeopardy host discussed the important role a host plays on the show, down to the way they read the clues aloud.
“I almost think that was my secret sauce coming into Jeopardy is I had been watching Alex [Trebek] since I was 10 years old, and I knew how he would say every clip syllable in the clue I was reading and then I knew what the, what the rhythm would be. And for whatever reason, I just fell right into it,” he explained.
Jennings later talked about competing on the game show for 74 episodes straight, during which he started to get to know Trebek.
“The funny thing is, the contestants on Jeopardy are kept so far away from the host or anybody else who might know game material for legal reasons. You know, it’s a federal crime,” he began explaining to Chris Wallace, before adding that they’re still very careful of maintaining this boundary on Jeopardy. But, they certainly bonded during his streak on the show.
“The fact is, if you’re on the show for 74 times, which I recommend by the way, you do kind of get the sense of Alex and he was clearly enjoying having a sidekick for the first time in 20 odd years of Jeopardy,” he said. “So this was, this was new territory for them and he was enjoying it.”
Watching Trebek in action was just another plus of his record-breaking run on the game show, he said.
“I really started to appreciate watching him up close, and the grace with which he hosted that show,” Jennings stated. He added that Trebek made hosting “look so easy” when there are many things hosts must consider when they’re at the podium.
“I think the only reason I can, you know, I’ll never be Alex, but the only reason I can even approximate it is because I got to watch the best in the business do it for almost 40 years,” he said.
Jennings has openly spoken about his time with Trebek, who he remembered as being “more fun” than fans may have realized.
“During commercials, he would tell jokes, go into the crowd. He loved to warm up the crowd himself and do little impressions. He was a very light, funny guy,” he said during an appearance on The Last Podcast on the Left.
When he was asked to fill in for Trebek as he battled Stage 4 pancreatic cancer, he claimed he still expected the host to “bounce back” and return to the show. Unfortunately, that was not the case.
Jennings is now beginning his third season as official host of the game show. He briefly co-hosted the show with Mayim Bialik, who stepped away in May in solidarity with the WGA strike and has yet to return.
Jeopardy! airs weeknights at 7/6c. Check out the website for local listings.