Returning Champ: Big winner back in the spotlight on tour with second trivia book

Wed, Dec 03 2008

Published: February 06, 2008 07:33 pm PrintThis

By Emily Young
Staff Writer

Even if you don't know a lot of personal trivia about Ken Jennings, you probably know of his six-month stint on "Jeopardy!" in 2004.

Jennings won $2.52 million for providing more than 2,700 correct responses during 75 episodes. His second-place finish in the 2005 Ultimate Tournament of Champions bumped that total up to $3.02 million.

Nowadays, the 33-year-old is promoting his second book, "Ken Jennings's Trivia Almanac: 8,888 Questions in 365 Days" (Villard Books, 2008), by hosting trivia contests around the country. He'll be at Jabberwocky Bookshop in Newburyport tomorrow night with a list of 50 Boston-area trivia questions. The winner of the local "Jeopardy!" contest will receive a signed copy of his new book.

Jennings, who lives outside Seattle with his wife and two young children, said in a recent phone interview he got hooked on the long-standing quiz show as a child. He religiously watched "Jeopardy!" reruns after school while growing up in Korea and Singapore, where his father worked as an attorney.

"I always felt a little separated from mainstream American culture, which is probably why I was so hungry for it. I was scrambling for every bit of information on what people listened to and stuff like that," Jennings said. "So, starting in the fifth grade, I would come home from school to watch nine-month old 'Jeopardy!' episodes on the Armed Forces TV Network."

His fascination with quiz shows didn't dissipate over the years. He captained the academic competition team at Brigham Young University, and later wrote literature trivia questions for National Academic Quiz Tournaments. He eventually took a job as a Salt Lake City software engineer, but found himself at a career crossroads at 29 years old.

He decided to take life by the horns and audition for his beloved quiz show.

"I always wanted to be a game show contestant when I grew up, which was something my guidance counselors didn't really know what to make of," Jennings said. "I was in a tech job that I didn't really like. I knew I should do something. I though maybe I'd go to law school. Instead, I won 74 game of 'Jeopardy!' which changed my life forever."

The show, Jennings said, is a real pressure cooker. It feels a lot faster and more intense standing in front of Alex Trebek than it does playing in front of the TV at home. Plus, every contestant must pass the same difficult audition test, and sometimes it comes down to thumb skills.

"When I got the phone call saying, 'You're on in three weeks,' I did some hard-core preparation," Jennings said. "Cue up the 'Rocky' montage type prep work."

Knowing that there was some skill involved, he said he spent a lot of time watching the show while standing behind his recliner, using a plastic Fisher Price toy doughnut as a buzzer.

"I tried to determine the timing between Alex's voice and who was selected to answer," he said. " I made flash cards and had my wife quiz me. I knew that I had only one shot, so I was terrified."

"Jeopardy!" tapes five episodes in one day, which air on a Monday through Friday well afterward. Jennings' energy level, therefore, was considerably higher on Monday shows than Friday ones. His wardrobe was a problem, he said.

"I was a computer guy and getting dressed up for work was wearing the shorts without the mustard stain," Jennings said. "I didn't have the clothes to wear for all those shows. So, I ended up recycling outfits quite a bit and borrowing clothes from my brother, who was a lawyer at the time. And my dad had ties that I could steal. But I had to take their stuff while trying not tell them why."

That's because only Jennings' wife and boss knew from the beginning that he was a contestant. In fact, he won 48 episodes before one even aired. And keeping family and friends in the dark was a true challenge. He had to fly to Los Angeles as much as four times a month, win incredibly large sums of money during an afternoon of "Jeopardy!," then return to his daily duties as though nothing unusual was going on.

Once Jennings' episodes started airing, the secret was out. He was on the show so frequently that his son Dylan, now 5 years old, stopped calling him "Daddy" and started calling him "Ken Jennings" — just as he heard on television.

When the "Jeopardy!" theme music comes on nowadays, Dylan wants to know why "Ken Jennings" isn't playing anymore. But Ken Jennings is actually a little burned out on trivia. After writing more than 9,300 potential questions for his trivia almanac, he's ready for something different.

"I never wanted to brand myself," said Jennings, who is gearing up to write a third book. "To me, liking trivia is great because it means that you're a generalist. I'm interested in just about everything. I haven't pinned myself down to one topic for my next book. I have a few ideas that all seem to relate to geek culture."

That doesn't mean that Jennings rebuffs his super-trivia-star status. He's eternally grateful to the show that has allowed him the financial freedom to write full time. And he still plays along when spotted by fans on the street.

"The other day, I was in grocery store. One of the produce guys saw me and says, 'Quick, what's another name for a solid-leaf parsley?' I'm assuming he doesn't ask everyone produce trivia. When that happens, I try to get it wrong. It's more fun for the person to feel like they stumped me," Jennings said.

"It's cilantro, by the way."

If You Go

What: Jeopardy! champion and author Ken Jennings host a trivia contest, drawing questions from his new book, "Ken Jennings's Trivia Almanac: 8,888 Questions in 365 days."

Where: Jabberwocky Bookshop, 50 Water St., Tannery Mill No. 1, Newburyport

When: 7 p.m. tomorrow

How: Free. For more information, call 978-465-9359 or go to http://jabberwocky.booksense.com

Category: Famous 'Jeopardy!' Player

$100

Clue: His primary link to American pop culture while growing up in Asia was "Jeopardy!" reruns on the Armed Forces Network.