Jeopardy Television Program

In an era of fleeting celebrity, "Jeopardy!" contestant Ken Jennings strung out his 15 minutes of fame for five months, 2,700 correct answers and more than $2.5 million in prize money. Then he met up with Nancy Zerg. And before you could say "Anticlimactic endings for $100, Alex," the clean-cut, Salt Lake City software designer who had become the winningest game show contestant in history had finally been outsmarted.

Out of the hospital and recovering from a heart attack, "Jeopardy!" host Alex Trebek says he'll be back before the cameras Jan. 14 to tape the game show's "Teen Tournament." Trebek, 67, was hospitalized last week after being stricken with what a spokesman for the show described as a minor heart attack. He was released over the weekend and plans to spend the holidays at home with his family.

Ken Jennings, the "Jeopardy!" brainiac who won a record 74 games in a row last year, met his match this week, losing a three-day tournament of champions from the game show and a $2-million prize to Brad Rutter of Lancaster, Pa. Rutter, a former record store clerk who won more than $1 million on "Jeopardy!" in 2002, beat Jennings in all three individual games, and his final total of $62,000 easily eclipsed Jennings' $34,599.

Ken Jennings has been a lifelong trivia fan. Now he's also the answer to a trivia question: "In 2004, who won 74 consecutive games and more than $2.5 million to become the all-time champion on TV's 'Jeopardy!'?" Jennings is also the author of a new book, "Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs," which is the reason for his recent visit to New York, the first stop on his book tour. In the book, Jennings neatly blends the story of his "Jeopardy!"

Out of the hospital and recovering from a heart attack, "Jeopardy!" host Alex Trebek says he'll be back before the cameras Jan. 14 to tape the game show's "Teen Tournament." Trebek, 67, was hospitalized last week after being stricken with what a spokesman for the show described as a minor heart attack. He was released over the weekend and plans to spend the holidays at home with his family.

The U.S. economy may be slowing, but not on "Jeopardy!" The television game show, hosted by Alex Trebek, left, said Wednesday that it will double its prize money beginning Nov. 26. Answer: These will now range from $200 to $2,000. Question: What will clues be worth?

If winning more than $2.5 million wasn't enough, "Jeopardy!" whiz Ken Jennings will have a shot at winning an additional $2 million -- but the competition will be tougher this time around. Producers of the game show are planning a "Super Tournament" that will pit Jennings in a final match against two survivors of a competition among nearly 150 previous five-time winners. The matches will begin airing in February or March, and the finals will air in May, said "Jeopardy!" publicist Jeff Ritter.

Ken Jennings has been a lifelong trivia fan. Now he's also the answer to a trivia question: "In 2004, who won 74 consecutive games and more than $2.5 million to become the all-time champion on TV's 'Jeopardy!'?" Jennings is also the author of a new book, "Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs," which is the reason for his recent visit to New York, the first stop on his book tour. In the book, Jennings neatly blends the story of his "Jeopardy!"

"Jeopardy!" returns from its summer break with original shows today. That means returning champion Ken Jennings will have to come up with the 39th way to write his name (he signs in differently each show), host Alex Trebek will have to find something new to ask Jennings during the interview segment, and chances are two more otherwise intelligent players will go home losers.

Quiz-show king Ken Jennings has broken another record on "Jeopardy!" Jennings won $45,099 on the episode that aired Wednesday night, bringing his total earnings to $2,197,000 to make him the top TV game-show winner ever. He beat the previous record of $2,180,000, set by Michigan engineer Kevin Olmstead on ABC's "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" in 2001. Jennings, a 30-year-old software engineer from Salt Lake City, began his 66-appearances-and-counting streak on the episode that aired June 2.

Ken Jennings, the "Jeopardy!" brainiac who won a record 74 games in a row last year, met his match this week, losing a three-day tournament of champions from the game show and a $2-million prize to Brad Rutter of Lancaster, Pa. Rutter, a former record store clerk who won more than $1 million on "Jeopardy!" in 2002, beat Jennings in all three individual games, and his final total of $62,000 easily eclipsed Jennings' $34,599.

If winning more than $2.5 million wasn't enough, "Jeopardy!" whiz Ken Jennings will have a shot at winning an additional $2 million -- but the competition will be tougher this time around. Producers of the game show are planning a "Super Tournament" that will pit Jennings in a final match against two survivors of a competition among nearly 150 previous five-time winners. The matches will begin airing in February or March, and the finals will air in May, said "Jeopardy!" publicist Jeff Ritter.

The Peanut Butter Conspiracy, the Lemon Pipers, the Archies and, now, Nancy Zerg. On Wednesday, the Ventura real estate agent who toppled "Jeopardy!" champ Ken Jennings suddenly landed in the category called One-Hit Wonders. After beating the winningest contestant in TV history by more than $5,000 on Tuesday, Zerg was deposed after a mere 24 hours on the game-show throne. She wound up in last place with just $2.

In an era of fleeting celebrity, "Jeopardy!" contestant Ken Jennings strung out his 15 minutes of fame for five months, 2,700 correct answers and more than $2.5 million in prize money. Then he met up with Nancy Zerg. And before you could say "Anticlimactic endings for $100, Alex," the clean-cut, Salt Lake City software designer who had become the winningest game show contestant in history had finally been outsmarted.

Quiz-show king Ken Jennings has broken another record on "Jeopardy!" Jennings won $45,099 on the episode that aired Wednesday night, bringing his total earnings to $2,197,000 to make him the top TV game-show winner ever. He beat the previous record of $2,180,000, set by Michigan engineer Kevin Olmstead on ABC's "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" in 2001. Jennings, a 30-year-old software engineer from Salt Lake City, began his 66-appearances-and-counting streak on the episode that aired June 2.

"Jeopardy!" returns from its summer break with original shows today. That means returning champion Ken Jennings will have to come up with the 39th way to write his name (he signs in differently each show), host Alex Trebek will have to find something new to ask Jennings during the interview segment, and chances are two more otherwise intelligent players will go home losers.

The Peanut Butter Conspiracy, the Lemon Pipers, the Archies and, now, Nancy Zerg. On Wednesday, the Ventura real estate agent who toppled "Jeopardy!" champ Ken Jennings suddenly landed in the category called One-Hit Wonders. After beating the winningest contestant in TV history by more than $5,000 on Tuesday, Zerg was deposed after a mere 24 hours on the game-show throne. She wound up in last place with just $2.

Ken Jennings' unprecedented victory streak on "Jeopardy!" continued on Tuesday's show, as his 30th consecutive appearance took him over the $1-million mark in winnings. Jennings, 30, a software developer from Salt Lake City, has provided more than 1,000 correct responses during his run, a spokesman for the TV game show said. The program's previous record was seven wins in a row. "A lot of it is just God-given memory that I can't take any credit for," Jennings said last week.

Overcoming odds tougher than Harvard admission, I recently fulfilled a long-deferred dream to become a contestant on "Jeopardy!" I auditioned with a game simulation; I competed on a real test with buzzers. I sucked in my stomach, told my funniest stories and oozed intelligence. I was thrilled when called for a show date; I showed up eagerly sporting my lucky red sweater set. Then I encountered the Ken Jennings juggernaut.

Ken Jennings' unprecedented victory streak on "Jeopardy!" continued on Tuesday's show, as his 30th consecutive appearance took him over the $1-million mark in winnings. Jennings, 30, a software developer from Salt Lake City, has provided more than 1,000 correct responses during his run, a spokesman for the TV game show said. The program's previous record was seven wins in a row. "A lot of it is just God-given memory that I can't take any credit for," Jennings said last week.