Jennings was cocky enough to trash-talk Thomas Jefferson ("I wanna see how you'd do on 'Jeopardy!,' Declaration Boy") yet humble enough, when asked who he thought was the smartest person in the world, to salute his father. Over the long course of his marathon, he went from glib about the fortune he was making ("I'm going to roll around naked in it") to solemn.
"It's a little scary, actually," Jennings confided when Trebek asked him on a recent episode what it felt like to be a multimillionaire. "Most people never have to consider 'What do I want to most do with my life?' Most people have excuses and daily responsibilities." he said. "Now if I don't do what I most want to do, it's sort of my fault."
Patrons at an Arlington restaurant react last night as "Jeopardy!" champ Ken Jennings misses his final question.
(Gerald Martineau -- The Washington Post)
|
_____Video_____
•
'Jeopardy!' Champ Defeated: Ex-"Jeopardy!" contestants gathered at Faccia Luna in Clarendon, Va., to toast the anticipated end to champion Ken Jennings's record 74-game winning streak.
|
| |
| | | | | | | | | | ___ Arts & Living___ News about the television industry, reviews of shows and more can be found on our Television page. See what's on TV today, tomorrow or next week with the TV Grid. | | | | | | |
|
Zerg did not respond to phone messages yesterday, but was quoted in a "Jeopardy!" news release as saying about her toppling of the champion, "It hasn't sunk in. Ken is just so good!
"I think we both played well, but I got lucky with categories that I knew and he just happened to hit a couple of Daily Double clues that he didn't know. It took a good 15 minutes before I even realized that those points on the board were actually money!"
By Jennings's standards, his last game was sluggish. "My timing was off," he said. He entered the final round with a low total of $14,400 to Zerg's $10,000. The third contestant was in the red and didn't qualify for the final. Zerg wagered $4,401 and was a dollar ahead of Jennings when he revealed his losing answer and the $5,600 wager that knocked him into second place and trivia history. With the $2,000 prize for second place last night, his winnings total $2,522,700.
There was another prize as well, from H&R Block headquarters in Kansas City, Mo.:
Free financial advice for life.
Back at Faccia Luna, the bar erupted in cheers, jeers and wild applause as the KJLs watched their nemesis destroyed at long last.
"Boo! Boo!" someone shouted.
"That was by far his worst game," another crowed.
"Ken, you will be missed!"
"The king is dead! Long live the king!"
Merritt Allen gazed at the screen and flashed a smile at the parting shot of that oh-so-familiar boyish face.
"Bye, Ken!" she called out. "Thanks for playing!"
Staff writer Lisa de Moraes contributed to this report.
