'Jeopardy' fans stunned to see Ken Jennings compete on a rival game show nobody expected
Before he became the host on “Jeopardy!” Ken Jennings was already popular among fans as the star contestant, with a record-setting winning streak. Fans have often wondered if he will appear on the show as a contestant again, and Jennings has already put those speculations to rest. But that was just for "Jeopardy!" and now the 51-year-old will once again be seen as a contestant on a rival game show, “Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?" He won’t be competing alone as popular Hollywood actor Matt Damon will be his partner.
As per a report in TV Insider, this will be a celebrity edition of the popular game show in which a pair of celebrities will participate in every episode. Some of the pairings have been revealed to be Sportscaster Joe Buck and actor Oliver Hudson, Sarah Silverman and comedian and podcaster Marc Maron, Jordan Klepper and comedian Ronny Chieng, and Kate Flannery and Oscar Nuñez. There will be several other pairings apart from these.
Jennings’s decision to be a contestant on a different game show has piqued the interest of the “Jeopardy!” community. Considering the fact that “Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?” is also a show requiring trivia knowledge, the 51-year-old could go a long way. He would, of course, be playing for charity, but it would be interesting to see him have a go at it. Fans of the show discussed the matter at length on Reddit in r/Jeopardy.
“I guess Ken will be a Millionaire winner this season? 😜,” one fan wrote, to which another replied, “Don't be so hasty! Last time he played, he walked home with 100,000. He was a contestant on the show back in 2014, and has surely improved his knowledge base since then. “This strikes me as a prime opportunity to promote Jeopardy’s new Hulu deal,” quipped another.
Some fans remarked that Jennings’s partner, Matt Damon, was also no slouch when it came to trivia. “My boy Matt Damon wicked smart,” one user wrote. “Matt Damon is no dummy,” added another. “I just saw part of that promo too, but didn’t see his partner was Matt Damon lol. Sounds fun anyway!” one more fan wrote. One thing is for certain: a lot of people are going to tune into this episode of the show.
One person, who might not be a fan of Damon, would be “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?” host Jimmy Kimmel. At the end of a 2005 episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” he said that they had run out of time for the actor, even though he wasn’t booked to be on the bill. Since then, the two have been faking a feud, and it has just become one of those running gags that will probably never end.
“I think this sounds cool. I really like when Matt Damon and Jimmy Kimmel interact, it's funny and no they don't hate each other it's a joke,” one user wrote on Reddit. “Kimmel said 'I’m going on Jeopardy with someone YOU hate' lol,” joked another.
