Ken Jennings finally answers the big question every 'Jeopardy' fan has wondered for years

Today, Ken Jennings is among the most popular game show hosts on American television screens, but his 74-game winning streak was what paved the way for him to reach that stage. Despite his success as a host, fans of the show are still begging him to return as a competitor on "Jeopardy!" However, despite public demand, it seems like Jennings has no plans of stepping away from hosting duties, according to a report from The Sun.

According to an insider from "Jeopardy!" who spoke to the publication, Jennings has spoken candidly on set about the prospects of him returning with the buzzer in hand. The source revealed that Jennings was heard saying that “it would be completely unfair” for him to compete as a contestant again. The source explained that since he "gets all the behind-the-scenes tips and tricks as host," he feels it would put others at a disadvantage. “So no, he insists that wouldn’t happen,” the source told the publication. 

The report further added that it was a “bittersweet” thing for Jennings as competing on the show was his “first love”. However, it seems like he loves his hosting role as well, according to reports that suggested he was desperate to keep his job and was ready to even take a pay cut.

While Jennings has voluntarily opted out of competition, fans aren't sure if he would still dominate even if he played. The last time Jennings hit the buzzer was in 2020 when he was awarded the first-place prize on "Jeopardy!" The Greatest of All Time." Having not played in five years, fans debated in a Reddit post if he would still crush the opposition like he used to. 

“Would Ken still dominate? Just curious if people think Ken Jennings could swap positions and still be a very dominant contestant. I wonder if he is no longer constantly prepping if the knowledge base inevitably starts to fade?” @Driftwood71 wrote in a post on the show's unofficial forum. 

Many fans chimed in, saying that they believe Jennings is still the GOAT. "The GOAT tournament was only five years ago. Of course, he’d still dominate. The only question would be if he’d best 74 games or not," wrote user @Poile98. "He tore through James Holzhauer. They were good games, but GOAT was never in any serious doubt. And even from the year of super champs, only Amy truly would stand a chance, and she's not better than James. Given his current job, as long as he's got good timing he's a runaway," @dart22 explained.

However, the general consensus seemed to be that he would certainly not beat his record. "I don't think he'd win anywhere near 74 games, just due to how the game's general strategy has progressed. But assuming normal prep, I think (for example) he'd certainly still have been the favorite for the most recent TOC," @Jaksiel suggested.