'Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time' Has Named Its Champion
We now know who the greatest "Jeopardy!" player to ever play the game is. Ken Jennings, who still holds the record for the longest winning streak on the show, was named the victor of the show and won $1,000,000 for his efforts.
In the end, it all came down to a Final Jeopardy! category on Shakespeare Tragedies. When Jennings was the only contestant to correctly guess Iago, he won his third game of the tournament and the overall title as a result.
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Although the tournament seemed to offer a pretty definitive answer as to who the greatest "Jeopardy!" player ever is, reports suggest that because the specials were such a ratings boon for ABC that a follow-up tournament is already being discussed.
The original idea for the tournament was to bring together three of the most legendary players to ever play the game, and find out which one was the ultimate "Jeopardy!" champion. A follow-up tournament would really just be a rematch.
The competition was between Jennings, Brad Rutter, and James Holzhauer, with the two runners-up each receiving $250,000. The tournament was hosted by long-time "Jeopardy!" host Alex Trebek, and the tournament was also significant for him, in part because he's still battle stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
Although Jennings has cemented himself as the greatest of all time, the tournament also gives Trebek a chance to cement his legacy as the show's host. How long he'll continue to host the show is still an open question.
For Trebek, fan support has been overflowing since he made the announcement that he was battling his cancer. "It's humbling to realize there are so many people out there who care enough about you to want to pray for you every day, who want to send you their best wishes," he told The Associated Press.
Jennings was also clear about his affection for Trebek, which makes sense. Jennings was on the show longer than any other player, which means he spent a lot of time with Trebek.
"I feel like I've grown up watching Alex and he's the closest thing my generation has to a Walter Cronkite — a broadcaster who you just trust because he's in your home every night," Jennings told Good Morning America. "It's amazing that he's still with us and he's facing his health battles with such courage."
Indeed, for many people, Trebek is something close to an institution. The Greatest of All Time tournament gave us a chance to see him do what he does best in primetime.
