Jeopardy!’s ‘humble’ Ken Jennings is ‘hitting his stride’ and crew ‘likes him more’ than Pop Culture host Colin Jost

JEOPARDY! host Ken Jennings is settling in well – and the show crew even prefers him to Colin Jost, who will soon host the Pop Culture spin-off, The U.S. Sun has learned.

Ken’s job was reportedly on shaky ground after producers tapped Colin, which insiders said was a “huge coup.”

5

Pop Culture Jeopardy! with Colin Jost has been teased ahead of December’s premiereCredit: Jeopardy!

5

Ken Jennings is currently the solo host of the main showCredit: Getty
Ken does not have a long-term contract after bosses decided to drop his co-host, Mayim Bialik, last year, when he reportedly signed on for around $4 million.

Colin was brought in to host the streaming-only spin-off, which airs later this year, and sources said he could end up taking Ken’s job.

But a separate source told The U.S. Sun: “Despite rumors he might be replaced, Ken is going nowhere fast and is pushing to get a longer contract on the show.

“He’s really started hitting his stride, even though he’s faced a lot of criticism for blunders.

“Many of the crew members think he’s better than Colin.

“Ken makes fewer mistakes and even asks to redo sections that producers think are fine. He doesn’t appear nervous like Colin and is getting better every week.

“Although it’s clear Ken doesn’t have the star power that Colin has, he has the advantage of having competed on the show so many times, and his knowledge helps.

“It’s obvious he knows the answer to many of the questions and is quick to chat about different topics with the contestants in between games.”

“Ken is popular and well-respected, and some of the crew first met him 20 years ago, they’d be upset to see him pushed out in favor of Colin.

“But how popular he is on set is different from how he comes across on screen, and it’ll be up to the viewers whether he stays or goes.

Jeopardy! fans slam ‘sexist and rude’ clue as Ken Jennings forced to apologize for ‘problematic’ remark on camera
The source insisted Ken has a “great rapport” with the live audience, and “cracks plenty of jokes behind the scenes,” even though he’s not a comedian like Colin.

“Producers are still eager to mix things up and have Colin host spin-offs, they deliver completely different shows,” the source continued.

Colin proved just how different he is when it comes to hosting by teasing the spin-off in a new clip, featuring a cheeky joke.

The program will premiere on December 4 on Prime Video and features 40 episodes dropping every week as part of their new game show slate.

Jeopardy! Set Secrets

Jeopardy! fans don’t see everything behind the scenes from watching on TV. These hidden set features make the show run smoothly:

Each podium has a hidden riser so that all contestants appear to be the same height.
After each clue is read, signal lights go off around the game board, indicating players can buzz in and respond.
Buzz in too early, and you’re locked out for .25 seconds.
The podiums have a small white light in the lower left corner, which tells Ken Jennings who goes next.
Contrary to popular belief, the player with control doesn’t have a buzzer advantage on the next clue.
To the game board’s left is a scoreboard so the players can see their opponents’ scores.
All contestants must bring three outfits to the studio, but only the host and returning champion change for the next episode.
There are wardrobe rules, including restrictions on busy patterns, solid white, purple (like the background), and logos.
Five episodes are taped in a single day, and sometimes more.
The categories, players (aside from the returning champion), and Final Jeopardy! for a tape day are all drawn randomly to ensure fairness.
Female contestants are asked not to wear makeup, which is applied backstage, and don’t wear mascara because of sweat.
Contestants fill out a questionnaire, and producers select five Q&A topics for the host.
Host Ken isn’t allowed to interact with the contestants until after the game.
Players can request to sit in a chair while competing without question.

Posted on the show’s official Instagram, a video shows Colin blushing after reading out the category, “Big Charles Dickens Energy,” which pops up on the screen.

It is a nod to the term “Big D**k Energy” – which was heavily associated with Colin’s former pal Pete Davidson, who used to appear on SNL.

Colin, 42, looked tickled and only managed to say, “My God,” after reading it out for contestants.

The clip is proof the spin-off will be much riskier than the family favorite.

It was captioned, “If they don’t have that ‘Big Charles Dickens Energy’ we don’t want ‘em!”

Jeopardy! Contestant Rules

Passing Jeopardy!’s online Anytime Test is hard enough, but there are also many rules players must follow once they make it to the stage:

The returning champion is always at the leftmost podium and keeps playing until they lose.
Contestants don’t have to say “who is” or “what is” in the first round but must do so in Double Jeopardy! and Final Jeopardy.
Contestants can change their responses as long as Ken Jennings or the judges haven’t made a ruling.
The minimum wager for a Daily Double is $5. The minimum wager for Final Jeopardy! is $0.
Written responses in Final Jeopardy! do not have to be spelled correctly, but they must be phonetically correct (the judges decide this).
If there’s a tie after Final Jeopardy, the tied players enter a bonus clue shootout, and whoever buzzes in first correctly wins.
If all three contestants wager everything in Final Jeopardy! and are incorrect, leaving them with $0, there will be no returning champion (it’s happened before—six times).

Sources say Colin’s social status “gives him a one-up” on Ken on the spin-off and he could be a huge hit with younger fans of the show.

“At Sony TV, getting Colin to come aboard Jeopardy! was a major coup,” one insider source shared.

“Mainly because Colin’s corporate home for twenty years has been [rival media company] NBC Universal.

“It was a big deal for the Sony execs to get him for Jeopardy! and he’s definitely got a ton of wiggle room to do his thing and add to the humor of the shows where he sees fit.

“And Colin has more experience with live TV than almost anybody involved with Jeopardy!,” they added.

“He can make things work in the moment that Ken can’t, and nobody is in denial about that.”

Meanwhile, Celebrity Jeopardy! was also recently renewed, but as of now, there is cryptically no host attached.

Since Colin has the A-list status that the trivia titan doesn’t, taking the spin-off from Ken is a distinct possibility.

“Colin can interact with celebrity contestants with confidence because they see him as a peer,” a source said.

“Unfortunately, that’s never going to be the case with Ken [as far as Celebrity Jeopardy! goes].”

5

Colin Jost chuckled and looked awkward during a risky joke in a new clip from the spin-off on InstagramCredit: Pop Culture Jeopardy!

5

Fans of Jeopardy! were given a sneak peak of the new set ahead of the showCredit: Jeopardy!

5

The poster for Pop Culture Jeopardy! with Colin Jost as host instead of Ken JenningsCredit: Jeopardy!