Ken Jennings - 'Jeopardy!' Champ Finally Meets His Match

"Jeopardy" champ Ken Jennings finally met his match after a 74-game run, beaten by a woman whose own 8-year-old daughter asked for his autograph when they first met.

As someone who always has prepared his own tax returns, Jennings was tripped up in Final Jeopardy by this answer: Most of this firm's 70,000 seasonal white-collar employees work only four months a year.

The correct reply: "What is H&R Block?" But Jennings guessed Federal Express, ending his remarkable run as the biggest winner in TV game show history with a haul of $2,520,700.

During his streak that began June 2, Jennings usually had opponents so thoroughly beaten that the Final Jeopardy question was meaningless to the outcome. But Zerg was within striking range at that point, with $10,000 to Jennings' $14,400. The champion had to think; out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Zerg had quickly written her reply.

"I was pretty sure before the music ended that was the ballgame," he said in an interview.

Her correct reply gave Zerg $14,001 to Jennings' $8,799.

Even before that, she had needed an unusual display of Jennings fallibility to stay in the game. He twice answered wrong on Daily Double questions, which give contestants a chance to make big wagers and increase their leads.

Some stats: Jennings' average daily haul was $34,063.51. He toyed with the previous daily record of $52,000 -- tying it four times -- before shattering it with a $75,000 win in Game 38. He gave more than 2,700 correct responses.

It made many of the games boring. But "Jeopardy!" executives aren't complaining; ratings were up 22 percent over the same period last time.

Top Ten Ways To Irritate Alex Trebek during his appearance on the Late Show.

10. "Ask him on air, 'So who did your Botox?'"
9. "Instead of responding, get his attention by throwing nickels at his head"
8. "Buzz in without using your hands"
7. "Give Courtney Love directions to his house"
6. "Whenever he says the word 'potpourri,' you mumble, 'Woman'"
5. "Tell him he's no Wink Martindale"
4. "Remind him that although he's a naturalized citizen, he'll always be a product of the evil Canadian empire"
3. "Complain that he's not nearly as Trebek-y in person"
2. "Your only response: 'Who gives a rat's ass?'"
1. "Insist on buying a vowel"

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