Ken Jennings is not done with Jeopardy! yet. After winning the Jeopardy! GOAT tournament in January, Jennings thought his run with the show was over. However, in the 37th season of the long-running game show, Jennings is now a consulting producer, and PopCulture.com recently spoke to the 46-year-old about his new role.
“It was a big surprise,” Jennings said in our PopCulture@Home series when talking about getting the call. “I assumed they would be putting me out to pasture. Like an athlete, I was realizing I was losing a step. I was getting a step slow. I won that last ring. I was getting happy to get the moment to take off my jersey.” Jennings went on to reveal that this move by Jeopardy! was decided shortly after the GOAT tournament came to an end.
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“The day the last show aired on ABC, I got a call from the Jeopardy! producers and he said, ‘Ken, I never called a contestant in 20-odd years of producing this show because of all the legal regulations around the contestants. You gotta keep them separated. But we’ve been talking, and if you’re really retired, would you like to come aboard?’” Jennings stated. “It was the most flattering thing ever.” Jennings then said he’s always been a “huge a huge fan on the show” and that it’s a “real honor” to be a consulting producer.
Here’s a peek into my nightly routine: a smoking jacket, telescopes, and talking about @Tracfone Wireless. #ad https://t.co/Uko4DRK10q pic.twitter.com/j9ZhARDZPN
— Ken Jennings (@KenJennings) October 29, 2020
With his success on Jeopardy!, Jennings has aligned himself with Tracfone Wireless. Last week, the successful game show contestant shared a few commercials of him promoting the provider and revealing why choosing Tracfone Wireless is the smart option.
My videos with @Tracfone Wireless are out! What do quantum physics & nationwide cell coverage have in common? https://t.co/Uko4DRK10q #ad pic.twitter.com/jzpiGRgWw9
— Ken Jennings (@KenJennings) October 29, 2020
“A cool thing about kind of being a famous smarty-pants in America is smart brands reach out to you,” Jennings stated. “Tracfone wireless is an affordable no-contract cellphone provider that’s the plain smart choice in their space.” Jennings also said there’s a quiz and if players can outsmart him in a series of cellphone trivia questions, they can win a free Tracfone wireless plan. “The thing about cellphone trivia is we all have a phone but we are not experts,” Jennings explained when talking about the quiz. “Jeopardy! doesn’t have a lot of cellphone trivia questions. I thought they were pretty challenging.”
