‘Jeopardy!’: Ken Jennings’ First Episode Rerun Has Viewers Taking Pity on His First Two Opponents

With production coming to a halt amid the coronavirus spread, Jeopardy! is giving its viewers a little throwback for the next weeks. In doing so, Ken Jennings is going to be gracing the screen of the hit show throughout the special programming.

His first episode on the show re-aired on Monday and caught many viewers by surprise. For starters, the beginning of the episode — and in turn the genesis of Jennings’ 74-game run on the show — opened with quite the coincidental question that ties into the current pandemic. Then there was the nostalgia that fans were loving, particularly with the look of the set from 2004. Perhaps the most talked about, though, throughout the episode was Jennings’ two opponents, Jerry Harvey and Julia Lazarus. At the time, Harvey had a two-game win streak with an impressive $70,000 won in those victories.

Lazarus also proved to be a talented player in her one show, but knowing the outcome, fans were taking pity on Jennings’ opposition. Before the episode aired, Jennings even sent a tweet towards Lazarus, calling her a “good sport” and that she played “a very strong game.” Here are some of the reactions that poured in during the episode.

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