Why ‘Jeopardy!’ Host Ken Jennings Thinks He’s More Like Pat Sajak Than Alex Trebek
There is no doubt that Ken Jennings adores Alex Trebek and he frequently talks about his admiration and affection for the long-time Jeopardy! host. Indeed, just last week, Jennings appeared in a video for newly-launched pancreatic cancer charity The Alex Trebek Fund and spoke glowingly about the beloved host, who died on November 8, 2020, after helming the show for 37 years.
“Alex was a big inspiration for me,” he said. “He was so good at it, so graceful, so perfect for the role that we all thought the job was easy. And it’s not, hosting Jeopardy! is incredibly hard.”
As viewers of Jeopardy! have noticed, Jennings has carved out his own hosting style since taking over the role, which he shares with Mayim Bialik.
Now, in a new interview, Jennings has admitted that it’s not just Trebek who inspires him. He is also influenced by another legendary game show host… Pat Sajak.
In an appearance on actor Justin Long‘s Life Is Short podcast, Jennings reveals that as a kid he loved to watch Wheel of Fortune and there is something about Pat Sajak that he particularly liked and has tried to copy ever since he took over as host of Jeopardy!
During their podcast conversation Long brought up the subject of the Jeopardy! contestant interviews segment, which fans of the show have mixed feelings about with some wishing they would be scrapped.
Long noted that Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak is “brilliant” at interviewing contestants, and Jennings agreed, per the US Sun.
“Alex was such a genius at hosting Jeopardy! you really cannot do better than that,” said Jennings. “But as a kid, I was like ‘Pat’s more fun, Pat jokes around with the three people.’
“I think there’s a little bit of that in my PNA. I’m a little more of a Pat Sajak where I’m like if I say one more thing please end it with a joke. Where Alex was very much like ‘okay helium balloons alright. How about you?’
“I wanna make it less painful than it was for me as a viewer.”
Let us know what you think about Ken Jennings’ hosting style compared to Trebek, Sajak and Mayim Bialik in the comments section below. And stay tuned to TV Insider for all the latest news on Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune.
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