Ken Jennings Reveals the Best Way to Study for ‘Jeopardy!’
Who better to take Jeopardy! advice from than the G.O.A.T himself, Ken Jennings? The host shared the best way to study once getting on the show and which categories to always look out for.
Jennings talked with Fox News Digital on the red carpet for the TCM Classic Film Festival on May 22 and said contestants shouldn’t overthink their study habits. “I would say watching the show is the best way to prep for the show,” he told the outlet.
“If you watch Jeopardy!, like the rhythm of the host’s voice will kind of get into your pulse. You’ll know the kind of stuff that comes up, the kind of material. That’s how you become a good Jeopardy! player,” he continued.
The game show host went on to say that if someone is cramming for the show and really needs a few categories to focus on, they should study U.S. Presidents and their First Ladies in order, as well as world capitals.
“And I think those are the two things that is like the most bang for your buck if you’re cramming for Jeopardy!” Jennings told the outlet.
However, before becoming the genius and legend that he is, Jennings revealed that he did a lot of studying ahead of his time on the show. This led him to win 74 games and $4,370,700 in all-time winnings.
Jennings should have brushed up on more hockey facts because there were a lot of them during his run. “It made me sweat,” he said.
As a former player turned host, Jennings said that he has a lot of empathy for the current players. “Everybody there has passed a very hard test to be on the show. So really it comes down to who can perform under pressure because these people are not used to doing this with lights and camera and everything,” he told Fox News.
Jennings said that some players “step up” and “become their best selves,” while others are “like a deer in headlights.” “I absolutely remember that. It’s very overwhelming,” he said.
Because of that, he tries to make their interview stories interesting. Jennings also wishes he could help contestants when they make mistakes.
“I saw somebody mess up her wager in Final Jeopardy! once, but once you lock in that wager, and she was just, ‘Oh no, I messed up the math,’ but I wish I could jump in and do people’s math for them, but I’m not allowed, constitutionally,” Jennings said.
For some contestants to win, it comes down to “who can perform the best under pressure,” he explained.
Jeopardy!, weekdays, check local listings, stream next day on Hulu and Peacock
