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HOST BATTLE
Jeopardy!’s Ken Jennings warned to ‘watch his back’ as rival Ryan Seacrest’s Wheel of Fortune debut may ‘lower’ ratings
Ken currently has no long-term contract with the show
JEOPARDY! host Ken Jennings is set to come under increased pressure with Ryan Seacrest’s arrival on Wheel of Fortune, The U.S. Sun has exclusively learned.
Ken, 50, has spent this year settling into his role as sole host of Jeopardy! after co-host Mayim Bialik was let go.
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Now he faces a fresh challenge as Ryan, 49, takes over from legendary Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak.
And a Sony Television insider says it could get ugly for Ken if Jeopardy’s numbers start to dip compared to the studio’s other beloved game show.
The source said, "For decades, Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! have been very evenly matched when it comes to ratings and popularity, but they actually draw two different audiences.
"The U.S. Jeopardy! fans typically come from bigger cities, while Wheel pulls more from middle America.
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“Now that both shows are going into this fall with their new hosts in place, that equilibrium is poised to be disrupted, and at Sony Television, you can feel the excitement as Ryan settles in and starts getting his first episodes as host.
“He's bringing a sense of youth and urgency to the job that is a lot harder to pull off than it looks, and Wheel is bound to get a bump in the numbers once his episodes start running in September.
“My advice to Ken is that just because Mayim is out of the picture doesn't mean he shouldn't watch his back."
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'TRICKY SITUATION'
The source added that there is one pitfall Ken must avoid above all else.
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“Taking the Jeopardy! audience for granted is the worst possible thing he could do right now with Ryan poised to re-invent the Wheel franchise with his Top-40 radio sensibility and unflappable optimism," the insider claimed.
“In most media markets these shows run back-to-back and Ken needs to make sure he doesn't suffer from the contrast with Ryan.
“It's a tricky situation because their personalities are so radically different from one another.”
Jeopardy! fans accuse show of ‘unambiguously wrong’ clue and are ‘still annoyed about it’
Ken and Mayim were announced as Jeopardy! co-hosts in July 2022, succeeding Alex Trebek.
It came after Alex’s death from pancreatic cancer in November 2020.
After featuring a series of guest hosts, it was announced that producer Mike Richards and actress Mayim would be taking over as co-hosts.
But Richards was forced to resign in August 2021 after sexist comments online resurfaced.
Ken stepped in to split hosting duties with Mayim but took over as the permanent host for season 40 of the show.
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RYAN'S TIME
Meanwhile, longtime American Idol host Ryan is taking over from Pat, 77, after he retired last month.
Announcing his new gig in June last year, Ryan said: “I’m truly humbled to be stepping into the footsteps of the legendary Pat Sajak.”
In March, Ken was seen playfully joking about hosting Wheel himself.
In a clip posted on Instagram, Ken responded to a fan who asked "What’s it like hosting a show that you know all the answers to?”
Ken laughed and added, “It hasn’t happened yet.
“I don’t know, like, maybe they’ll let me do Wheel someday."
Some fans took it as a dig at Ryan, with one posting on social media, “Not him coming for Ryan’s job before he even starts.”
But The U.S. Sun’s source said, “I don't think Sony will let this turn into a more intense rivalry.
“The bottom line is that it's all about the ratings for both shows. There's no other measure of success.”
Jeopardy! Universe
Jeopardy! first aired in 1964 until 1975. Then the nighttime version began in 1974. Since then, spinoffs of the game show have emerged. Here are all of those
Jeopardy! - (primetime) 1974 to present, weekdays on ABC at 7pm
Tournament of Champions - 1984 to present, features the top champions who have appeared on the show since the last tournament
Celebrity Jeopardy! - 1992 to present, has celebrities comepete against each other to raise money for chairty
Jeopardy! Masters - 2023 to present, features six notable recent Jeopardy! champions competing against each other
Jeopardy! National College Championship - 2022 to present, undergraduates from 36 colleges and universities across America compete to win $100,000
Other versions of Jeopardy! have fizzled out throughout the years
STICKING WITH KEN?
Ken currently has no long-term contract with the show.
A source previously claimed to The U.S. Sun Ken has made it known to higher-ups that he's in it for the long haul.
The source claimed, “Jeopardy! is Ken's religion; he lives it, and he breathes it, and despite all the outside pressures, he's not going to mess this up.
“He’s proud to have worked his way into this position and believes he has what it takes to make it last for decades to come.
“Of course, he acknowledges that nobody could ever fill the shoes of Alex Trebek, an icon and someone Ken himself looked up to as a personal hero."
The source continued, “What he really wants more than anything is to stick around and make this position work for the long run.
"And if that means making less money to ensure his longevity, you can bet your life he’d be game.
“This isn’t all about the money," they added. "It’s a way of life for Ken and then some. He’s in it for the long run and to secure his status in the show’s history.”
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Ken made $2.5million from his record 74-game run as a contestant, $4.3million including tournaments.
Alex reportedly made $10million a year by the end of his 36-year tenure.
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