The Game Show Forum

The Game Show Forum => The Big Board => Topic started by: BillCullen1 on November 11, 2014, 05:03:48 PM

Title: Ken Jennings on Millionaire this Friday
Post by: BillCullen1 on November 11, 2014, 05:03:48 PM
Promos on the show and Buzzerblog report that Ken Jennings will be on WWTBAM with Terry Crews this Friday. It's part of a Guiness World Records week.

EDIT - I see we have a Millionaire Theme Weeks thread. I didn't see that before. If the mods want to put this into that thread, go ahead.
Title: Re: Ken Jennings on Millionaire this Friday
Post by: TLEberle on November 11, 2014, 05:14:49 PM
I've asked it before, I'll ask it again: what world record does he hold?
Title: Re: Ken Jennings on Millionaire this Friday
Post by: curtking on November 11, 2014, 05:30:51 PM
Seeing as how they're giving world records out for just about anything these days, I would suspect "most consecutive wins on a game show."  But that's just a guess.
Title: Re: Ken Jennings on Millionaire this Friday
Post by: MSTieScott on November 11, 2014, 05:31:29 PM
I've asked it before, I'll ask it again: what world record does he hold?

According to this page (https://www.ted.com/speakers/ken_jennings), it is (was?) "most cash won on a game show." Regardless, whether it's been authenticated by Guinness or not, I know he holds the world record for most "Jeopardy!" victories.
Title: Re: Ken Jennings on Millionaire this Friday
Post by: clemon79 on November 11, 2014, 06:01:56 PM
I've asked it before, I'll ask it again: what world record does he hold?

Most Ken Jenningest Ken Jennings.
Title: Re: Ken Jennings on Millionaire this Friday
Post by: Kevin Prather on November 11, 2014, 06:20:44 PM
Seeing as how they're giving world records out for just about anything these days, I would suspect "most consecutive wins on a game show."  But that's just a guess.
Not true though. Ian Lygo has one more.
Title: Re: Ken Jennings on Millionaire this Friday
Post by: PYLdude on November 11, 2014, 09:45:43 PM
I've asked it before, I'll ask it again: what world record does he hold?

I would assume "most cash won on a game show in regular play", since he still holds that record.

He'd have to become the show's fourth millionaire to get his overall record back.
Title: Re: Ken Jennings on Millionaire this Friday
Post by: TLEberle on November 11, 2014, 09:56:39 PM
I would assume "most cash won on a game show in regular play", since he still holds that record.
Does he? Andrew Kravis won $2.6m on the Million Second Quiz.

Quote
He'd have to become the show's fourth millionaire to get his overall record back.
But is that true worldwide? He's already not the biggest money winner--career in the United States. He doesn't have the longest winning streak either. It reminds me of GWR and Alex Trebek having a record for consecutive hosting. You have to go through a process to get a record from GWR, and I'm curious as to what it is. From what I recall he didn't have one in the 2014 almanac version of the book.

Title: Re: Ken Jennings on Millionaire this Friday
Post by: pacdude on November 11, 2014, 09:59:37 PM
It's been made clear elsewhere—he's playing to *set* a record: first to win $1,000,000 on two different American game shows. I'll ask him when I talk to him on Thursday for Buzzer.
Title: Re: Ken Jennings on Millionaire this Friday
Post by: TLEberle on November 11, 2014, 10:02:00 PM
And if he had backed himself, he could have set a nearly-unbeatable treble win.
Title: Re: Ken Jennings on Millionaire this Friday
Post by: PYLdude on November 11, 2014, 10:03:50 PM
I would argue The Million Second Quiz, as it was set up, was a tournament and thus not what might be considered regular play.
Title: Re: Ken Jennings on Millionaire this Friday
Post by: Chuck Sutton on November 12, 2014, 07:26:20 PM
Terry has said more than once it is current or PAST record holders.  I am sure he had more than one record when his run ended.
Title: Re: Ken Jennings on Millionaire this Friday
Post by: Prizes on November 12, 2014, 09:47:21 PM
Offhand, at the time it ended in 2004, the couple I can think of right now are, if rather obvious to fans of the genre: Total American game show winnings record by an individual, and most consecutive wins on a show, Thom McKee's old record.

There's also the still-current record of answering the most questions/answers correctly, by an individual, among all appearances of game shows, if that makes sense.
Title: Re: Ken Jennings on Millionaire this Friday
Post by: TLEberle on November 12, 2014, 10:15:38 PM
There's also the still-current record of answering the most questions/answers correctly, by an individual, among all appearances of game shows, if that makes sense.
I'd be very keen to see some statistics on this as it compares to the exploits of Ian Lygo who bored England's TV watchers for fifteen weeks on 100%.
Title: Re: Ken Jennings on Millionaire this Friday
Post by: Matt Ottinger on November 12, 2014, 11:07:39 PM
Total American game show winnings record by an individual, and most consecutive wins on a show, Thom McKee's old record.

If you're going to qualify them as being "American" records, then they're not "World Records", are they?

Title: Re: Ken Jennings on Millionaire this Friday
Post by: Prizes on November 12, 2014, 11:36:20 PM
Total American game show winnings record by an individual, and most consecutive wins on a show, Thom McKee's old record.

If you're going to qualify them as being "American" records, then they're not "World Records", are they?

Mea culpa. My faulty basis was reading Chris' post to mean any sort of record, no matter if it only applied to an individual country, as I forgot it was World Records week.

/Guinness currently has at least one 'world record' wrong
//suck it, Trebek
Title: Re: Ken Jennings on Millionaire this Friday
Post by: vtown7 on November 14, 2014, 12:17:50 PM
Watching the show right now and I'm wondering - is Ken the first to go from Millionaire helper (having served as "ask the expert" previously in a family week) to non-celebrity contestant?
R.
Title: Re: Ken Jennings on Millionaire this Friday
Post by: Kevin Prather on November 14, 2014, 05:25:22 PM
Probably would have to be. What other celebrity helpers would qualify as a non-celebrity contestant?

Unless you wanna count former phone-a-friends. Then I bet there are plenty.
Title: Re: Ken Jennings on Millionaire this Friday
Post by: Thunder on November 14, 2014, 06:47:15 PM
I would call Ken Jennings a "celebrity contestant" here.
Title: Re: Ken Jennings on Millionaire this Friday
Post by: Matt Ottinger on November 14, 2014, 07:12:02 PM
I would call Ken Jennings a "celebrity contestant" here.

We're in interesting and fairly uncharted territory here.  Ken is clearly an invited "celebrity" contestant.  Nevertheless, he's playing to win money for himself, not some designated charity.  Traditionally, those two things have not gone together.  So obviously, traditionalists are going to have a hard time with the semantics of it.
Title: Re: Ken Jennings on Millionaire this Friday
Post by: Kevin Prather on November 14, 2014, 07:52:25 PM
To me, the only hang-up is the fact that he was invited instead of trying out. Otherwise, celebrity status doesn't really enter into it. Celebrities, to varying degrees, have been run-of-the-mill contestants on game shows before, Millionaire included.
Title: Re: Ken Jennings on Millionaire this Friday
Post by: BillCullen1 on November 14, 2014, 10:48:36 PM
Jennings was also on GSN's Grand Slam where he won the top prize of $100,000. He was invited on that show as well.
Title: Re: Ken Jennings on Millionaire this Friday
Post by: Kevin Prather on November 15, 2014, 06:32:49 AM
Jennings was also on GSN's Grand Slam where he won the top prize of $100,000. He was invited on that show as well.
All the contestants were invited for Grand Slam. Completely different animal.
Title: Re: Ken Jennings on Millionaire this Friday
Post by: clemon79 on November 15, 2014, 11:09:03 AM
Jennings was also on GSN's Grand Slam where he won the top prize of $100,000. He was invited on that show as well.
All the contestants were invited for Grand Slam. Completely different animal.

Not to mention, the entire damn REASON they were invited...was because they were successful former game-show contestants.

(I wasn't gonna bother at first, but since you started, might as well finish.)
Title: Re: Ken Jennings on Millionaire this Friday
Post by: Kevin Prather on November 16, 2014, 12:24:48 AM
Not to mention, the entire damn REASON they were invited...was because they were successful former game-show contestants.

(I wasn't gonna bother at first, but since you started, might as well finish.)
You got to the point better than I did.
Title: Re: Ken Jennings on Millionaire this Friday
Post by: BillCullen1 on November 19, 2014, 09:26:54 AM
I was just saying that Ken was on that show too, since I'm sure people forgot that. Anyway, the result of Ken's appearance on Millionaire:

He decided to walk with $100K. Regardless of the result, I thought most of Ken's questions were stacked in his favor.
Title: Re: Ken Jennings on Millionaire this Friday
Post by: TLEberle on November 19, 2014, 12:47:05 PM
By that do you mean easier in general (like yesterday's celebrity episode) or geared to fall into Things Ken Knows (which could be lots of stuff)?

Given all of the promotion and buildup I thought the final resolution was a bit of a letdown.
Title: Re: Ken Jennings on Millionaire this Friday
Post by: BillCullen1 on November 19, 2014, 03:48:02 PM
By that do you mean easier in general (like yesterday's celebrity episode) or geared to fall into Things Ken Knows (which could be lots of stuff)?

Given all of the promotion and buildup I thought the final resolution was a bit of a letdown.

I meant the latter, and I agree that it was a bit of a letdown.