Ken Jennings

Ken, a white man with light brown hair leans against a pillar in an industrial looking room, wearing a blue suit coat, white button-up shirt and pink tie.

Media image

  • Ken Jennings
  • writer and speaker

Due to contract restrictions, this presentation will be available to view through February 23, 2023.

Ken Jennings is known for his trivia prowess after setting (and continuing to hold) the record for the longest winning streak on Jeopardy! In 2004, he successfully auditioned for a spot on the show and went on an unprecedented 74-game victory streak worth $2.52 million. He then went on to appear in several special tournaments, including the ABC special, “The Greatest of All Time,” which he won. Later that year, he joined the game show as a consulting producer, and in early 2021, he guest-hosted the program for six weeks after the passing of long-time host Alex Trebek. In July 2022, Ken Jennings was announced as a permanent host sharing duties with Mayim Balik.

As a speaker, Jennings appears at college and corporate events nationwide, covering topics ranging from the importance of education to artificial intelligence (specifically his encounter with IBM’s Watson) to his love of geography — always sharing his insider stories from behind the scenes at Jeopardy! For Calvin’s January Series, he will discuss why it’s important to be a generalist in the age of hyper-specialization.

Jennings has published 12 books, including Brainiac about his Jeopardy! Adventures, Maphead on geography obsessives, and Because I Said So regarding parenting myths. He currently stars on ABC's hit game show The Chase and GSN’s Master Mind. He also co-hosts the twice-weekly podcast Omnibus.  

Presentations at Calvin University

And the Answer Is: Why Is It Better to Be a Generalist?
Part of the: January Series
Monday, January 23, 2023 12:30:00 PM

Publication(s) for this event

Planet Funny: How Comedy Ruined Everything

Planet Funny: How Comedy Ruined Everything
by Ken Jennings
Scribner (July 9, 2019)
Purchase this publication


Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs cover image

Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs
by Ken Jennings
Random House Publishing Group (October 30, 2007)
Purchase this publication


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