Un-Happy Anniversary

Today marks the 63rd anniversary of one of the most infamous attacks on the United States ever. It was on this date that the Japanese bombed the USS Arizona and killed over 2300 while wounding over 1100 at Pearl Harbor. The bombing led to the United States entering World War II, and will forever be remembered by those who were there, and those who weren't, as one of the most criminal acts from one country to another in the 20th century. Though certainly an un-happy anniversary it is, Pearl Harbor is not the topic I'll be discussing in this blog. Maybe next year.

Today also marks the 6 month anniversary of me putting both feet in, and placing all my eggs in one basket. A decision that required much courage of me. A decision that I probably would not have made in years past. A decision that I couldn't pass up on, however, because of the potential prize on the other side and the feelings that I had for that sublime reward. A decision that I was Dying to Find a Way to Get away From or around, but a decision I couldn't deny. A decision that would take me on an often incredible, but ultimately painful voyage. A saga that began like a Hollywood romance, but ended like a tragic Hollywood epic. But that too is a topic for another time.

Today, I'd like to mark the one-week anniversary of the defeat of Jeopardy's supreme icon. A champion like no other, Mr. Ken Jennings. As an avid Jeopardy fan for well over a decade, and a trivia nut, I can honestly say that I never thought such a run of brilliance would ever occur. Each year, thousands of trivia junkies like me try out for Jeopardy. After a series of extremely difficult tests on an ocean of topics that is wider than the Pacific, only a handful of contestants are flown out to California to compete.

Every once in a while there is a contestant that sets themselves apart from the rest, and wins 5 games. That Champion would then leave the show, and could reappear during the auspicious "Tournament of Champions" which showcased the gamet of 5-time champs (and sometimes 4-time champs if there weren't enough 5-timers during the season). Beginning last season, if a Champion won 5 games, they wouldn't be required to leave the show, they could continue winning until they were dethroned by a challenger.

Well, "Mr. Jeopardy" took advantage. Ken Jennings won over $2.5 million dollars in his reign of 74 victories (w/a consolation prize of $2000 in his defeat) which literally left hundreds of extremely intelligent braniacs feeling as though they had more studying to do. In contrast, as I recall, the previous consecutive victories record was 7 on the show (I'm sure you can check me on that one, there's Ken Jennings stuff all over the web).

I remember watching the very first week he was on the show. I knew something was different about him because he was not only winning, but he had virtually won each game by the middle of Double Jeopardy. By that I mean that even if he had answered all of the remaining questions incorrectly (which you lose money for), and a challenger would answer them all correctly, he'd still have more than twice their dollar amount heading into final Jeopardy.

By the 8th episode that he was on, I began telling everyone that they had to see how dominant this Jeopardy guy was. I remember the first time I made my roommate sit down and watch. He marveled in awe because he took note of the fact that Ken didn't answer a single question incorrectly that day, and he rang in on almost every one. I continued to spread Ken's fame to everyone I knew, and only missed when I had to (one particular night in July pertaining to the 2nd paragraph of this blog being one of those times). I was anxious to see if this guy could continue winning, and if so, by how much.

Night after night, Ken didn't disappoint, often annihilating the competition by $20,000 and sometimes $30,000. By the end of the season, he was still dominating and ended undefeated. When the next season began, it was the same ole Ken, winning huge and often uncontested in Final Jeopardy. Then there was this rumor on the internet, sometime in September, that Ken had lost in his 75th appearance after amassing over $2.5 million dollars.

That announcement kinda took the juice out of watching the show, but I still chimed in on a frequent basis just to see if he was still on. Sure enough, he was.

Knowing that his run was reportedly coming to an end last week, I tuned up the VCR, positioned myself in front of the TV, and watched in dismay as Ken began hot, but started to falter in the Double Jeopardy round. He bet big money (as he often did) on both of the Daily Doubles which he usually feasted on. This time though, he missed both of them, something I don't recall him doing in any episode that I saw. So, though he was leading going into Final Jeopardy, he was within reach of the one challenger that remained. She bet just enough to beat him, and he answered incorrectly. The streak was over, but not the fame.

Immediately after the show, he was on virtually every news station. And for the space of about 48 hours, Ken Jennings was a major news story. His chain of victories had already afforded him spots on David Letterman and a significant level of fame. He is now more of a celebrity than most of the losers on those pathetic Reality TV shows, though much less than many overrated athletes and actors.

I have heard some people complain about how big a deal Ken has become, and that they were tired of seeing him on the show. To them I'd like to say that I think it is great that Ken won so many times. Indeed, I think that it is quite refreshing that there is a semi-celebrity out there who achieved that status through intellect as opposed to attaining such status by sleeping with 7 of his roommates in a high-rise in Vegas or by amassing amazing statistical feats with the aid of steroids. Though we esteem education through words in this country, we rarely reward it. On the flipside, though we sometimes criticize the conduct of entertainers, we often praise them, many times for doing very little, through media exposure as well as through monetary gain.

I think that it is a wonderful thing that Ken Jennings, Mr. Jeopardy, has turned the table on the conventional celebrity. And I look forward to Ken's return on Jeopardy during the 2005-06 version of the Tournament of Champions.

Long live trivia!
-Maelstrom

Ken Jennings Info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Jennings