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Ken Jennings

Ken JenningsAKA Kenneth Wayne Jennings III

Born: 23-May-1974
Birthplace: Edmonds, WA [1]

Gender: Male
Religion: Mormon
Race or Ethnicity: White
Sexual orientation: Straight
Occupation: TV Personality

Nationality: United States
Executive summary: $2.5 Million Jeopardy! Contestant

Software engineer, who on Jeopardy! won 74 consecutive shows in 2004, and defeated 149 contestants, with winnings totalling $2,520,700 and 2,613 correct questions. The answer that failed him, "Most of this firm's 70,000 seasonal white-collar employees work only four months a year." He answered "What is Fed-Ex" (overnight delivery company), but the correct answer is "What is H&R Block?" (tax preparation firm). The show was recorded in September but was kept under wraps until "sweeps week".

Returned to the program in 2011 for a special challenge against a high-power computer dubbed Watson. The computer won, and in a post-show interview Jennings said that his electronic opponent was just like a human Jeopardy contestant: "It's very smart, very fast, speaks in an uneven monotone, and has never known the touch of a woman."


[1] Stevens Memorial Hospital, Edmonds, WA.

Wife: Mindy Boam (m. 2000)
Son: Dylan (b. 2003)
Daughter: Caitlin Elizabeth (b. 2006)

    High School: Seoul Foreign School, Seoul, South Korea
    University:
University of Washington
    University: BA English and Computer Science, Brigham Young University

    Endorsement of Allstate
    Endorsement of Cingular (2005)
    Endorsement of FedEx
    Endorsement of H&R Block
    Endorsement of Microsoft Encarta
    Religious Mission: Mormon Madrid, Spain (1993-95)

    TELEVISION
    Jeopardy! $2.5M winner


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