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KenJen Has Last Laugh
What's so funny about Jeopardy! whiz Ken Jennings?
Comedy Central viewers will soon find out.
The ultimate quiz-show champion is making Alex Trebek proud by starring in a new game show for Comedy Central, the cable network announced Monday.
The yet-to-be-titled show will likely air this fall and will feature Jennings as the host.
The project will be the first game show on the Viacom-owned network since the Emmy-winning Win Ben Stein's Money was canceled in 2002.
The move by Comedy Central is somewhat surprising, given Jennings' lack of experience in the TV biz outside of his record-breaking streak on Jeopardy! and a few resultant commercials airing in the wake of the Utah resident's newfound fame.
But Michael Davies, executive producer of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and coproducer (along with Jennings) of the new Comedy Central project, says the mild-mannered former software engineer is a real laugh riot.
"He's disarmingly funny," Davies told the Washington Post Tuesday.
Davies sees something special in Jennings, who became a celebrity during his 2004 winning streak on Jeopardy!, becoming the subject of Internet fan sites and drinking games, earning a catchy nickname (KenJen) and tapped as one of Barbara Walters' 10 Most Fascinating People of 2004.
Jennings, 31, scored 74 consecutive victories and pocketing more than $2.5 million in prize money before being defeated by California real estate agent Nancy Zerg. Jennings' streak has been cited as the main reason Jeopardy! just won the Daytime Emmy for Best Game Show.
"I was fixated by Ken," Davies told the Post of the quizmaster's epic run. "One reason: You can tell how nice this guy was, very nice, very normal, meek young guy. But nobody can win 74 straight games unless he's a vicious competitor."
Davies, who also produced Win Ben Stein's Money, hopes to get the same 11:30 p.m. nightly time slot as the now-defunct quiz show.
Comedy Central has offered up few details on the forthcoming project.
Meanwhile, the network is still smarting from marquee star Dave Chappelle's recent disappearing act.
The Chappelle's Show creator was missing for weeks before popping up in South Africa for what he described to Time magazine as a "spiritual retreat." His absence forced the network to stop production on the hit series' third season. Although Chappelle is now reportedly back in his home town in Ohio, there is no timetable for his show's return, and Comedy Central is going forward with the belief new Chappelle's Show episodes won't air this year.
Jennings, meanwhile, is keeping himself plenty busy in the run up to his new show. He has a trivia board game, "Can You Beat Ken?", due out June 1, and has appeared in advertisements for Cingular Wireless and Allstate.
He can currently be seen defending his title on Jeopardy!'s sweeps-driven Ultimate Tournament of Champions. Jennings won $16,000 Monday and $26,000 Tuesday on the showdown against fellow champs Brad Rutter and Jerome Vered. The three-day event wraps Wednesday.
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