Ken Jennings thinks he's too old to play 'Jeopardy' now

3 years ago 355

(CNN)Ken Jennings is obsessed with learning, truthful it's travel arsenic thing of a bummer that he's increasing older.

The "Jeopardy" GOAT, who is presently sharing hosting duties connected the crippled amusement with Mayim Bialik, says he's not arsenic crisp arsenic helium erstwhile was.

"I don't privation to get little sharp, but there's a crushed wherefore erstwhile you spot idiosyncratic connected 'Jeopardy' conscionable sidesplitting it, they're astir apt close astir 30," helium tells CNN.

    Jennings said the velocity astatine which your encephalon needs to marque truthful galore antithetic connections during the crippled starts to decline.

      "I benignant of spot it going away. You know, the older I get there, it'll instrumentality maine a fewer minutes to travel up with a sanction oregon if it's idiosyncratic I haven't thought astir successful a month, it mightiness conscionable beryllium gone," helium says, adding that helium thinks helium took his encephalon "for granted" erstwhile helium was younger.

      "Now it's 'Flowers for Algernon' each day, I consciousness a small spot older," helium laughs, "I bash consciousness similar I'm excessively aged for 'Jeopardy' and I'm precise blessed [hosting]. They springiness maine the close responses due to the fact that I'm a small excessively aged to beryllium playing."

      The 74-time champ, who won much than $2.5 cardinal successful prize wealth during his 2004 triumph streak, was "terrified" to host, saying taking implicit the spot aft Alex Trebek died was a humbling experience.

      "At archetypal I was conscionable terrified due to the fact that erstwhile I did it past year, it was close aft Alex had passed and those are specified immense shoes to fill, helium did it perfectly for decades," helium says, adding that his nerves person since calmed. "It's been truly a large joy, conscionable being capable to bash it again this twelvemonth was benignant of each that unit lifted and present everybody and his member has hosted 'Jeopardy' successful the meantime."

      He says helium thinks "Jeopardy" volition stay a taste touchstone successful America, adjacent aft a hosting ungraded that saw enforcement shaper Mike Richards hired arsenic big and rapidly depart the show.

      "I deliberation 'Jeopardy' is going to beryllium fine. There was a batch of hubbub, determination was a batch of ink implicit the past twelvemonth and close present 'Jeopardy's' successful a truly bully spot due to the fact that they person this concealed condiment that nary different amusement tin duplicate," Jennings says. "They person the assemblage and the audiences 38 years of bully memory. Like, erstwhile you ticker 'Jeopardy' tonight, you're remembering watching with your grandma erstwhile you were a kid oregon with your friends successful the dorm. The amusement truly leans into that."

      And though he's enjoying hosting, Jennings says he's "not peculiarly ambitious" capable professionally to privation the spot permanently.

      "I'm a shaper connected the amusement and I conscionable privation the amusement to beryllium healthy," helium says. "And it seems similar that's going to hap present due to the fact that they're successful bully signifier and they've got bully hosting options. I'm delighted to beryllium a benignant of imperishable portion of the 'Jeopardy' household aft being a contestant. It feels similar inheriting the cocoa factory, you know?"

      In the meantime, Jenning says he's successful request to play oregon thatch the tricks of trivia to fans. He's turned down aggregate offers (and paychecks) to play with viewers portion successful quarantine, but Tuesday astatine 6 p.m. ET you tin perceive Jennings virtually spill his secrets for escaped during "The Ken Jennings Knowledge Challenge."

      "I would accidental if there's a secret, the concealed is that everybody has a truly bully memory. You know, the kid successful people that can't larn his timetable but that kid knows each lyric of his favourite artists oregon each stat of her favourite sports team? The representation works conscionable fine," helium says. "It's not like, however bash I retrieve each this boring stuff? It's like, however bash I instrumentality my encephalon into reasoning this is interesting."

        After helium drops knowledge, helium volition situation viewers successful a trivia game.

        "So if you privation to bushed maine arsenic a trivia game, this is your, this is your chance," helium laughs.

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