‘Jeopardy!’ Ken Jennings Pranks Former Champion On Live TV
While appearing on the CBS Boston morning show, former Jeopardy! Champion Sean McShane received a surprising message from Ken Jennings.
According to Trivia Bliss, completing the Jeopardy! online test is no easy feat. Earning a score high enough to put you in the selection pool for potential contestants is even more challenging. It’s estimated that just 3% of candidates make it beyond the selection round. Simply put, the odds of ever making it to the Jeopardy! stage are not in your favor. And all of that is before you even attempt to answer your first question on camera. Seems almost impossible, right?
For former Jeopardy! Champion Sean McShane, not only was his path to the show possible, it was profitable. The New York native found himself on a roll when he secured three wins and earned $82,401 in prize money in December 2022.
Ken Jennings Surprises The Former Jeopardy! Champion
Nearly a year after McShane’s Jeopardy! run, he once again found himself on TV. The Boston College graduate appeared on CBS Boston’s morning show to discuss his appearance on the iconic quiz show. Coming up just short of automatically qualifying for the Jeopardy! Tournament Of Champions, McShane spoke about his desire to compete in the Wildcard Tournament.
“I know that they’ve brought back people who have won at least one game, some multiple, who didn’t necessarily qualify for the tournament. Which I was happy to hear about because I was just shy,” McShane said. “I think it’s four games to qualify for the Tournament Of Champions. So if I were to get called for this, it would really up my chances of getting in.”
WBZ News Host Lisa Hughes then alerted McShane of a video that was prepared by the Jeopardy! team ahead of the interview. McShane seemed to be in a bit of shock as Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings appeared on screen.
“Hi, Sean. This is Ken Jennings with a little message for you from the Alex Trabek stage. I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but we are not going to be able to invite you back for our Champions Wildcard competition,” Jennings said in a deadpan style.
But after a few moments, Ken finally pulled back the curtain. “Because you’re going straight to the Tournament of Champions! Congratulations, Sean, we’ll see you back here soon.”
Sean looked genuinely shocked as he heard the good news. He could do nothing but nervously laugh as he looked around the news set. “That’s awesome!” McShane exclaimed as he high-fived Hughes. “He had me going for a second.”
Sean McShane Reacts To The Surprising News
After his appearance on CBS Boston, McShane spoke with The New York Post. He admitted that he was taken aback by Jennings’ very effective poker face. McShane initially assumed that he would be receiving a positive message of some sort. “I was thinking in the back of my head that they were going to invite me to the wildcard tournament.”
The former Jeopardy! Champion admits that he believed that Ken was honestly delivering some bad news. After it became apparent that it was all just a joke, he breathed a giant sigh of relief. “I should have realized what he was doing, but for two seconds in my head, I really thought ‘Wow, this seems mean. That was genuine shock on my face. I did not see that coming.”
“That hope to get called back was always in the back of my mind, but I kept telling myself to just be happy with what I got,” McShane said. “It was a welcome surprise. It’s nice to know that everyone feels that I’m worthy to go back and compete.”
What is your reaction to Ken Jennings’ surprising message? Let us know in the comments section.
- NBC Cancels Two Reality Shows In Programming Shakeup - March 18, 2024
- ‘NCIS’ A Closer Look At Mark Harmon’s Feud With Former Co-Star - March 18, 2024
- ‘TAR’ Rod Gardner’s Net Worth: Does He Need The Money? - March 14, 2024