Who holds the record for winning the most Jeopardy! games?
As a kid, I'd sprawl on the living room floor during Jeopardy!, shouting out answers (or questions, technically) like I was some kind of pint-sized genius. Of course, my correct answers were usually limited to categories like "Cartoon Characters" or "Ice Cream Flavors." But hey, we all start somewhere, right?
The show hit the jackpot when Alex Trebek took the helm in 1984. With his mustache and signature deadpan, Trebek could make even the most snooze-worthy facts sound like breaking news. "This ancient Sumerian ruler was known for his love of gardening." Boring, right? Not when Trebek said it.
Jeopardy! has served up some truly wild moments over the years. Remember when IBM's Watson computer went head-to-head with human champs? It was like watching the beginning of a sci-fi movie, minus the part where the AI tries to take over the world (we hope). And don't even get me started on those Saturday Night Live Celebrity Jeopardy! skits. Will Ferrell's Trebek impression is the gift that keeps on giving.
To keep things spicy, Jeopardy! also cooked up a buffet of tournaments. The Teen Tournament reminds us that the future is bright (and that we're getting old). The Tournament of Champions is like the Super Bowl for people who read encyclopedias for fun. And Celebrity Jeopardy!? It's a humbling reminder that being famous doesn't mean you know the capital of North Dakota.
But the real game-changer? In 2003, Jeopardy! said "sayonara" to the five-win limit. Before that, winning five games meant forced retirement (with a nice chunk of change, of course). Now? The sky's the limit, baby. This opened the floodgates for some mind-boggling winning streaks.
So, here's today's thousand-dollar question (or should I say, "What is today's thousand-dollar question?"): Since this rule change, which trivia titan has absolutely demolished the competition, racking up more wins than anyone in Jeopardy! history?
