Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings mocked for ‘ridiculous’ accent that was ‘distracting’ in tense Tournament of Champions final

JEOPARDY! host Ken Jennings has been mocked for using a ‘ridiculous’ accent during a nail-biting Tournament of Champions final.

The winner-turned-host is typically praised for his on-camera talents and for taking over Alex Trebek’s role so seamlessly however, his schtick on today’s tense game was slammed as “distracting.”

Ken Jennings hosts Jeopardy! on Tuesday for the Tournament of ChampionsCredit: Jeopardy!

Neilesh Vinjamuri takes a stern pause before a risky true Daily Double betCredit: Jeopardy!

On Tuesday’s episode, Ken, 50, continued to captain the Jeopardy! ship as the Tournament of Champions final three battle it out for the ultimate crown.

Season 41 power players Neilesh Vinjamuri, Isaac Hirsch and Adriana Harmeyer have made their way to the final trio.

Ken went on to introduce the categories in the first Jeopardy! round – but it was the Double Jeopardy! categories that left some viewers feeling uneasy.

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However, the one that got fans talking most was: MEYER SCHUSSER, IRASCIBLE REFUGEE COMPOSER OF GOLDEN AGE HOLLYWOOD.

In order to play the part, Ken spoke with an unidentifiable accent when he delivered the Meyer Schusser clues.

The fun choice – which is a departure from the typically-serious game show – did not land well with many fans.

“Usually love Ken but I couldn’t wait for him to stop talking in the Shusser category,” one viewer said.

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From L-R: Adriana Harmeyer, Isaac Hirsch and Neilesh Vinjamuri play Jeopardy!Credit: Jeopardy!
“C’mon Ken! He usually doesn’t fall for annoying hosting tropes but damn he took that accent too far. Nails on a chalkboard to my ears,” another wrote.

“Ken putting on an accent was ridiculous,” a critic said bluntly.

“I’ll take ‘Ken please never do an accent again’ for 1000 please,” a fourth quipped.

Tuesday’s game marks another battle for Neilesh, Isaac and Adriana as they attempt to win the prestigious tournament.
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Both Neilesh and Adriana have each snagged a win and the first to score three will be crowned the 2025 Tournament of Champions victor.

Neilesh made it clear he was not going to play it safe when he went all-in after finding the second Daily Double wagers.

The contestant, who has admitted in the past to being confident in the science categories, bet it all on a true Daily Double in “Under the Microscope.”

“Some mini cnidarians that can regenerate parts of their bodies have this mythic name, like a creature fought by Hercules,” Ken read as Neilesh bet over $14,000.

Jeopardy! Set Secrets

Jeopardy! fans don’t see everything behind the scenes from watching on TV. These hidden set features make the show run smoothly:

Each podium has a hidden riser so that all contestants appear to be the same height.
After each clue is read, signal lights go off around the game board, indicating players can buzz in and respond.
Buzz in too early, and you’re locked out for .25 seconds.
The podiums have a small white light in the lower left corner, which tells Ken Jennings who goes next.
Contrary to popular belief, the player with control doesn’t have a buzzer advantage on the next clue.
To the game board’s left is a scoreboard so the players can see their opponents’ scores.
All contestants must bring three outfits to the studio, but only the host and returning champion change for the next episode.
There are wardrobe rules, including restrictions on busy patterns, solid white, purple (like the background), and logos.
Five episodes are taped in a single day, and sometimes more.
The categories, players (aside from the returning champion), and Final Jeopardy! for a tape day are all drawn randomly to ensure fairness.
Female contestants are asked not to wear makeup, which is applied backstage, and don’t wear mascara because of sweat.
Contestants fill out a questionnaire, and producers select five Q&A topics for the host.
Host Ken isn’t allowed to interact with the contestants until after the game.
Players can request to sit in a chair while competing without question.

“What is Hydra,” Neilesh responded – which was correct and doubled his score to $29,200.

Going into the final round, Neilesh was set up for a runaway win with $30,000 while Adriana was far behind in second with $14,000.

Isaac remained in third most of the game and went into the last round with just $1,600.

The only person to accurately answer Final Jeopardy! was Adriana – confirming that Neilesh’s massive Daily Double wager was the difference between him winning or losing today’s game.

Despite getting the answer wrong, it didn’t impact the score as Neilesh bet $0 – winning the game with $30,000.

Fans were impressed by his bold choice, with one saying: “You have to respect Neilesh Vinjamuri’s willingness to go all-in on Daily Doubles!”

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“This is a perfect demonstration of why Neilesh’s all-ins on DD2 or DD3 are strategically the right move for him in the finals: he’s much better at DDs (91% correct, wowza) than FJs (41%), and he’s much worse at FJs than his two opponents (Adriana 76%, Isaac 70%) so his best chance at winning is putting the game out of reach before FJ.

“If he’d wagered ‘only’ 10,000-12,000 on DD2–still a huge amount–that wouldn’t have been enough for the runaway, and Adriana would have caught him with her correct response on FJ. Great game,” another viewer pointed out.

Ken interviews contestants during today’s gameCredit: Jeopardy!