A Jeopardy! contestant has shared a sweet moment from his childhood with host Ken Jennings, which almost had the player in tears.
Michael Menkhus brought up his late grandmother when sharing a bit about himself with Ken and the audience.
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Before the game show continued with its action, Ken asked Michael: “We mentioned watching the show with your grandmother- is appearing on the show an emotional experience for you?”
Michael responded: “It’s obviously an emotional rollercoaster, everything about Jeopardy is an emotional rollercoaster.”
“… Some of my earliest memories are of sitting on her lap watching game shows… just like this,” Michael said, clearly attempting to hold back tears.
Michael then realized: “Actually, probably watching your streak now that I think about it, I was about that age.”
The TV host chuckled and added: “I love stories about how multi-generational it is, people with those memories of watching it with grandparents of friends… it’s fantastic.”
Ken, 48, still holds the record for longest winning streak on Jeopardy! with 74 consecutive wins– a run that helped him take home over $4million.
As for Michael, he previously mentioned his late grandmother to viewers in another episode.
He shared: “This has been a lifetime dream. My grandma sat me on her lap when I was a newborn to watch Jeopardy!.
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“I’d just like to think that she’s looking down and smiling right now…”
Michael- a data analyst from Kansas City- saw his short run end on Monday, September 26, however, reeling in $48K during his two-day run.
ALL THAT SHADE
Ken’s touching exchange with Michael is a complete 180 from a recent one he had with a player named Navid Mehrjou.
On Friday, September 23, Ken seemed to shade Navid after the contestant revealed what he planned to do with his winnings.
“I would love to go on a murder mystery cruise if I win,” Navid shared at the time.
“Is there a specific type of murder mystery cruise?” Ken asked.
Navid replied: “The Golden Girls had an episode back in the day where the ladies went to a hotel and it was a murder mystery… and it was amazing.
“And that has made me want to take a murder mystery cruise.”
“The Golden Girls have determined the course of your life, perhaps?” Ken then joked, as the audience chuckled.
“In this endeavor and many others,” Navid replied and looked away sheepishly while the crowd laughed some more.
Ken is hosting the iconic game show until January while Mayim Bialik, until then, will be hosting the spinoff Celebrity Jeopardy!, which made its debut on September 25th.
However, Mayim didn’t exactly receive winning remarks as they slammed the 46-year-old as “awful.”
The celebrity spinoff- which was labeled as “cringe”- had Andy Richter, Marvel Shang-Chi’s Simi Liu, and Saturday Night Live‘s Ego Nwodim in the first episode.
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