Your tip
Your tip
RadarOnlineRadarOnline
or
Sign in with lockrMail

Ken Jennings ‘Panicking’ Over Ryan Seacrest Entering Game Show Arena

Composite photo of game show hosts Ken Jennings and Ryan Seacrest.
Source: By: MEGA

Sources revealed Ken Jennings is panicking over Ryan Seacrest's TV game show host arrival.

July 19 2024, Published 2:53 p.m. ET

RadarOnline CommentsLink to FacebookShare to XShare to FlipboardShare to Email

Jeopardy host Ken Jennings is going to have to level up his game now that charismatic Ryan Seacrest is entering the arena, TV industry insiders dished to RadarOnline.com.

Jennings' Jeopardy is still the No.1 ranked game show, but Wheel of Fortune — which Seacrest is set to start hosting this fall — is a close second and expected to close the gap once the likable replacement for Pat Sajak takes the helm.

Article continues below advertisement
Photo of Ken Jennings, the highest-winning American game show contestant.
Source: By: MEGA

Jennings 'felt slighted' he wasn't chosen for the spinoff.

Article continues below advertisement

While both Jennings, 50, and Seacrest, 49, have big shoes to fill as they stepped into longtime, beloved hosts Sajak and the late Alex Trebek's roles, sources noted stark differences in their backgrounds.

A TV insider explained: "Ryan has so much more showbiz experience than Ken's ever going to have, and he's got the industry's backing and connections. Ken is merely relying on his rep as Jeopardy's greatest champion."

Article continues below advertisement
ryan seacrest cooking up celeb chef gig food empire
Source: MEGA

Seacrest was tapped to take over Wheel of Fortune upon Pat Sajak's retirement.

Article continues below advertisement

The source continued: "Ken was expecting to be a big star, but he's making a lot of mistakes, he's not keeping up with the trivia, and his knowledge of things like music is faltering."

Jennings, 50, became the official host after Mayim Bialik's departure, but he's been blasted by fans over misleading clues, miscredited songs, and mind-boggling utterances, among other bloopers.

Article continues below advertisement
Photo of 'The Big Bang Theory' star and former 'Jeopardy' co-host Mayim Bialik.
Source: By: MEGA

Jennings took over as the sole host of 'Jeopardy' when Bialik departed the show in late 2023.

Article continues below advertisement

Meanwhile, our source said Jennings is "refusing to take the blame" and warns if he isn't feeling threatened by 49-year-old Seacrest, he should be.

"Bosses over at Wheel of Fortune are thrilled to have Ryan. He has energy and audiences like him, while Ken is seen as a nerd who just got lucky."

Never miss a story — sign up for the RadarOnline.com newsletter to get your daily dose of dope. Daily. Breaking. Celebrity news. All free.

Article continues below advertisement
Composite photo of Ryan Seacrest.
Source: MEGA

Ryan Seacrest has brought major changes to the Wheel of Fortune set.

Article continues below advertisement

And Jennings is basically working without a net. Unlike his predecessor, he doesn't have a long-term contract.

The source added: "Ken better step it up because he can be ditched at anytime. His contract doesn't ensure that he'll have the job for years. Ken wants to be doing this for a long time, but he's going to have to prove his worth."

Image of a woman with shocked expression

Never Miss an

Exclusive

Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox

By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

READ MORE ON GOSSIP
Article continues below advertisement

As this outlet reported, Jennings isn't completely naive toward his uncertain future as the host of the popular game show.

In fact, sources claimed the 50-year-old host was so desperate to remain at the Jeopardy helm that he took a pay cut to ensure he wouldn't be replaced.

Opt-out of personalized ads

© Copyright 2024 RADAR ONLINE™️. A DIVISION OF MYSTIFY ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK INC. RADAR ONLINE is a registered trademark. All rights reserved. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service, Privacy Policy and Cookies Policy. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services. Offers may be subject to change without notice.