‘Jeopardy!’ legend Ken Jennings tried his luck on ‘Wheel of Fortune.’ Here’s what happened

Ken Jennings is competing on “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune,” alongside his “Jeopardy!” co-host Mayim Bialik and “Wheel of Fortune” star Vanna White.
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Eighteen years after his legendary “Jeopardy!” run, Ken Jennings still holds the record for most consecutive games won — a staggering 74 games. Now, Jennings has tried out another popular game show.

On Wednesday, Jennings competed on “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune” — against his “Jeopardy!” co-host Mayim Bialik and “Wheel of Fortune” star Vanna White, who took a break from revealing the letters.

White had actually competed on “Wheel of Fortune” one other time — in a 1997 April Fools’ Day episode that was hosted by late “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Twenty-eight-year-old Maggie Sajak, the daughter of longtime “Wheel of Fortune” host Pat Sajak, took White’s place as co-host.

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At the start of the episode, Jennings and Bialik battled it out over a toss-up puzzle. Bialik rang in first — with a lot of excitement — and guessed that the mystery phrase was “Funny meeting you here.” Almost immediately, she realized her mistake. But it was too late. Jennings rang in and solved it: “Fancy meeting you here.”

“Thank you,” Jennings told a laughing Bialik.

“They may be two hosts, but they work together like that,” “Wheel of Fortune” Pat Sajak said. “It’s really wonderful to see.”

The hourlong episode featured two 30-minute games. Bialik, whose energy was truly unmatched, dominated the first game, earning $47,200 (Jennings came in second with $11,000).

Jennings — who was known for being quick on the buzzer during his “Jeopardy!” run — seemed to get the hang of things during the second game. At one point during that game, Jennings rapidly answered three puzzles under the category “proper names,” earning $15,000 in a matter of seconds. He was so quick, Sajak noted, that the show had time for an extra puzzle. Jennings ended the game with $61,800.

Adding up the scores for both games, Jennings walked away with $72,800, and Bialik earned $62,200. White, who has co-hosted “Wheel of Fortune” for four decades, struggled as a contestant.

“That’s been called?!” White said at one point after she shouted out a letter that had already been used. “Oh my gosh! I’m terrible at this game!”

White finished the two games with $2,000 but got bumped up to the show’s $30,000 minimum.

All three celebrity contestants were competing for charities: Jennings for Equal Justice Initiative; Bialik for Mental Wealth Alliance; and White for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, per Entertainment Tonight.

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Ken Jennings calls competing on ‘Wheel of Fortune’ ‘a real bucket list’

At the start of the episode, Sajak briefly chatted with Jennings about interactions with “Jeopardy!” fans, asking if he ever gets quizzed on the spot.

“People will literally come up to me on the street with a very hard trivia question that they have all ready apparently,” Jennings said. “I was with my kids at the lake once in the mountains. A guy just walks out of the woods and looks at me and says, ‘This 1980s band…’”

Jennings also told Sajak that he never dreamed he’d end up hosting the quiz show that has been a part of his life since childhood.

“Not in my wildest dreams,” Jennings said. “But ‘Jeopardy!’ and ‘Wheel’ were always my favorite shows as a kid. So this is a real bucket list for me.”

Vanna White, Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings compete on “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune.”
Vanna White, Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings compete on “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune.” | ABC

How to watch ‘Celebrity Wheel of Fortune’

The finale episode of “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune” aired May 10 at 8 p.m. MDT on ABC. The episode is now available for streaming on Hulu.

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The “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune” episode aired after games four and five of the ongoing “Jeopardy!” Masters tournament, hosted by Jennings. The tournament features six of the quiz show’s highest-ranked contestants competing for the title of “Jeopardy!” Master, the Deseret News reported.