Ken Jennings is usually applauded as an excellent Jeopardy! host, from his onscreen demeanor to his own experience as a champion on the show. However, Jennings appears to have one weakness as a host: his impressions.
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Jennings’ Borat Voice Didn’t Leave A Good Impression On Viewers
Jennings is one of the game show’s longest-running champions, and fans were happy to hear that he would be taking over as host after Alex Trebek’s death. Jennings brings his own style to the role of host, but he just can’t seem to get his movie character impressions right.
One impression that had some viewers cringing was his Borat voice. Borat is a character played by Sasha Baron Cohen in a movie of the same name. The character is known for his distinctive voice, but it seems like Jennings just couldn’t replicate it.
One unimpressed viewer joked that Jeopardy! should bring back Mayim after the impersonation. However, fans still loved the attempt, with one calling it “the highlight” of their day. Another said they would watch an entire episode of Jennings doing Borat impressions.
‘Nobody Laughed’ At His Bane Impression
Another character voice the Jeopardy! host tried out was Bane, a villain from the 2012 Batman movie The Dark Knight Rises. The bad guy, played by Tom Hardy, sports a mask that distorts his voice.
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“ken jennings just did a bane impression and nobody laughed,” one person tweeted. The audience might not have laughed, but plenty of Twitter users shared that Jennings’ Bane voice made them laugh at home.
The Impression Jennings Can Do Well, Plus His Other Achievements
Jennings might not have his movie character voices down, but there’s one real-life celebrity he can impersonate pretty well—former president John F. Kennedy. Jennings does his Kennedy impression on his podcast Omnibus from time to time, and it’s definitely the best from his repertoire.
Jennings might not be great at impressions of movie characters, but he clearly has talents that lie in other areas. He holds the longest winning streak on Jeopardy! with 74 consecutive wins, as well as the record for highest average correct responses per game.
He is also the highest-earning American game show contestant, winning large sums of money on five different game shows. His Jeopardy! winnings alone total $4,522,700. Jennings’ celebrity impressions could use a little work, but his knowledge of trivia is definitely one of the best!