‘Jeopardy!’: Is Ken Jennings Secretly Quoting ‘Die Hard’ on Show?

Jeopardy/20th Century Fox

When it comes to Jeopardy!, fans have a keen ear and eye on what happens during the game show. And some fans have noticed that host Ken Jennings keeps subtly repeating a famous quote from Die Hard.

“‘Double Jeopardy, where the scores can really change!’ Ken’s said this a couple of times. Is he quoting John McClane in Die Hard?” a Reddit user asked. John McClane was the main character in the 1988 film, who was portrayed by Bruce Willis.

“100%,” said one user.

“Yes,” wrote another.

In Die Hard, McClane referenced Jeopardy! when he said to Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman), “Sorry, Hans, wrong guess. Would you like to go for Double Jeopardy, where the scores can really change?”

One Reddit user said that original host Art Fleming used to say the quote that Jennings does all the time. “Die Hard was quoting Art (or possibly Alex [Trebek], not sure if he used to say that back in the day). It would go something like this: ‘We’ll be right back with Double Jeopardy!, where the values are doubled and the scores can really change. But first, do you have trouble getting your floors as bright and clean as they can possibly be? Here’s a product that could be the solution you’ve been looking for. Please watch, won’t you? Thank you.’” The second sentence was right before the show cut to commercial.

It is not clear if Jennings is trying to quote one of his predecessors or Die Hard itself. However, the game show began in 1964, 24 years before the action film came out, so the quote originated from Fleming.

“There’s no way we recognize that, and he doesn’t know it,” one Reddit user said.

However, one fan said, “Nah, I think he’s just spitting facts.”

“It’s what he does,” replied another fan.

“Sometimes Ken seems to be taking pity on a player with little money, and is trying to give them hope that they can rally in Double Jeopardy. (fix spelling error),” one fan explained.

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