The end of an era?
Well, it had to happen sometime. Rumor has it that Ken Jennings lost on Tuesday, his 75th appearance on the show.
It will be odd watching him continue to win – due to the time difference between the taping and airing of the episodes, he’s going to be on for at least another month. It’s like watching American Beauty knowing that from the beginning, Lester Burnham will be dead by the end of the movie (“…in less than a year I will be dead. Of course I don’t know that yet…”).
How will Ken lose? Will it come as a sudden surprise in the midst of his usual utter domination, or will it be a long time coming, caused by fatigue and perhaps even paranoia of those scrambling to take his spot? Will the person that beats him put up a brilliant game, or will Ken’s downfall come solely from within? If not too many more details leak out and spoil the fun, the episode itself could prove to be a big event in popular culture (Ken Jennings is already enshrined in the annals of pop culture). No doubt it will be among the most-watched game show episodes in history.
