Ken Jennings was known for his personality when he played 74 games Threat! champion, and the same can be said of him now that he’s hosting a beloved trivia show.

In 2004, Barbara Walters named Jennings one of the ten most fascinating people of the year, so it’s no surprise that the record Threat! champ landed on the short list for a new host following the death of longtime host Alex Trebek in 2020.

Ever since he became the only one Threat! Jennings, the host in 2023, introduced that cheeky sense of humor and playfulness to the contestants. Below are some of the most viral moments from the long-running game show, as decided by opinions on the show’s official Instagram account.

Back to Empty (8.2 million views)

In one of Threat!The most successful Instagram reels, host Jennings can be seen randomly saying a clued answer, prompting the judges to throw it away.

For a category requiring contestants to spell out song titles, Jennings accidentally read, “Paint it black” rather than “Paint it blank and Back to blank,” which would have allowed contestants to answer, “What is black?”

The host quickly realized how messed up he was when he smiled at the mistake and acknowledged that they would have to “throw” the clue. “I think I should have said ’empty’ there,” he joked, wincing a little. The Instagram caption let fans know that it wasn’t that big of a deal because they “always have spare leads” and “just did a simple swap on air!”

The “Spooky Ham” Story (1.7 million views)

Science fiction writer Ellen Klages was captivated Threat! to the audience as she told her “spooky ham” story during Threat! Masters in May. She recalled how her father got a Smithfield ham for Christmas in the late 1980s and then let it hang in the cellar (whereas this meat is usually supposed to hang in a “dry smokehouse for maybe six months”) for 20 years.

She briefly talked about ham as Jennings caught up with each of the contestants, but the ghost story stayed with the host, who asked Klages follow-up questions throughout the episode.

When her father died in 2008, the “spooky ham” was left to Klages and her sister, whose plan was reportedly to “burn it down and give it a Viking funeral.” Instead, they gave him a rather spooky funeral, surrounded by leftover birthday candles and stuffed monkeys she found in her attic.

Ken’s faux pas (1.3 million views)

In the question from the “All Aboard” category, the judges were looking for the answer “sandwich board”. However, it was the message on the sandwich board image that had fans laughing. The board read, “What’s a hoe?” who made fun of Threat! former champion and current host Jennings’ question was infamously wrong in 2004.

When given the clue, “this term for a long-handled gardening tool can also mean an immoral pleasure seeker,” Jennings shocked host Trebek when he buzzed and replied, “What’s a hoe?” The correct answer was “digging”.

End of record run (1.2 million views)

In 2004, Jennings set the record for the highest-paid contestant on an American game show after securing 74 consecutive game wins and earning about $2.5 million. So what finally brought him out? In short, H&R Block.

Trade and industry was The ultimate threat! category and the clue was: “Most of this firm’s 70,000 seasonal white-collar workers only work four months of the year.” In this popular Instagram reel, fans can see the moment Jennings incorrectly answered, “What is FedEx?” losing to contestant Nancy Zerg, who correctly guessed, “What is H&R Block?”

The caption simply reads: “20 years later, relive the heartbreak of Ken Jennings’ last game in his historic 74-game hitting streak.”

Spongebob Squarepants Knowledge Test (855k views)

The September episode featured contestant Evan Suttell’s “encyclopedic” knowledge of the first three seasons Spongebob Squarepants was put to the test by Jennings. Outside of regular acting — and in a popular video shared on the show’s Instagram page — Jennings interrogated Suttell.

Although Jennings did not have time for Suttell to prove that he could “quote an episode line by line”, he tested the contestant with some quotes from the first three seasons of the Nickelodeon series.

At one point, Jennings read a threat from the Plankton character and asked Suttell to fill in the blank. “Listen to me, Krabs. When I discover the recipe for Krabby Patties, I’m going to put you out of a job. I…” he read, and Suttell quickly completed the rest of the quote by saying, “I went to college!”

Unexpected crossover (691 thousand views)

“The crossover I didn’t know I needed,” joked one fan when the official Threat! An Instagram account shared the reel posted with the official Dusk account.

The comic crossover video features a clip from Dusk in which Bella (Kristen Stewart) marvels at Edward’s (Robert Pattinson) music collection. “Wow, you have so much music,” Bella says, asking, “What are you listening to?”

Rather than sharing Edward’s music, the clip plays into the viral TikTok trend and ends with the two leads listening to the iconic Threat! thinking of music. “Honey wake up! New @Twilight edit just dropped 🤭 #Jeopardy! #Twilight,” the popular Instagram post captioned.

News for Beyoncé (385k views)

The Threat! Instagram is full of hilarious rants and bad answers — including this clip from May in which a contestant mistook Jay-Z for A$AP Rocky.

In the “Name a Celebrity” category, the $400 clue reads: “Rapper; has 2 children with Rihanna; actor in Dope & 2018 Monster.”

One eager contestant, Amar Kakirde, buzzed and replied, “Jay-Z.” Jennings didn’t miss a beat, joking, “Big news for Beyoncé if it’s true. No, this is A$AP Rocky.”

Fans took to the comments to joke about the slip, with one sharing: “Loved that comment 🤣.”