'JEOPARDY' Could today spell end for Jennings?

Lock in your wager, then wait for the show, because its creators aren't saying.
By MARK WASHBURN
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
Henry VIII, Louis IV and Alexander the Great, smart guys all, had long and historic reigns, but it had to end sometime, and so it must be with America's King of Trivia, Ken Jennings.
Since June, the clean-cut software engineer from Salt Lake City has bulldozed through 73 episodes of "Jeopardy!," raking in more than $2.4 million in winnings and dazzling the nation with his command of arcane knowledge.
But this week, perhaps as early as today, TV's quiz whiz will meet his match, say insiders in the game show universe.
"Jeopardy!" outcomes are TV's equivalent of state secrets. Contestants sign a contract to keep mum on the details until the show airs, and studio audiences are expected to join the conspiracy of silence.
But avid fans who form a sort of "Jeopardy!" underground believe that Jennings' 75th appearance, taped in September at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, Calif., and expected to air Tuesday, is his last.
For Jennings, authority on all things zodiacal, chronological and biblical, there are signs the end is near.
Invitations
People who have attended recent tapings say Jennings is no longer on the show.
And in Washington, D.C., a group of "Jeopardy!" contestants who lost to Jennings plan to gather for a viewing party this week. Invitations are for today.
Producers for the syndicated show say they haven't publicly revealed an outcome before airtime in the last 21 seasons and aren't starting now. Even stations that carry the show are in the dark.
But while still a big draw, Jennings' ratings have drifted off from the summer when he was approaching the $1 million total in overall winnings and setting other records.
It may be a sign that some viewers miss the more competitive days of the show and are growing tired of Jennings' streak.
"It now looks to many people that it may never end," said Powell.
In the months of the streak, Jennings' opponents -- dubbed "Kennon fodder" in some circles -- had to balance the thrill of getting their onetime shot on "Jeopardy!" against the disappointment of having to face quizdom's heavyweight champ.
"It was like, 'Hey! I did really good and I'm never going to be on again," said Dr. Jeff Suchard of Placentia, Calif., who was within a competitive $4,900 of Jennings going into Final Jeopardy on the Oct. 4 episode.
Suchard lost, and under the show's current rules, cannot try out again. But he's hoping "Jeopardy!" might develop special episodes for those who scored well against Jennings.