Man wins more than $500,000 on ‘Jeopardy!’

SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah man is the new “Jeopardy!” king, having pocketed more than a half-million dollars during a dominating 16-show run on the quiz show.

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Ken Jennings was seen on his 16th straight “Jeopardy!” episode Wednesday, winning once again to bring his total winnings to $512,959.

The 30-year-old software engineer broke the “Jeopardy!” record early in his run. Tom Walsh, of Washington, D.C., held the previous mark, earning $184,900 in seven days on the show in January.

Then along came Jennings, who is no stranger to the world of quick quiz. He was a member of Brigham Young University’s successful College Bowl team in the 1990s. Jennings also edits literature and mythology questions for the National Academic Quiz Tournament.

Jennings’ “Jeopardy!” streak is over, though viewers may not realize it. The “Jeopardy!” episodes featuring him were taped in February, and Jennings is back home in Utah, though he is refusing comment for now.

After the show featured him passing the $250,000 mark last week, Jennings told The Salt Lake Tribune, “It’s a little bit like shock, like you can’t believe how fast it goes by. Thinking back, it’s all just a blur.”

Two “Jeopardy!” rule changes over the years have helped Jennings set the record.

“Jeopardy!” recently dropped a restriction that limits champions to only five days on the show. The value of the questions are also worth double what they used to be.