Episode Overview

Podcast: People I (Mostly) Admire
Host: Steve Levitt (Freakonomics co-author)
Guest: Ken Jennings (Jeopardy! Champion, Author, Podcaster)
Episode Title: Ken Jennings: “Don’t Neglect the Thing That Makes You Weird”
Date: January 24, 2026

Main Theme:
Steve Levitt sits down with Ken Jennings for a candid, humorous, and deeply insightful conversation about Ken’s unconventional career, his approach to knowledge, memory, parenting, and how embracing your personal quirks can lead to a rich and meaningful life. The episode explores the obsessions that make us unique, the inner workings of competitive trivia, and practical wisdom on living authentically.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Ken Jennings’ Unconventional Path to Success

• Transition from Computer Programmer to Jeopardy Champion

  • Ken describes his initial career in computers as “stultifyingly boring” and not suited to his brain.
    • “I don’t have the right brain for it. I’m not good at it… I switched to an English major just to try to get through college without losing my mind.” (03:23)
  • Going on Jeopardy wasn’t just a hobby—it became a life-changing detour.

• Turning Hobbies Into Careers

  • Ken cautions about turning hobbies into work: “You can take all the joy out of something by starting to do it for your livelihood.” (04:29)
  • Levitt relates his failed attempt to become a professional golfer and admires Ken’s success in merging passion and vocation.

2. The Nature of Trivia Brains and the Memory Myth

• Innate Curiosity and the “Trivia Gene”

  • Ken believes trivia people are a type: “There must be a trivia gene, because these little boys and girls…will literally just hunger for information.” (05:42)
  • Trivia experts don’t necessarily have better memories—they’re just far more interested in a wide array of topics.

• Memorization Skills and Strategies

  • Ken dispels the myth of photographic memory: “That’s not a real thing. They’re just interested in like 10 times the things you are, and so more facts stick.” (01:04, 20:28)
  • For tedious but essential details (like presidential term dates), Ken creates visual or story-based mnemonics.

• Advice for Improving Memory

  • "Your memory is good. Your memory works just fine. It's not a broken hard drive. If you're not remembering stuff, it's because you don't care about it." (21:54)

3. Behind the Scenes of Jeopardy! and Trivia Culture

• Competition, Strategy, and Luck

  • Jeopardy is, in part, a game of reflexes and rhythm, as well as knowledge.
  • Ken explains luck’s role: “Whoever’s mojo is just kind of locked into the right rhythm on those tape days, and that happened to be me.” (10:08-11:24)
  • On James Holzhauer’s “revolutionary” strategy: Ken notes aggressive strategies existed, but only top-tier players could pull them off effectively. “The secret of James’s strategy is…if you are one of the top all time players, it’s incredibly effective.” (12:20)

• Jeopardy and Subculture Dynamics

  • Ken reflects on being a “popularizer” of trivia and the pushback from purists, likening trivia subculture to other niche communities that both celebrate and resist mainstream attention. (06:24-07:51)

4. Meta-Knowledge & Mental Processes in Trivia

• Knowing You Know—Before You Know

  • On quick recall and intuition: “To be aware of the existence of your fact-ability before you can actually produce it is super important to Jeopardy.” (17:08)
  • Many first-time players are too hesitant to answer, even when they subconsciously know: “We’re not good at knowing what we know.” (18:15)

• Cheating in Trivia Leagues

  • Ken candidly discusses cheating prevalence in online trivia, especially when stakes are low: “You have short circuited the only source of fun in this game you are paying to play in.” (24:45)
  • He participates as a benchmark of honesty so others can gauge real high-level play.

5. The Power of Curiosity and Parenting

• Childhood, Parenting, and Passing Down Curiosity

  • Both Levitt and Ken discuss how curiosity defined their childhoods (encyclopedia reading for money, Guinness Book obsession).
  • On memory: “The best way to live is to be curious like that…always having something to do and something to learn.” (26:58)

• Parenting Philosophies

  • Ken stresses the importance of letting kids be themselves: “They are absolutely who they are out of the box...what you have to do is just let them be themselves and incorporate that into the culture of the family.” (38:26)
  • Discussing values with family (“be happy, be nice”): “That really is always just variance on ‘be happy, be nice.’ I mean, that’s—any religion that doesn’t do that fails.” (39:42)
  • On harmonizing his active mind and parenting: “The great gift of Jeopardy was my schedule was flexible…The way we in the US have conceived work is really the enemy of good parenting.” (36:45)

6. Writing for Kids (and Everyone)

• His Approach to Junior Genius Guides

  • Ken’s books for kids are designed not to talk down to them.
    • “Crucial to those books is the fact that you don't treat the kid like a kid…maybe it’s me as a kid talking to a kid as a kid.” (35:27)

• On Debunking Myths We Tell Children

  • 2/3 of old wives’ tales are false, but some truths remain. Many eye-related warnings (e.g., about TV screens or wearing others’ glasses) are baseless. (31:16)
  • The “sugar rush” myth in kids is untrue: “There is no relationship at all between whether your kid has had sugar and how nuts they are. And no parent will believe this, but it is apparently true.” (33:47)

7. Spirituality and Values in the Modern World

• Finding Meaning
  • Science provides explanations, but “is not very good at replacing the human need for meaning.” (40:31)
  • Ken encourages considering spiritual questions seriously without dismissing them: “I don’t want [my kids] to have considered it unworthy of consideration.” (40:31-41:59)

8. Ken Jennings on What’s Next

• Reflects on entering a new phase of life with grown children and post-Jeopardy clarity.
• Excited about current projects: a travel guide to the afterlife, the “Omnibus” podcast.
• Envisions possibly mentoring others in trivia, exploring new forms of creativity. (42:07)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the “trivia gene”:
  “There must be a trivia gene, because these little boys and girls…will literally just hunger for information.”
  — Ken Jennings (05:42)

• On memory and trivia:
  “The people you see on Jeopardy!…don’t have photographic memories. That’s not a real thing. They’re just interested in like 10 times the things you are, and so more facts stick.”
  — Ken Jennings (01:04, 20:28)

• On creating a meaningful life:
  “The talents you have, the things you’re good at, are really sacred…make sure that the thing you’re good at is central to your life…Don’t neglect the thing about you that makes you weird.”
  — Ken Jennings (44:44-45:40)

• On spiritual inquiry:
  “Science…is not very good at replacing the human need for meaning…[I] don’t want [my kids] to have considered it unworthy of consideration.”
  — Ken Jennings (40:31-41:59)

• On the illusion of parental control:
  “You think you have control, and they are absolutely who they are out of the box.”
  — Ken Jennings (38:26)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:23] Jennings’ transition from computers to English / career disillusionment
• [05:42] The “trivia gene” and childhood curiosity
• [10:08] Ken reflects on the Jeopardy “Greatest of All Time” tournament and personal performance
• [12:20] How James Holzhauer changed Jeopardy strategy—and limits of strategy
• [17:08] The meta-knowledge of “knowing you know” in Quiz bowl and Jeopardy
• [20:28] Jennings explains why “photographic memory” in trivia is a myth
• [21:54] Jennings’ advice on improving memory
• [24:45] The psychology and prevalence of cheating in online trivia
• [31:16] Fact-checking childhood myths (“Don’t put the fork in the toaster” vs. eye myths)
• [33:47] Debunking the “sugar rush” in kids
• [35:27] Writing for kids: treating kids as equals in knowledge
• [36:45] Reconciling a restless mind with committed parenting
• [38:26] On parenting philosophy and the illusion of control
• [40:31] Science, spirituality, and the hunger for meaning
• [42:07] What’s next for Ken Jennings—after Jeopardy and parenting

Conclusion & Practical Wisdom

Final Advice from Ken Jennings:

“Just don’t neglect the thing about you that makes you weird because that was my mistake and Jeopardy was the only thing that rescued me.” (44:44-45:40)

Jennings encourages listeners to treat their unique talents and interests as “sacred,” regardless of whether those talents become careers or passions. The conversation is a celebration of curiosity, memory, and unconventional paths, delivering not just an inside look at how a trivia champion’s mind works—but how anyone can live a more engaged and authentic life.