Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings makes shocking ‘nepo babies’ wisecrack before returning champ wins second straight game

An image collage containing 2 images, Image 1 shows Screenshot of a man in a suit speaking in front of a blue background, Image 2 shows Man in maroon sweater smiling on television

JEOPARDY! host Ken Jennings has taken fans by surprise after making an unexpected wisecrack about “nepo babies” in the middle of the game.

The game show champ made the joke during Thursday night’s episode.

Screenshot of a man in a suit speaking in front of a blue background.
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Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings made a wisecrack about ‘nepo babies’ during Thursday night’s episodeCredit: ABC

Man in maroon sweater smiling on television.
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Paolo Pasco secured his second-straight victory after beating former competitor, Ian Morrison, the night beforeCredit: ABC

Jeopardy! clue: The daughter of this high-flyer of the 1960s became director of the Kremlin State Museum.
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Ken interjected with his joke during the second round of the gameCredit: ABC
It happened while returning champ Paolo Pasco battled to secure a two-game winning streak after defeating Ian Morrison the day before.

He competed against Andy Miller, a math professor from Nashville, Tennessee, and Jill Frechette, a research analyst originally from West Boylston, Massachusetts.

Paolo held an impressive lead throughout most of the game, despite Andy having a strong start.

Andy put himself in a comfortable position in the first round, entering Double Jeopardy! with $8,600, compared to Paolo’s $6,600 and Jill’s $1,200.

Paolo continued to add to his earnings from there, taking both Double Jeopardy!’s in the second round, finishing with $34,400 vs. Andy’s $12,200.

But before the round was over, Ken surprised viewers when he interrupted the game to make a silly remark, referencing the answer to one trivia question.

“The daughter of this high flyer of the 1960s became director of the Kremlin State Museum,” the question read.

Quick with the buzzer, Paolo answered correctly with Yuri Gagarin, which prompted Ken to interject.

“Yeah, they had nepo babies in the USSR, apparently,” the TV star joked.

The audience giggled at Ken’s comment, and they moved on to the rest of the round.

Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings drops VERY adult joke while cameras roll in rare behind-the-scenes look at show filming
Paolo and Andy went head-to-head in Final Jeopardy! after Jill was eliminated when she was unable to get out of the hole.

She finished the game with a loss of -$400.

Spelling mattered for Final Jeopardy!, where each contestant was tasked with correctly spelling the winning word at the first Scripps National Spelling Bee, a plant and genus with sword-shaped leaves now on the trophy.

Paolo and Andy both answered incorrectly; however, Paolo’s conservative wager of only $204 didn’t hurt his chances, and he nabbed the victory.

Jeopardy! Set Secrets

Jeopardy! fans don’t see everything behind the scenes from watching on TV. These hidden set features make the show run smoothly:

Each podium has a hidden riser so that all contestants appear to be the same height.
After each clue is read, signal lights go off around the game board, indicating players can buzz in and respond.
Buzz in too early, and you’re locked out for .25 seconds.
The podiums have a small white light in the lower left corner, which tells Ken Jennings who goes next.
Contrary to popular belief, the player with control doesn’t have a buzzer advantage on the next clue.
To the game board’s left is a scoreboard so the players can see their opponents’ scores.
All contestants must bring three outfits to the studio, but only the host and returning champion change for the next episode.
There are wardrobe rules, including restrictions on busy patterns, solid white, purple (like the background), and logos.
Five episodes are taped in a single day, and sometimes more.
The categories, players (aside from the returning champion), and Final Jeopardy! for a tape day are all drawn randomly to ensure fairness.
Female contestants are asked not to wear makeup, which is applied backstage, and don’t wear mascara because of sweat.
Contestants fill out a questionnaire, and producers select five Q&A topics for the host.
Host Ken isn’t allowed to interact with the contestants until after the game.
Players can request to sit in a chair while competing without question.

Paolo ended with $34,196 and a two-day total of $54,197.

The San Diego, California, native will vie to continue his streak on Friday against two new competitors.

Season 42 of Jeopardy! kicked off on Monday, and so far, no one has garnered more than a 2-day consecutive victory.

Former champ Jonathan Hugendubler was pegged to be a major contender to beat after winning the Season 41 finale episode earlier this summer, and then the Season 42 premiere.

However, he lost to Ian in a devastating upset on Tuesday.

Ian then took over and became a competitor to watch, until Paolo ended his short run on Wednesday.

Screenshot of three contestants on a game show, showing their names and scores: Paolo ($16,000), Jill ($0), and Andy ($8,600).
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Paolo went up against Jill Frechette and Andy MillerCredit: ABC

Man in suit speaking on television.
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Andy started the game strong, but wasn’t able to secure the winCredit: ABC