The late host tried to diffuse the tension during the high-stakes Ultimate Tournament of Champions in 2005.

Jeopardy champ Ken Jennings recalls shock of seeing Alex Trebek pantless: ‘That was a genuine surprise’

The late host tried to diffuse the tension during the high-stakes Ultimate Tournament of Champions in 2005.

By Daysia Tolentino

Daysia Tolentino

Daysia Tolentino is a writer at *. *She has written for * *since 2025. Her work has appeared in NBC News, Vulture, GQ, and InStyle.

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December 31, 2025 1:30 p.m. ET

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Ken Jennings; Alex Trebek. Credit:

Bryan Bedder/Getty; Eric McCandless via Getty

They say imagining someone in their underwear will make you less nervous. For contestants on *Jeopardy's *Ultimate Tournament of Champions in 2005, no imagining was needed.

Former champ-turned-host Ken Jennings took a trip down memory lane recently, reminiscing about his old competitions. Watching a clip of late former host Alex Trebek without his pants, Jennings recalled that particular game fondly.

"That was a genuine surprise," the 74-time champ said in a video shared by the game show. "Back in the very early days of the show, people would have to walk out. ... We were all wearing nice pants, but for no real reason. We were all joking about how, you know, next time we'll just do the show without pants. It will be so much simpler. Nobody said anything about Alex not wearing pants. He just leapt at the opportunity."

Alex Trebek hosted 'Jeopardy' until his death in 2020.

Amanda Edwards/Getty

The clip was from the 2005 Ultimate Tournament of Champions. Jennings, Brad Rutter, and Jerome Vered competed in the final showdown of the 15-week competition. To cut the tension, Trebek came out in his boxers, although he put his pants back on later.

Even though he eventually lost the tournament, Jennings called the moment one of his "all-time favorite moments" in his *Jeopardy *career.

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Ken Jennings hosting 'Jeopardy Masters'.

Christopher Willard/Disney

Trebek died in 2020 after a nearly two year battle with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. He was 80. Trebek hosted *Jeopardy* from 1984 until his death.

After cycling through several guest hosts in the first year after Trebek's death, the job was eventually split between Jennings and Mayim Bialik from 2021 to 2023. Jennings took on full hosting duties in 2023.

Check out the clip of Jennings reacting to Trebek below.

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