Think You’re Good at Trivia? Try This Week’s Kennections Quiz by Ken Jennings

Ken Jennings.
Ken Jennings. | Photo: Gary Gershoff/Getty Images; Background: somboon sitthichoptam/iSto

Welcome to Kennections, a weekly quiz created by Jeopardy! host and champion Ken Jennings. Here’s how to play: All five answers to the questions below have something in common. Can you figure it out?


Take More Kennections Quizzes:

Add Mental Floss as a preferred news source!


Were you able to figure out the latest Kennections quiz? Check back with us at Mental Floss next Saturday for Kennections #194.

If you’re a fan of trivia, history, and game shows, then you undoubtedly know who Ken Jennings is. Going from a software engineer with a knack for trivia to one of the most notable names in American game show history, it was a no-brainer when the record-breaking TV personality took over Jeopardy! as permanent host in 2023.

During Jennings’s childhood, he formed a connection to game shows and pop culture when watching Jeopardy! “religiously after school every afternoon.” This early fascination stayed with him through schooling, and during his years at Brigham Young University, he captained the quiz bowl squad—which he described as “Team Jeopardy!” because “you don’t have to be good at everything”—and wrote questions for the National Academic Quiz Tournaments.

KEN JENNINGS
KEN JENNINGS | Christopher Willard/GettyImages

Eventually, Jennings revived his childhood dream and auditioned for Jeopardy! in 2004 while working as a software engineer in Salt Lake City. Of course, if you’ve been following Jennings, you’ll know where this story is heading. He made TV history with his 2004 Jeopardy! run, winning 74 consecutive games and earning over $2.5 million.

Jennings’s streak ended on a question about H&R Block, something that still taunts him to this day. While speaking with Mental Floss, he admitted that “pretty much every time I drive past a strip mall, I get to remember my failing.”

But, of course, despite his streak ending, Jennings only became more notable in the game show space from there. He’s appeared on other series and won Jeopardy!’s “Greatest of All Time” tournament in 2020.

Following the late and great Alex Trebek’s passing, Jennings started filling in as Jeopardy! host, eventually landing the permanent gig. Since taking on the role, he’s been nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards.

Beyond TV, Jennings has used his trivia skills to become a bestselling author, most recently releasing The Complete Kennections in 2025, a collection of his quizzes. He has been creating Kennections quizzes for Mental Floss for nearly a decade, putting readers to the test to see if they can find the “kennection” between trivia answers.


You May Also Like: