Updated

Will Ken Jennings (search) ever lose? Not anytime soon. The "Jeopardy!" (search) quiz master won his 38th straight game on Friday, shattering a one-day record by earning $75,000.

Now his fans — and foes — have to wait while the show goes on hiatus until September.

Jennings, the 30-year-old Utah software engineer, has earned $1,321,660 during his nearly two-month stint. He's become an unlikely TV star, visiting Jay Leno on the "Tonight" show Thursday, and made geeks chic.

"Jeopardy!" goes into reruns starting next Monday. But new shows will resume on Sept. 6, and Jennings will be there to defend his championship.

Three times, Jennings purposely tied the one-day record of $52,000 with carefully calculated wagers on Final Jeopardy. On Friday, he approached the "Final Jeopardy" question having already earned $51,400.

Asked to name two of the four Shakespeare plays in which ghosts appear onstage, Jennings correctly answered "Hamlet" and "Richard III."

Then he revealed his bet: $23,600.

"Will it never end for this talented young man?" host Alex Trebek said. "We'll have to wait awhile to find out."

Jennings, who lives in Salt Lake City and is married with a 1-year-old son, is a Mormon who has already promised to tithe 10 percent of his winnings to his church.

"Jeopardy!" used to require its champions to leave after winning five times, but last year changed its rules to allow players to continue until they are beaten. Jennings has beaten 76 challengers.

While "Jeopardy!" producers will have to write Jennings a big check, that rules change has paid off: the game show's ratings have jumped by 50 percent during his reign.