Topline
Matt Amodio won his 33rd consecutive Jeopardy win! On Friday, the Yale University Ph.D student became the second-longest-running contestant in Jeopardy's history.
Matt Amodio Jeopardy Productions, Inc.
The Key Facts
Amodio beat James Holzhauer's 32-day winning streak starting in 2019. Amodio is still far behind Ken Jennings' 32-day winning streak from 2019. History by a significant margin. Amodio was also the third Jeopardy! Last week saw Amodio become the third Jeopardy contestant to win more than $1 million in regular season play.
Big Number
$1,267.801. That's Amodios total winnings in the last 33 days. Jenning's long winning streak netted him $2520,700. Holzhauer's aggressive play earned him $2462,216. This does not include Jeopardy prizes. Tournaments.
Contra
Jeopardy! Jeopardy! has been broadcast on syndicated television for decades. However, the era of seven-figure payoffs and long winning streaks started after 2003 when the show removed its five-day limit on winnings. As a result, some older contestants are not included in the show's standard format leaderboard. Brad Rutter was originally on Jeopardy! He first appeared on Jeopardy in 2000. Since then, he has earned nearly $5 million in special tournament shows, more than any other contestant.
Important Background
Amodio studies computer sciences at Yale. However, U.S. History is his favorite topic for 30-year-old Ohioans, he stated in an interview on Yales website. Interviewers were told that recent pop culture, including music, movies, and television, is weaker than it used to be. Amodio credits some of his trivia knowledge to a nearly-nightly habit of Wikipedia binges. I often fall into Wikipedia holes. He told Cleveland.com that although I don't know how Wikipedia users gained their knowledge before Wikipedia, it is really simple now.
Tangent
Jeopardy! It has had a difficult year. In November, Alex Trebek, the long-serving host, died. The show began 2021 with a rotating cast of more than a dozen guests hosts. In August, Sony Pictures handed over primary hosting duties to Mike Richards, the show's executive producer. Richards then abruptly left Jeopardy! After news outlet The Ringer discovered offensive comments Richards made on a podcast many years ago, Richards abruptly left Jeopardy! Jennings and Miyam Bialik are both expected to share hosting duties until the end.
Surprising Fact
Jeopardy! is a great game despite the host chaos. It has attracted a large audience. According to Nielsen data, the show was watched by 8.4 million people in the first week of its 38th series, which aired mid-September. This is slightly less than Family Feud. Vulture reported that the show had 8.2 million viewers in the same week last season.
Continue reading
Jeopardy! Has A New Million-Dollar Champion In Matt Amodio (Forbes)
A Smile with Sharp Teeth: Mike Richards' Rise to Jeopardy! Host Sparks Question about His Past (The Ringer).
