Fisher was placed at an advantage when he landed on the two Daily Doubles in the Double Jeopardy! Also, Amodio, who was in third place for the first time in 39 appearances, missed this Final Jeopardy! clue: “Nazi Germany annexed this nation and divided it into regions of the Alps and the Danube; the Allies later divided it into four sectors.” The correct response was “What is Austria?” Both Fisher and Stephens answered correctly. Amodio replied “What is Poland?” “Everybody’s so smart and so competent that this could happen any game,” said Amodio in a release. “And this time it did.” In fact, host Mayim Bialik declared, “It has been an honor and a pleasure to watch you here. Congratulations.” Amodio made history with the second longest Jeopardy! winning streak on the all-time consecutive wins list behind only Ken Jennings, who has 74 wins. This Ph.D Yale student studying computer science has earned $1,518,601. That puts him in the No. 3 spot of all-time non-tournament cash winnings list behind James Holzhauer ($2,462,216) and Jennings ($2,520,700). “I always wanted to be a Jeopardy! champion, and I accomplished that,” said Amodio in a release. “l know going into every bar trivia game that I play that I’m going to come in with a little intimidation factor. But also, I just like the badge that it represents. As somebody who prioritizes knowledge and knowing things, this is really a good one to have following me everywhere.” Amodio will return for the next Tournament of Champions. Ever a good sport, this evening he Tweeted generous words for his fellow contestants. “Congrats to today’s two brilliant challengers for making it an exciting game of #Jeopardy today! Let’s celebrate a match well played by Jonathan and Jessica!” “I heard several times—I’ll brag about this—people say, ‘I couldn’t have lost to a nicer guy,’” he told Vulture. “Those comments made me feel good. I try to be gracious. I mean, I got lucky.” In a recent Jeopardy! interview, (see below), Amodio shared that he planed to learn “a lot about investing in the upcoming months.” Through it all the newly minted millionaire managed to keep a sense of humor about all his success. Just after passing the million dollar mark, he sent this Tweet… “I’ve felt such tremendous support from the #Jeopardy community, I feel like we’re on this run together as a team. Thank you! (…but no, I’m not splitting the amongst us all a million ways, sorry about that…)” In a Q&A on Jeopardy!’s YouTube channel, Amodio reflected on his epic winning streak. “I can’t believe it. It still doesn’t make sense,” he humbly professed. “I expect to look at the record book and still see everyone else’s name but mine. It will never fit in for me.” A diehard Jeopardy! fan, Amodio has been connected to the game for a long, long time. “Before I was even able to understand the words,” he shared in a recent interview with Yale University’s School of Engineering and Applied Science, where he’s working toward a computer science degree in artificial intelligence. “My parents watched it every day. I don’t remember it, but I’m sure there was that moment when I got my first question right, and for the first time in my young life I said, ‘Oh my God, I knew one!’” In August, after winning 14 games Amodio took a moment to say thank you to the teachers who have helped him through the years. “I want to thank my current Ph.D. advisor, of course. But I’m a proud product of my public high school or my public school system in Medina, Ohio. So, I loved every teacher I had, and you don’t get enough thanks. Thank you very much.” “I think my strategy going in was to watch Ken [Jennings] and try to do whatever Ken does,” Amodio told Entertainment Weekly. “He’s done TED talks, he does podcasts, and he drops a little bit of knowledge here and there.” The Cleveland, Ohio native says he initially took the Jeopardy! test and applied for the show to end his father’s nagging. After initially refusing to take the test, his father said,“Just do it for me!” Amodio says he never had expectations his test taking would go anywhere. Yet, at his second try, he was granted an in-person audition. “I definitely have to tip my cap to my dad on that one,” says Amodio. “You’re right, I’m glad I did that!” Amodio confessed that he went onto the show just hoping for one win. “I was pretty much expecting to go in and forget everything I know, including my name,” he said on Jeopardy’s recent YouTube interview with him. “Just to win the one game, and to be able to call myself a Jeopardy! champion was always my goal. More has come and I’m happy for it. But that moment when I won the first one is still always dear to my heart.” Next, Fans Had No Idea About Alex Trebek’s Secret Job Behind the Jeopardy! Podium
