‘Jeopardy!’ Champion Matt Amodio on His ‘Annoying’ Quirk and LeVar Burton as Host
Current Jeopardy! champion Matt Amodio shows no signs of slowing down, despite some fans’ frustration with his “annoying” quirk. The Ph.D. student from New Haven, Connecticut, has racked up $291,200 after eight games, making him one of the top 10 highest-winning Jeopardy! champions ever.
Amodio has received praise for his impressive run so far, but he’s also attracted attention for answering “what is” for every response, regardless of whether the answer is a person or a thing. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Amodio said he had no intention of annoying anybody or disrespecting the show in any way.
“I guess I just want to say that I hope nobody’s offended by it,” he said. “I do hear some people say that it’s disrespectful to the game, and I would counter that if there was a Jeopardy! fan club ranking, I think I would have a strong case to be number one Jeopardy! fan. I live and breathe the show, I love every aspect of it, and so I’m definitely not doing it out of any disrespect or undermining of the show.”
Despite being a Jeopardy! super fan, Amodio reveals that he only decided to try out for the show because of his dad. “I was only reluctantly trying out because I didn’t think I would make it, and even if I did make it, I wouldn’t be very good,” Amodio told EW. “I only tried out at the behest of my dad, who insisted, as any parent would, ‘My son is awesome. He would do so well.’ And so I said ‘Fine, I’ll do it for you.'”
Amodio also spoke highly of last week’s guest-host LeVar Burton, a man who has made no secret of his desire to become Jeopardy‘s permanent host. “He just exudes a calmness and a coolness to him that I envy as a person,” Amodio said. “And he was incredibly gracious. He clearly wanted to do well, and I think the fact that he wants to be selected as the permanent host is incredibly obvious because of how much care he put into it.”
He continued: “He’s been an icon for me personally ever since I was a kid; Reading Rainbow was a staple for me. I’m not a Star Trek person, but my brother is, and he really wanted to send me with every meme quote that I could possibly get to say in front of him. I held my tongue; I’m sure he gets enough of that. But I was floored by the experience. I had high expectations going in just because of the legend he is, and he met them. I’ll never forget it.”
Jeopardy!, Season 37, Weekdays, Check your local listings
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Levar was THEE worst... worse than Katie Couric. His over the top pitch "yes" and melodramatic explanations made watching the show difficult. In short, he stunk.
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I dislike George Stephanopoulos's liberal political views but he was the best host.
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Levar Burton is awful. Too many flubs, delays in responses, and overly loud responses when contestants get a question right. Also, he is too slow when reading the board. Does not say much that he campaigned to be the permanent host, even before he was on. If he becomes the permanent host, I will no longer watch Jeopardy.
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Agreed. Levar is the worst.
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G
No thanks for Lavar. Not my favorite guest host.
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P
I did not like burton but mayik was great!
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D
LeVar needs to pull back on the stilted histrionics ,which would probably happen with time and effort.He's just not very natural.
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I think Lavar Burton did well; however, I understand what you're saying and I think it will take time and effort.
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Levar at 2:00. Alex at 2:30. The jarring difference between the two half hours says it all. Don't name someone who can't do the job properly.
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I don’t care for Burton at all. He may have been great in his previous endeavors but those DO NOT translate well into Jeopardy host. Ken Jennings has it all!!
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ckKen Jennings is horrible. He was horrible as a contestant too. He suffers from Jeopardy Winner Supremacy. He is smug, condescending, falsely nice/polite, displays an air of superiority; very unkind and irritating.
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mayic and Levar are terrible!
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Love Mayik
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B
And how annoying was Savannah Guthrie's constant "You got it!!!" ??? And it was interesting to see how TV show "hosts" or "celebrities" or "anchors" flopped! Robin Roberts was a pleasant exception to that. It was pretty obvious who just was not favorable to host: Oz, Gupta, Guthrie, Couric, Cohen, Stephanopoulos, Cooper, Whitaker. The current guy, Gaber, and yet-to-be Buck, will probably fall into this category, as well. Though popular, Burton, for the most part, fell short with fans, even those hoping he'd shine, and makes the "maybe a shot at it" category, as does fan favorite, Aaron Rodgers. Joining Robin Roberts as the most serious possibilities are Mayim Bialek, who was QUITE good and well received, and Mike Richards, but he is who makes Jeopardy! what it is behind the host and all the hoopla. He is the wizard behind the curtain, and we wouldn't want to lose his magic touch. So, that leaves the #1 contender, Mr. Ken Jennings. Here is the best choice. He will ease into the same comfortability that Mr. Trebek eventually found and brought into our homes. Viewers know and like him. He was great buddies with Alex and he knows the show. He will become as welcomed into our homes every weeknight as was Trebek. People forget that he, too, was once new in the role of Jeopardy! host and had to find his rhythm, stride and delivery style. Ken Jennings is smart, yet relatable, like Alex. So, that's my take on it. And, like all else, it's just one more opinion. Enjoy.😁
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I'd like to see Mayam get the job as permanent host. She was the best of the lot. If they pick Levar Burton I will not be watching.
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Put him on the show as a contestant, and after he wins 1 million dollars than make him the host.