‘Jeopardy!’ Champion Matt Amodio is Now Third In Most Successive Wins

Matt Amodio on Jeopardy!
CBS/YouTube

Matt Amodio isn’t letting all of the drama surrounding Jeopardy! distract from his performance as he now has the third most consecutive wins in the show’s history.

The Ph.D. student from New Haven, Connecticut cemented his 21st successive win on Wednesday’s episode, jumping ahead of former champion Julia Collins who he’d previously tied for third place in consecutive games won. His total winnings are now up to $740,001, which is enough for the third-biggest winner ever but still a ways off the millions won by Greatest of All Time competitors James Holzhauer and Ken Jennings.

“Tied with @JeopardyJulia … unbelievable. I would say #Jeopardy dreams do come true, but at this point I’m way beyond anything I dreamt!,” Amodio tweeted on Wednesday before going on to rack up another victory.

Amodio’s impressive performance has won over many fans throughout his time on the show, and the reaction to his latest accomplishment was met with high praise on social media.

“This guy is incredible. I don’t know why more people aren’t talking about him,” wrote one viewer on Twitter.

“Such a kind person representing the best Jeopardy! has to offer. You’re a delight night after night and you always astound me with your breadth of knowledge! Rooting for you,” another fan commented.

When asked about the reaction during a Jeopardy! Q&A, Amodio said, “It’s been a bit much, both playing and seeing reactions to the games that are airing. People have been very nice. I didn’t know the internet could also be nice. People have been very nice, so I’ve appreciated that.”

However, the reigning champion was most excited about a tweet he received from the show’s most successful contestant of all time. “I got a tweet from Ken Jennings… I have not heard from him personally, but he acknowledged my existence on Twitter, and I melted into the ground as soon as I saw that. There’s nobody I respect [more] in the Jeopardy community, but probably the world, as Ken Jennings.”

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