‘Jeopardy!’: 6 Things to Know About Champ Mark Fitzpatrick
Not to be confused with the former professional hockey player of the same name, Jeopardy!‘s reigning champion Mark Fitzpatrick has some interesting stories to tell fans as well… and if he keeps this up, he’ll have a rare feat of becoming a Tournament of Champions qualifier soon as well.
On Wednesday’s (October 9) game, Fitzpatrick came in with a three-day total of $58,000, and even though he’s previously expressed some concern that his luck on the game show is bound to run out soon, that’s not what happened this time. Instead, he notched a very decisive runaway victory against new competitors Colleen Kelly (a “girl between gigs” from Massachusetts) and Robert Franke (a data analyst from Wisconsin).
It wasn’t a particularly close game, either. In the first round, he more than tripled the number of correct answers of the next-highest contestant, Franke, and kept that moment going all the way to the end. By Final Jeopardy, he had $23,000 to Franke’s $6,200 and Kelly’s $5,600, so it didn’t even matter if he got the final clue right — which was fortunate because it was a triple stumper, as no one identified “Pathfinder” as the correct answer to the “Word Origins” clue “This word for one who cuts a trail comes from a name of a character in an 1840 novel.” With this win, he now has a 4-day winning streak of $81,600 and is very close to becoming Season 41’s first Tournament of Champions qualifier.
So what should you know about Matt Fitzpatrick? Let’s gather the clues.
1. He’s from Riverside, Connecticut, but currently lives far away from home.
Fitzpatrick revealed in his Jeopardy! debut that he recently moved to Mexico City, Mexico.
2. He describes himself as a content manager, but there’s more to the story.
When he’s not dominating on Jeopardy!, Fitzpatrick works for a finance website and heads his company’s insurance department, according to his online biography.
3. His educational credentials are impressive.
Fitzpatrick has a Bachelor of Arts from Boston College and a Master’s in Economics and International Relations from Johns Hopkins University.
4. He once had a British accent.
The game champ revealed during his second game that he spoke with an English affectation until he was a pre-teen.
5. His favorite sports team is the Brooklyn Nets.
The finance fan revealed his lifelong allegiance to the pro basketball team during his third game.
6. He once took a trip on a European train and was shocked to suddenly find himself on a ferry.
Apparently, some German trains move onto ferry boats, and Fitzpatrick’s shocked response to finding himself floating on a waterway earned a “classic Americans” jibe from another passenger. Fitzpatrick shared this story — fit with a vocal impression to boot — on Wednesday’s episode.
Jeopardy!, weeknights, check local listings
Watchlist Easy access to only the shows you care about — all in one simple place
Alerts Only important notifications — when a show is returning, when it becomes available to stream, and more.
Special Offers Exclusive products we release related to your favorite shows and streaming services