‘Jeopardy!’: 6 Things to Know About Champ Scott Riccardi, the Tech Guru from Somerville
Jeopardy! has a new superstar in its midst as Scott Riccardi emerges as the latest champ, ending a long drought. The 25-year-old engineer has been on a hot streak since defeating Jason Singer on July 3, racking up one-day winnings of $17,600.
Known for his rapid-fire responses, entertaining college anecdotes, and fearless Daily Double wagers, Riccardi is quickly becoming a fan favorite. And no wonder, as his charisma and charm are matched only by his sharp intellect.
Will Riccardi make his own mark on the long-running game show? Only time will tell. But before we find out, here are six things you should know about the new Jeopardy! champion.
He is the first player since 2023 to win over $50k in one game
Riccardi is the first player since Ben Chan on May 15, 2023, to win over $50,000 in one regular-season play of Jeopardy! On July 4, 2025, in his second appearance as returning champ, Riccardi won a grand total of $50,400 for one game.
He has a wealth of tech knowledge thanks to his background
Riccardi graduated from Rutgers University in 2021 with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, where he concentrated on mechanical and 3D design. After earning his degree, he began his career at the Rutgers Center for Advanced Energy Systems as an undergraduate staff engineer, focusing on energy efficiency.
He went on to work at RePowered Inc., a company in the renewable energy sector specializing in solar technologies, where he served as a solar project and product development engineer. He later transitioned into a design engineer role.
Currently, Riccardi works as a support engineer specializing in security and life safety systems.
He is known for his innovative problem-solving techniques
When Riccardi was locked out of his house in college, he needed to get the notice of his roommates, but seemed unable to. After trying various methods, including calling them, texting them, and throwing rocks at the windows, he came up with an ingenious plan that used his tech skills.
“I realized I could stream my phone to the TV, so I figured, how can I convey a whimsical predicament? So I picked the Curb Your Enthusiasm theme, at full volume,” he shared on Jeopardy!. “When that didn’t work, I realized I would be more direct with this. So I picked that clip of Eric Andre at the fence screaming, ‘Let me in!’ And that didn’t work, but it would have been terrifying had it [worked].”
He had a Jeopardy! themed birthday party
For his 25th birthday, two friends took him out to brunch, and when he returned, they surprised him with a custom Jeopardy! board. The mastermind behind the celebration even dressed as the late, great Alex Trebek (wig included).
“We competed in a bunch of games,” recalled Riccardi on the game show. “I wasn’t allowed to answer any of the questions that were about me. And the winner was awarded a framed photo of me piping pastry cream in a very stressful situation.”
He gained infamy at his college for an amateur modeling moment
“So for my first week of college, there was a whole carnival out on the quad for my dorms, and there was a bunch of free stuff, inflatable bouncy castle-type things. And there was free cherry Italian ice, which of course, I partook of,” recalled Riccardi. “And a few weeks later, imagine my surprise when, emblazoned across the very front page of our school website is a little international student thing, where they use that [picture] as a stock photo, and my mouth was completely red from cherry Italian ice.”
“Like, a gory scene?” asked Ken Jennings.
“Like a transfer student from Transylvania,” remarked the Jeopardy! champ.
The New Jersey native let down his home state when he missed a Sopranos question
On the July 7 episode of Jeopardy!, contestants were given the clue: “Ten years in prison have not accomplished any rehabilitation for Richie Aprile in Season 2 of this show.” The clue even featured an image of actor David Proval. Any HBO fanatic worth their weight in pasta knew the answer was The Sopranos, but the show may have been before the time of Somerville, New Jersey native Scott Riccardi, who opted not to respond.
“None of them knowing The Sopranos answer shocked me and probably the Jeopardy! staff as well since it was a top of the board clue,” posted one Redditor.
“Jersey guy should’ve known it,” wrote another fan.
“How are you from New Jersey and on Jeopardy! and not getting a Sopranos question right?,” wrote one fan on X.
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Conversation26 Comments
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Comments are closed on this story.
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C
He's totally delightful!
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P
It is so refreshing to see a clean cut, sans beard or 5 o-clock shadow, fellow anywhere on TV. I’ve rooted for him from the beginning. By the way I’m old enough to have seen the Sopranos but couldn’t get into it. Good luck, Scott
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C
Very good looking and a modest young man!!
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G
Did he go to Somerville High School?
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R
The big question is he gay?
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C
That’s what I asked and got no responses
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G
He is too young to remember the Sopranos.
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L
Not a valid excuse for a Jeopardy! contestant, sorry.🙄 If Jeopardy! was to start only using age-appropriate questions, we'd have no History categories nor ANY questions the day's contestants weren't born into. I get where you're coming from, though.😉
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P
All of this info was shared on the show. Nothing new.
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L
As brainy as Riccardi is, let's not get carried away by implying his interview anecdotes are "entertaining"! 🙄 Furthermore, IMO, and to be kind, they all have seemed a bit farfetched: How did phone calls AND texting, in this current age, not work??😱 And, what connection and amusement did I miss in the punchline to the birthday anecdote, "...the winner was awarded a framed photo of me piping pastry cream in a very stressful situation.” Huh?🤷🏽♀️ Oh, Scott...🥱 He's not the first brainiac to not be the wittiest species, but, TV Insider, don't be misleading the Champ. 😂
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J
He is very shrew and pleasant young man. Very nice to see someone “normal”
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B
I do want Scott to win at least 10 games with over $200,000 to his Jeopardy! winnings...
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G
So what if he is gay .
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C
Just curious
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R
Nor have I. I don’t have HBO as it would suck up too much of my time.
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B
I am not from New Jersey and I have never seen the Sopranos as I have never had the funds to watch HBO. BUT I do know about the Sopranos.
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P
I'm not from New Jersey, but I know of "The Sopranos." However, since I've never been able to afford HBO, I've never seen the show. The only thing I'm sure of is that it is NOT a program about singers with a high vocal range.
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G
I’ve never seen a single episode
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B
His talking with his hands during the interview portion drives me nuts!
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M
Riccardi is very smart and quick with answers, but he has trouble deciding how much to wager for the daily double. He usually destroys his commanding and then needs to rebuild his score, asap.
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G
He is cocky and you can see the mean side eye when he is beat on the buzzer.
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C
I’m a big jeopardy fan but have watched sporadically with him as reigning champion. He’s a little too arrogant for my taste.
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C
To me he's anything but arrogant
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O
Not only arrogant he's also cocky!!
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G
OMG! I love watching him because in my opinion, he is not arrogant. Funny how differently people perceive arrogance.
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P
He is not arrogant at all, he is better natural!
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