‘Jeopardy!’: Scott Riccardi Opens Up About His Personal Life & Dealing With Pressure

Jeopardy! Superchampion Scott Riccardi sat down with the game show’s executive producer, Sarah Whitcomb-Foss, on the Inside Jeopardy Podcast, to talk about his 16-game streak and his shocking loss. He also opened up more about his personal life and how he is preparing for the Tournament of Champions.

Riccardi is 26 years old and lives with roommates in Somerville, New Jersey. His roommates sort of had an inkling as to how he did when he didn’t return right away. However, Scott Riccardi shared that during the weekends, he went to California theme parks to take his mind off the game and rode as many roller coasters as he could. The superchampion hasn’t shared much else about his personal life. 

He shared that during his run, he went to his local pizza shop in South Plainfield, where he is from, and the owner recognized him. The owner made a big scene and pointed him out to everyone in the shop.

When Whitcomb-Foss said that, fans pointed out that he mostly talked about his high school days. Riccardi explained that he is only 26 and that most of his 20s were spent during the COVID pandemic. He graduated from college only four years ago and didn’t have too many interesting facts to share. 

However, one interesting fact was that he snuck a cake into his watch party for his final game. On Jeopardy!, Riccardi said that he and his brother both baked cakes, and it turned into a cheesecake mixed with a carrot cake, and that was the cake he brought to the party. 

Riccardi shared that there was a shift about halfway through his run, where “everyone who came to watch was really stressed out all game.” “They were like, ‘Hey, could you maybe get a runaway or two, so we don’t have to be so worried?’” Riccardi shared. 

“There were a lot of nail-biter runs in the beginning, for sure. I think there was a point where people got more confident.” 

“You always have to start to worry because people are going to assume you’re going to win, and it’s a lot to put on someone’s shoulders. Kind of a double-edged sword,” he said. 

Although Riccardi is grateful for reaching the Leaderboard of Legends and his 16-game run, he shared with host Ken Jennings at the end of his last game that he “could finally relax.” The host said he shared the same sentiment.

“I think what’s good about there being so much time between taping and airing is that you get a full month or two to just privately move on. It does feel like grieving, which is a little dramatic,” he said. “It was after winning 16 games, so I shouldn’t be sad about anything.” Riccardi said that he would wake up and think about all of the clues he got wrong, but he had to stop himself from it.

However, Scott Riccardi’s Jeopardy! run is not over. He will compete in the upcoming Tournament of Champions, but said that he hasn’t studied as hard for that as he did during his first run. “At this point, I’m sticking with natural curiosity stuff that comes through. I’m definitely not aggressively tearing through Wikipedia pages, the way I was getting ready for the show,” he said.

“I’m sure anyone else who is going to be in the Tournament of Champions is probably relieved to hear that I’ve been taking it pretty easy. The foot has been off the gas pedal.”

Because they were wrapping up the season, Riccardi had to film 15 games in a row. “I think it was the most exhausted, physically and mentally, I’ve ever been in my life,” he said. “It was a thing where the momentum really got me through the games. When I would get back to the hotel rooms every time, there was just nothing left.” 

“I’m just so happy to be a part of it, because Jeopardy! has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. It feels like an important part of the culture. It’s one of the few things that’s been a constant for decades, and I can’t believe I get to be a part of that,” he ended.

Jeopardy!, Season 42, September 8, check local listings