‘Jeopardy!’: 8 Things to Know About Champ Troy Meyer
Jeopardy! has another super-champ in the making as music executive Troy Meyer won his fourth game on Tuesday, January 24, taking his total earnings to an impressive $137,000.
The Tampa, Florida, native has dominated the competition across his four episodes, comfortably winning each game with an unreachable total by the time he got to Final Jeopardy. Meyer has become so confident that he has been upping his wagers, placing a shocking $7200 on Tuesday’s Final Jeopardy to give himself an even $40,000 episode total.
Meyer only needs to win one more game to guarantee his spot in the next Tournament of Champions, where he could face off against recent TOC qualifiers Cris Pannullo, Ray LaLonde, and Luigi de Guzman.
So, who exactly is Troy Meyer, and why is he so good at quizzing? Check out the gallery below to learn more about this rising Jeopardy! star.
He is One of the Top Trivia Players in the U.S.
This might be Meyer’s first time behind the Jeopardy! podium, but he is no stranger to the world of quizzing.
In an interview with the All Things Quiz YouTube Channel, a bearded Meyer revealed he is a four-time winner of Learned League, the niche online trivia club Ken Jennings used to be a part of. He’s also competed in the annual World Quizzing Championships on several occasions and finished as runner-up in 2020.
He Met His Wife Through 'Jeopardy!'
As Meyer mentioned on the show, he met his wife Genevieve online on a Jeopardy! practice website before she appeared as a contestant on the show in 2009. They developed a bond online, though Meyer only got to see what she looked like once her episode aired.
“I thought she was 55 years old,” Meyer said in a New York Times feature on their 2010 wedding announcement.
The pair eventually met up in person and continued to hit it off. “Within the first 24 hours we just wanted to be together,” Genevieve told the New York Times.
The couple now have a son.
His Wife Also Competed on 'The Chase'
In addition to her episode of Jeopardy!, Genevieve has also faced off against another quizzing icon on a different game show.
Last year, she appeared on ABC’s The Chase, where she had to take on former Jeopardy! TOC winner, James Holzhauer. She fared well on the show, winning $165,000 of a $330,000 jackpot after her team defeated Holzhauer in the Final Chase.
His Mother Recently Passed Away
Meyer’s first Jeopardy! episode saw him in near tears as he celebrated his victory.
It was later revealed that his mother had recently passed away and, according to Jennings, they “shared a big love” of watching Jeopardy! together.
Fans Think He Looks Like Bill Hader
While Meyer has won over plenty of fans with his immense trivia knowledge, other viewers were just as impressed by his resemblance to Barry star Bill Hader.
“All I could think was how much that man looks like Bill Hader!” wrote one fan on Instagram. “I’m pretty sure the dude Troy on Jeopardy! right now is just Bill Hader doing a voice,” added another.
He Is Lady Gaga Approved
On the January 20 episode, Meyer revealed he got to meet Lady Gaga backstage after a concert, where she apparently pointed at him and said, “You! You have great style!”
“I was wearing, like, a cardigan and shorts,” he said. “But, like, she noticed it, and I’ve been coasting on it ever since!”
His Grandfather Was a Celebrity Security Guard
In an episode last week, Meyers told Jennings that his grandfather worked as a security guard for 1940s movie legend Rita Hayworth, star of Gilda and The Lady from Shanghai.
Ken Jennings Inspired Him to Start Quizzing
“I was inspired by Ken Jennings most of all,” Meyers told the All Things Quiz podcast.
“I remember watching him when I was 19/20, and thinking, I know it’s not a normal reaction, but, ‘I could do that if I worked at it a little bit. I feel like I have that capability.'”
