Matt Amodio, a PhD candidate at Yale University, saw his 38-game Jeopardy! winning streak snapped on Monday after finishing third to actor Jonathan Fisher and researcher Jessica Stephens.
Amodio won $1,518,601 in prize money during his run, becoming the game’s third-highest regular-season money winner behind Ken Jennings and James Holzhauer. Amodio also now holds the record for second-longest winning streak, behind only Jennings at 74.
Amodio lost in Final Jeopardy! when he failed to answer the final clue correctly, while Fisher and Stephens both got it right. Fisher, who landed on both Daily Doubles in the Double Jeopardy! round, ended up winning the game with $29,200, with Stephens close on his heels with $28,799. Amodio came in third with $5,600 after missing the clue “Nazi Germany annexed this nation and divided it into regions of the Alps and the Danube; the Allies later divided it into four sectors.” The correct response was: “What is Austria?”
“Everybody's so smart and so competent that this could happen in any game. And this time it did,” said Amodio in a statement. “I always wanted to be a Jeopardy! champion, and I accomplished that. l know going into every bar trivia game that I play that I'm going to come in with a little intimidation factor. But also, I just like the badge that it represents. As somebody who prioritizes knowledge and knowing things, this is really a good one to have following me everywhere.”
Amodio will return to play Jeopardy! during the 2022 Tournament of Champions.
Jeopardy! is produced by Sony Pictures Television and distributed by CBS Media Ventures.
