The era of Matt Amodio came to an end on tonight’s episode of Jeopardy! After winning 38 games, the Yale Ph.D. student finishes in the No. 2 spot on the all-time consecutive wins rankings. He also racked up a total of $1,518,601, putting him in third place for regular-season winnings. While Amodio surely wanted to continue his winning streak, his time on the show put him in record books and created a loyal fanbase for the 30-year-old contestant.
During tonight’s episode, Jeopardy! fans were surprised to see Amodio come into the Bonus Round in third place. With $10,400, he stood behind competitors Jessica Stephens with $14,400 and Jonathan Fisher with $14,600. The category: “Countries of the World.”
Before host Mayim Bialik read the question, Amodio already appeared a bit nervous. Typically in first place during the majority of the gameplay, the 30-year-old now stood with a $4,000 disadvantage.
The clue read, “Nazi Germany annexed this nation and divided it into regions of the Alps and the Danube; the Allies later divided it into 4 sectors.”
See what the Jeopardy! contestants answer in the clip below.
During the excruciatingly long 30 seconds, fans had to wonder if Amodio was knowledgeable in geography and world history as he was in Lord of the Rings trivia. As the Jeopardy! tune came to a close, fellow contestant Fisher appeared especially confident.
Their answers and wagers were as follows:
Matt Amodio – Poland, $5,000
Jessica Stephens – Austria, $14,399
Jonathan Fisher – Austria, $14,600
The correct answer was, in fact, Austria, placing Fisher in first with $29,200 and sending the former champ home with over $1,000,000 in winnings.
‘Jeopardy!’ Host Mayim Bialik Expresses ‘Honor’ and ‘Pleasure’ of Watching Former Champ Play
For Jeopardy! host Bialik, tonight’s episode was bitter-sweet. While she had the chance to watch a new champion rise to the ranks, she also had to say goodbye to the longest contestant of her career on the game show. After congratulating Fisher on his hard-fought victory, Bialik turned to Amodio.
“We have to say goodbye to Matt Amodio with an unbelievable 38-day winning streak. That is one for the books. It has been an honor and a pleasure to watch you here. Congratulations,” the Jeopardy! host said. “What a way to start the week.”
Once the episode ended, Bialik further expressed her admiration for the Jeopardy! contestants behind the scenes.
“Everybody take a deep breath,” she said with a chuckle. “Congratulations, that was quite a game, quite a game. One for the record books, really. It’s been really a pleasure to watch all of this unfold. It’s been really remarkable.”
Meanwhile, Amodio himself asked the new Jeopardy! champ if he would see him in 37 games. Fisher replied that he would fly to Amodio if that were to happen.
