Yale doctoral student's historic Jeopardy! run finally ends: Walks away with $1.5M after he claims the second-longest winning streak with 38 consecutive games
Yale doctoral student Matt Amodio's historic winning streak on 'Jeopardy!' - known to fans as the 'Amodio Rodeo' - came to an end on Monday's show, leaving the contestant with 38 wins and more than $1.5 million in prize money.
Amodio failed to answer the Final Jeopardy! clue correctly and came third on Monday's show, his streak cut short by new champion Jonathan Fisher, an actor originally from Coral Gables, Florida.
He incorrectly answered 'What is Poland,' rather than 'What is Austria' for the final jeopardy question: 'Nazi Germany annexed this nation and divided it into regions of the Alps and the Danube; the Allies later divided it into four sectors.'
'Jeopardy!" contestant Matt Amodio is pictured during a taping of the popular game show. Amodio's historic run on the show ended on Monday's show, leaving the Yale doctoral student with 38 wins and more than $1.5 million in prize money
Amodio (left) incorrectly answered 'What is Poland,' rather than 'What is Austria' for the final jeopardy question: 'Nazi Germany annexed this nation and divided it into regions of the Alps and the Danube; the Allies later divided it into four sectors'
'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,' Amodio (pictured on Monday's show), a fifth-year computer science Ph.D student at Yale University, said in a statement
Amodio finished second on the all-time consecutive wins list behind only Ken Jennings with 74 wins.
He won a total of $1,518,601, which puts him third on the all-time non-tournament cash winnings list behind James Holzhauer ($2,462,216) and Jennings ($2,520,700).
'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,' Amodio, a fifth-year computer science Ph.D student at Yale University, said in a statement.
'As somebody who prioritizes knowledge and knowing things, this is really a good one to have following me everywhere,'
He became known for starting all of his questions with "What´s..." instead of using suitable alternatives such as "Who is...," an unorthodox approach that made some longtime viewers groan.
Amodio failed to answer the Final Jeopardy! clue correctly and came third on Monday's show, his streak cut short by new champion Jonathan Fisher (pictured), an actor originally from Coral Gables, Florida
But it was within the quiz show´s rules and, as Amodio explained, helped him limit any 'unnecessary moving parts' that might undermine his effectiveness.
Amodio's popularity on the show proved a welcome distraction for the quiz show and its producer Sony Pictures Television, which saw its effort to replace its late and beloved host Alex Trebek founder.
Sony turned to guest hosts Mayim Bialik and Jennings after its original pick for the job, 'Jeopardy!' executive producer Mike Richards, exited the show following the disclosure of his past disparaging podcasts remarks about women and others.
Sony has said it was resuming its search for a permanent host.
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