‘Jeopardy!’: Matt Amodio Wins Again, Enters Top 5 For Consecutive Games Won and Highest Winnings Ever

Ken Jennings better hold on tight to that record for his earnings on Jeopardy! as the game show has a new champ coming in hot. At 13 straight wins, contestant Matt Amodio may seem far away from Jennings’ 74 wins — but with a killer Daily Double showdown, we can still hope, right? Tonight on the show, Amodio cinched his thirteenth straight win and became number five on two Jeopardy! leaderboards: highest winnings and consecutive games won. To date, his winnings total a whopping $430,200.

To keep his streak on a roll, Amodio says he has a strategy: always change things up. “If you get too much in a rut, you might start making mistakes,” Amodio said in a statement. “I’ve tried to keep it fresh each time.”

And Amodio has certainly upheld that standard. Jeopardy! audiences have seen all the ups and downs Amodio has to offer, from that gutsy Daily Double to his bizarre answering technique. Instead of answering with “Who’s” when the prompt calls for a person’s name, Amodio will use “What’s.” For example: when the answer was Anna Faris, Amodio says “What’s Faris?” instead of “Who’s Faris?” Though fans are notably upset about this, Jeopardy! did clarify that his answers are fair-game.

CNBC anchor David Faber has seen five straight wins out of Amodio this week, serving as guest host of the ABC game show. Before him, fan-favorite LeVar Burton saw five more wins, with GMA anchor Robin Roberts being the guest host at the podium for the beginning of Amodio’s streak.

“I was impressed with him, particularly [the August 3] episode, in which he did a $13,000 Daily Double — all the money he had,” Faber told Decider of the champion. “Clearly it was the turning point in the game, because if he had not gotten it correct, he would’ve been in a difficult position. He had at least one if not two competitors there. That was gutsy.”

Tonight’s episode also marked the end of Faber’s time as guest host of Jeopardy!, raking in a hearty $154,000 donation to the Robin Hood Foundation while he was at the podium. Up next to continue Amodio’s streak is Emmy-winning sportscaster Joe Buck, who is known for his NFL and MLB coverage on Fox Sports.

This week, Jeopardy! also made headlines for reportedly selecting its new permanent host. Variety reported that executive producer Mike Richards was in advanced negotiations to become the permanent host, although the show is still in the midst of talks with other potential hosts. Late last night, though, reports of Richards’s alleged harassment and discrimination on The Price is Right resurfaced, which may affect the EP’s chances at snagging the legendary role.

Jeopardy! airs weeknights on ABC at 7/6c.

Where to watch Jeopardy