JEOPARDY! superchamp Scott Riccardi’s 16-day winning streak has come to a crashing halt in a shocking upset on tonight’s season 41 finale.
The trivia wiz accumulated nearly $500k over his impressive run, which many viewers thought would never end – but that all changed on Friday’s game thanks to a surprising newcomer.
7
7
After earning a whopping $455,000 over the course of 16 games, Scott was looking to continue his successful streak – which has landed him in the Jeopardy! record books.
Winning 16 games is the most consecutive games won by a contestant since 2022.
It also ties for 10th place in overall longest winning streaks ever in Jeopardy! history, alongside Ryan Long, who played in 2022.
That same year also saw Cris Pannullo win 21 games, Mattea Roach dominating 23 games, and Amy Schneider with an impressive 40-game winning streak – the second longest ever.
Of course, the player who holds the title for most consecutive games won is host Ken Jennings, who went on an unbeatable 74-game streak back in 2004.
OUT WITH A BANG
On Friday’s season 41 finale, Scott, an engineer from New Jersey, was looking for lucky number 17 to add to his resume.
He went up against Jonathan Hugendubler, an adjunct professor and trivia host from Baltimore, Maryland, and Charlotte Cooper, a graphic designer from San Francisco, California.
Like his past games, Scott was off to a swift lead early on in the game, which only increased when he found the first Daily Double under the “What’s That Spell?” category.
7
7
After correctly guessing the right response, Scott upped his score by $2,000 to lock in $7,600 from the jump.
By the time the trio of players entered the Double Jeopardy! round, Scott secured a hefty lead with $10,800.
Charlotte was in a distant second with $3,000 while Jonathan stayed in third place with just $800.
Jonathan began to gain momentum when he added $2,000 to his score when correctly guessing the second Daily Double under the “Stately Bodies of Water” category.
He continued that success by finding the third Daily Double – which ultimately drastically changed the course of the game.
The newcomer correctly guessed the clue under the “They’re All Greeks to Me” category – doubling his score to $8,800.
However, he was still behind Scott, but only slightly, as the superchamp was at $10,800 at that point in the game.
Going into Final Jeopardy!, Scott was able to maintain his lead with $23,600.
RISKY BUSINESS
While Jonathan made up for a lot, he was still in second with $14,000, while Charlotte stayed in second with $7,800.
Host Ken, 51, then introduced the final category as 20th Century Names and read the clue: “According to one obituary, in 1935 he owned 13 magazines, 8 radio stations, 2 movie companies, and $56 million in real estate.”
Both Jonathan and Charlotte were correct in answering “Who was Hearst?” – giving Charlotte $15,600 to end the game in third place.
The correct answer boosted Jonathan up to $23,601 – leaving the fate of the game up to Scott’s wager on his wrong response.
Unfortunately for Scott, he wagered too much and dropped down to second with $18,600.
Jeopardy! Set Secrets
Jeopardy! fans don’t see everything behind the scenes from watching on TV. These hidden set features make the show run smoothly:
- Each podium has a hidden riser so that all contestants appear to be the same height.
- After each clue is read, signal lights go off around the game board, indicating players can buzz in and respond.
- Buzz in too early, and you’re locked out for .25 seconds.
- The podiums have a small white light in the lower left corner, which tells Ken Jennings who goes next.
- Contrary to popular belief, the player with control doesn’t have a buzzer advantage on the next clue.
- To the game board’s left is a scoreboard so the players can see their opponents’ scores.
- All contestants must bring three outfits to the studio, but only the host and returning champion change for the next episode.
- There are wardrobe rules, including restrictions on busy patterns, solid white, purple (like the background), and logos.
- Five episodes are taped in a single day, and sometimes more.
- The categories, players (aside from the returning champion), and Final Jeopardy! for a tape day are all drawn randomly to ensure fairness.
- Female contestants are asked not to wear makeup, which is applied backstage, and don’t wear mascara because of sweat.
- Contestants fill out a questionnaire, and producers select five Q&A topics for the host.
- Host Ken isn’t allowed to interact with the contestants until after the game.
- Players can request to sit in a chair while competing without question.
When Ken said the results out loud, an audible gasp jolted out of the audience.
Jonathan was shaking as he put his hands up to his mouth in disbelief before going over to hug his opponent.
Scott appeared to handle the defeat well, but maintained a stoic facial expression when processing the disappointing news.
Fans were in disbelief themselves, with one saying: “No one expected this ending to a season! But we’ll see Scott in the Tournament of Champions.”
Another exclaimed: “Holy s**t. The first time a superchampion has lost on the last day of the season. What a way to wrap it up, congrats Jonathan!!”
“That was amazing Jeopardy and amazing television! Congrats on the run, Scott; congrats on the win, Jonathan; Charlotte for Second Chance! (Also sorry not sorry to Kurt Vonnegut for my semicolon use),” a third wrote.
Jeopardy! will now go through its one extended hiatus of the year – taking a break off the air until season 42 comes back in September.
7
7
7
