Yale Ph.D. student Matt Amodio set a new record in the “Jeopardy!” Hall of Fame when he landed a 38-game win streak – the second-longest win streak in the game show’s history – in September and took home a staggering $1,518,601 dollars.
The first spot goes to “Jeopardy!” G.O.A.T. Tournament winner Ken Jennings, who won 74 consecutive games in 2004.
There are only a few months separating Amodio from the 2022 Tournament of Champions, where he will have a rematch against Jonathan Fisher and face off against current champion Amy Schneider, who is one of the first openly trans champions in the show’s decades-long history.
“I’ve been a loud supporter of Amy Schneider on Twitter because she’s awesome; she’s just dominating,” Amodio said. “She’s so smart and fun to watch. I’m in awe.”
Amodio recently wrote a piece discussing what post-Jeopardy life has been like. Apparently, he’s a lot more famous than he expected he would be.
Matt Amodio Has His Own Fan Club
View this post on Instagram
Apparently, “The Big Bang Theory” wasn’t too far off when they said a girl loves a guy with brains.
On Saturday, Amodio recently revealed in a Newsweek article that he has still been getting romantic marriage proposals at the same frequency as when he was on the show. He added that there is also a group of “lively female members” called the “Amodio Rodeo” on Twitter.
While admitting that he is “flattered” by all of the attention, he is “also extremely entertained. Some of my fans are just hilarious; they’re very smart people making it a fun time for everybody.”
His dating life has also been impacted by his newfound fame.
“I’m not used to the fact that, during the ice breaker stage, the other person has access to hours of television footage of me and a Wikipedia page to look at,” he explained. “I’ve expressed opinions on Twitter that I would normally make three minutes of conversation about on a date, but now dates are like, ‘I’ve already heard that, what else have you got?’”
What’s The Best Part About Being On Jeopardy?
View this post on Instagram
Amodio revealed that he feels like a “truer, more natural version of myself” since appearing on the show.
He explained, “when other people say that me revealing who I am is nice, lovely, or wonderful, it’s very rewarding. It’s hard to stay humble when you hear that because it’s a testament to a deeper connection to who I am; not just ‘he’s smart’ but, ‘he seems like a good person.’ That makes me feel very proud.”
Describing himself as a “very ‘type A’ achievement-focused guy,” Amodio admits that “these past six months have just been good thing after good thing happening. It has been rewarding for me on so many levels. Not only in the moment, but also as a validation of my whole personality type.”
He also revealed that his newfound confidence has definitely helped improve his dating game.
I do feel like I’m more confident and more able to be myself because of all this fame and success,” Amodio said. “It has bolstered my internal view of myself and, I imagine that might make me funnier and easier to be around, too. No one wants to be around a ball of nerves on a date!”
