Streak of “super-champions” helps “Jeopardy!” push past host fiasco

“Jeopardy!” contestant Mattea Roach’s run of 24 games came to an end Friday night, capping off what has been a historic streak of “super champions.“

• Danielle Maurer, of Atlanta, defeated Roach by $1 in the Final Jeopardy round.

Why it matters: The recent run of new “Jeopardy!” stars comes after the show’s host drama last summer that saw Mike Richards, a former executive producer of “Jeopardy!” picked as the new host of the show before an abrupt exit.

What they’re saying: “It has really let people fall in love with ‘Jeopardy!’ again and forget about what happened to focus on all of these amazing contestants,” Andy Saunders, who runs thejeopardyfan.com website, told AP.

• Saunders said viewers become attached to the characters after seeing players night after night. And ratings for the show have gone up as well, the AP reports.

Flashback: Richards, an executive producer who led the search for a new host after the death of previous host Alex Trebek, was announced as the show’s co-host along with Mayim Bialik on Aug. 11, 2021.

• A report from The Ringer found that Richards had used “offensive language” and negative remarks about women’s bodies on a podcast.
• Richards stepped down from the role shortly after the report.

The big picture: “Jeopardy!” still hasn’t nailed down its new host, relying on both Bialik and “Jeopardy!” record-setter Ken Jennings to host the show through its 38th season, per Deadline.

• Bialik was originally tapped as the new host of the primetime and spinoff shows for “Jeopardy!” after Richards’ exit.
• Maurer, who defeated Roach, will now look to extend her winning streak, continuing the run of super champions as the show seeks its new host.

Since then, three contestants — Roach, Amy Schneider and Matt Amodio — all had winning runs that were among the top five winning streaks for the show, per The Associated Press.

By the numbers: Roach’s run ended at 24 games after Friday’s night loss, per AP, but she became the show’s youngest major winner.

• Amodio notched 38 straight victories.
• Schneider’s history-making streak ended at 40 games. She became the first woman to win $1 million on the game show and the first transgender contestant to qualify for the Tournament of Champions.
• Jennings still holds the streak record from his 74-game winning run in 2004.

Go deeper… Why “super-champions” are dominating “Jeopardy!”