Please update your records, because there’s a new member in the pantheon of Jeopardy! greatness.
Jason Zuffranieri, a math teacher from Albuquerque, New Mexico, just won his 15th straight Jeopardy! game. That puts him at #5 on both the all-time earnings list (he’s netted $418,343 so far) and the all-time consecutive games list.
Jeopardy! GOAT Ken Jennings obviously tops those lists, with $2,520,700 earned over a mind-boggling 74 games.
Let’s not put him in Jennings territory yet, but it certainly seems like Zuffranieri could be the next James Holzhauer, who rocketed up the Jeopardy charts earlier this year but ultimately fell short of topping Jennings’ earning record.
All in all, Zuffranieri seems pretty humble about his rise.
“I kind of want to reach the best I can, which I know is certainly not as good as some other people who have been on this show,” he said in a recent Jeopardy! profile. “But I’m certainly going to try my best, and try to limit my mistakes and maximize my winnings. Just keep it rolling as long as it can—because it’s such a blessing.”
The Jeopardy! profile also reveals a whole category’s worth of fun facts, including that Zuffranieri “was featured in a local magazine as one of the region’s hottest singles.”
If Zuffranieri wants to rise among the ranks of Jeopardy legends, he certainly has his work cut out for him, but you can watch him try for #16 during the next Jeopardy! contest on Friday, September 20. It will be the perfect aperitif for a weekend of football.
Holzhauer Donated to a Cancer Walk in Trebek’s Name
During what would be the contestant’s final episode, Trebek praised Holzhauer’s daughter for a handmade card. “I want to express my thanks to your beautiful little daughter, Natasha, for having made this get-well card for me,” Trebek said in the beginning of the show. “That was very sweet of her.”
Ann Zediker, a resident of Holzhauer’s former town and fundraiser in the walk, told CNN that she was watching the show and, aware of Holzhauer’s connection to Naperville—the champ is a former resident—decided she would reach out and invite him to the 2019 Naperville Pancreatic Cancer Research Walk on July 14.
“At the end of the day, I had nothing to lose,” said Zediker. “My heart told me it was the right thing to do.”
Zediker’s father had passed away in 2010, five months after he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, according to the Tribune. Zediker said she did not know much about this form of cancer until his death.
“Pancreatic cancer is one of the worst cancers out there,” she said. “Most people aren’t diagnosed until the latter stages.”
Holzhauer told her he would be unable to participate in the event. However, he sent her a donation for $1,109.14. Holzhauer wrote the message, “For Alex Trebek and all the other survivors.”
At first, Zediker was confused by the dollar amount. But then it dawned on her—the number represented his daughter Natasha’s birthday.
“There was no expectation on my end,” she told CNN. “I was just thrilled that he responded. I knew that Alex’s story had an impact on him, just like it has an impact on anyone who’s working with a family member who’s going through pancreatic cancer.”
The walk was organized by the Lustgarten Foundation, which is the largest private funder of pancreatic cancer research. Pancreatic cancer has one of the lowest survival rates, and is an extremely difficult disease to overcome.
NTD News reporter Mimi Nguyen Ly contributed to this article.
