How Does Matt Amodio Keep Winning On 'Jeopardy!'?
Matt Amodio is coming for Ken Jennings' crown for highest-earning "Jeopardy!" winner ever. (But in a very nice way, because Amodio is known to be the sweetest, and considers Jennings a personal hero.) As of now, Amodio, Yale Ph.D. student, is the third-highest earner, with $547,600 under his belt. We'd say that's pretty impressive. Especially since Amodio himself always comes across as incredibly humble.
"I heard several times — I'll brag about this — people say, 'I couldn't have lost to a nicer guy.' Those comments made me feel good," he said in an interview with Vulture (via GeekyCraze). "I try to be gracious. I mean, I got lucky. I feel like I could've easily been on the other side of it."
So does the "Jeopardy!" superstar have a secret trick up his sleeve? Here's what Amodio has said about his philosophy when it comes to strategy — and how it differs from other "Jeopardy!" all-stars.
Matt Amodio takes a slow and steady approach
Matt Amodio answered a few strategy-questions in the same Vulture Q&A (via GeekyCraze), including how he studies ("good old-fashioned reading"), how he likes to handle the Daily Double ("I'm not gonna let timidity get in my way. I'll bet on myself and try to take the game out of the control of the opponents"), and his buzzer philosophy ("I think the important thing was not going in too rigidly and being able to change based on the environment that played out").
But more than anything else, Amodio takes a measured approach to the game. "If I had to put one word on my strategy sheet, it's 'cautious,'" he said. "You have a couple of seconds before the timer goes off. I don't have to hastily say something. I always try to slow the game down and use every second I'm given by the rules of the show to make sure I'm comfortable with my answer and go on that basis."
But if Amodio has one "Jeopardy!" weakness, he told Vulture, it's anything pop culture. (Um, can't relate.) We do admire the dedication it takes to study up on 10 years' worth of TMZ headlines, though. "Thankfully, if there's one thing the internet has information on, it's celebrities," he joked in the interview (per TV Insider).