The 41st season of “Jeopardy!” is officially over.
This past Friday, the quiz show finished its season in dramatic fashion, with 16-time champ Scott Riccardi’s impressive winning streak coming to an end.
That means a new “Jeopardy!” champion will return to the Alex Trebek stage when the show starts up again in the fall.
Here’s a look at the final clue that brought down a “Jeopardy!” superchamp — and when to expect new episodes.
‘Jeopardy!’ season ends with elimination of 16-game champ
Riccardi, an engineer from New Jersey, maintained a strong lead throughout Friday’s game.
By the time the Final Jeopardy clue rolled around, Riccardi had $23,600 — but the game wasn’t a runaway for the 16-game superchamp. Jonathan Hugendubler, an adjunct professor and trivia host from Baltimore, was in reach with $14,000 to keep the game more competitive, per “Jeopardy!” archives.
It all came down to the Final Jeopardy clue in the category 20th-century names: “According to one obituary, in 1935 he owned 13 magazines, 8 radio stations, 2 movie companies and $56 million in real estate.”
Both Hugendubler and contestant Charlotte Cooper came up with the correct response — “Who is Hearst?” (William Randolph Hearst.)
Hugendubler’s wager of $9,601 put his total at $23,601 — just $1 over Riccardi.
But the host Ken Jennings revealed Riccardi’s answer: Howard Hughes.
The incorrect response cost Riccardi $5,000, dropping him down to second place with $18,600, per The Jeopardy Fan website.
Riccardi’s 16-game winning streak, and the bold wagers he placed throughout his run, earns him two spots on the “Jeopardy!” Leaderboard of Legends. He ties with contestant Ryan Long for the 10th spot for most consecutive wins, and is No. 8 for all-time “Jeopardy!” winnings in regular season play with $455,000.
Now, Hugendubler is the newest “Jeopardy!” champ — but he’s going to have to wait a while to defend his title.
When does the new season of ‘Jeopardy!’ premiere?
“Jeopardy!” fans will have to wait six weeks for new episodes.
The show’s 42nd season premieres Sept. 8, per The Jeopardy Fan. In the meantime, viewers can catch reruns.
An exciting development for the show comes with the new season, which will begin with Hugendubler seeking his second win.
“Jeopardy!“ recently announced that the show, along with ”Wheel of Fortune," will make episodes available for streaming the following day on Hulu and Peacock.
It’ll mark the first time the show is making episodes from its current season available for streaming, per Variety.
A major goal of the streaming deal is to expand the viewership and reach of “Jeopardy!”, which draws in roughly 7 million viewers each night, The New York Times reported.