After an impressive 14-game winning streak that almost landed him on the “Jeopardy!” Leaderboard of Legends, Harrison Whitaker’s time on the quiz show has come to an end — for now.
Harrison Whitaker’s ‘Jeopardy!’ winning streak ends
Going into Monday night’s game, Whitaker, a 27-year-old researcher originally from Terre Haute, Indiana, was two victories away from being in a three-way tie for the No. 10 spot on the “Jeopardy!” Leaderboard of Legends for most consecutive wins.
He was also coming close to reaching the top 10 for highest winnings in regular-season play.
Near the end of Monday’s game, it looked like Whitaker was inching his way forward.
As has often been the case throughout his run, the “Jeopardy!” champ was in the lead going into the Final Jeopardy round. But this time around, another contestant was close behind him, making it more of game.
So it all came down to the Final Jeopardy clue: “A 1959 4-cent stamp depicts an eagle and a maple leaf beneath the name of this project.”
Host Ken Jennings first turned to the players in second and third place, Libby Jones and Brendan Thomas. They both came up with the correct response: “What is the St. Lawrence Seaway?”
Jennings then shifted to Whitaker, the 14-game champ, and revealed his response: “What is the Ambassador Bridge?”
With that incorrect response, Whitaker’s “Jeopardy!” run has officially come to an end, and Jones, a contestant from Davenport, Florida, has become the new champion.
Harrison Whitaker will return for ‘Jeopardy!’ Tournament of Champions
Viewers aren’t done seeing Whitaker on the Alex Trebek Stage, though.
With 14 wins under his belt — including a season-high $50,000 win — the player has easily secured his place in the 2027 Tournament of Champions.
Whitaker’s path to Season 42 of “Jeopardy!” started this past summer, when he was between jobs and tired of filling out applications, as the Deseret News previously reported.
In a break from the monotony, the 27-year old, who recently earned a doctorate from England’s University of Cambridge, decided to return to a dream he had unsuccessfully pursued during his early college days.
So he started a different kind of application — one for the quiz show “Jeopardy!”
“I just thought, ‘Well, if I have to do something that I can convince myself is productive, may as well be a ‘Jeopardy!’ application,’” Whitaker recently told the Indiana Statesman.
Now, he has become a standout player on the show.
And his advice to aspiring contestants? Keep learning.
“The biggest benefit you can give yourself, especially if you’re young, is to always pursue learning about things you’re interested in,” he told the Indiana Statesman. “You’ll never be able to learn stuff you don’t care about, but if you follow things that you do find interesting, that can just lead you to lots of fascinating places and teach you a lot about the world.”