Meet Adriana Harmeyer, the archivist making ‘Jeopardy!’ history. Can she keep it up?
Adriana Harmeyer, a Purdue University archivist, hung on by a tiny margin on June 17, and managed to reel in her 14th win on the popular game show “Jeopardy!”
And now, she’s seeking out number 15.
While Harmeyer came out of the gates early, the super champ contestant (those rare few who have over 10 Jeopardy wins,) was holding a $4,200 lead over communications specialist Ty Patton, who hails from Des Moines, Iowa, Purdue Exponent reported.
But by the final question, Harmeyer held less than $3,000 over Patton, according to the Lafayette Journal & Courier.
“Born 344 years apart, they are the two real people mentioned by name in the titles of the 1990s Best Picture Oscar winners,” was the question.
Patton answered correctly with “Who are Shakespeare and Schindler?” and had risked everything, pulling ahead of Harmeyer by $10,599.
Harmeyer had also got the answer right but wagered $10,800, bringing her win total to 14, earning her $326,000. According to the Journal & Courier, the professor missed 32 questions during her streak.
“She currently has a 62% buzzer win rate and has answered 313 questions correctly for 91% accuracy,” the site reported.
Who is Harmeyer?
Harmeyer is a West Virginia native who fans noticed plays the game “the old fashion way,” which is from the top down, the Inside Jeopardy! Podcast took note of.
“Yeah, we haven’t really had someone who’s played as straight-ahead as Adriana,” former contestant Buzzy Cohen said on the podcast.
“I know Alex [Trebek] would have loved a player like Adriana because there was nothing he appreciated more than a player who took a category in order,” producer Sarah Whitcomb said.
After winning her 5th, Whitcomb interviewed Harmeyer about how she feels about her progress.
“It feels fantastic. It feels surreal,” she responded during the interview posted on YouTube. The professor falls into a special category of Tournament of Champions, which is currently all women at the top.
But the best part for her? Answering questions.
“I really just love answering questions,” she said. “That might seem like an obvious answer, but when the category pops up that I know I have a background in or just something I’m interested in, and I know I can just play through those clues, it’s a really great feeling.”
Harmeyer will attempt to continue her win streak on June 18 when she takes on Mark Gagliardi, an actor and podcaster from Tennessee, and Colleen Matthews, a speech-language pathologist from Oregon.