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Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions Shocks Again with Fan-Favorite Player's Loss

Matt Amodio had been expected to move ahead to the finals.
  • Matt Amodio. (Photo: Jeopardy!/YouTube)
    Matt Amodio. (Photo: Jeopardy!/YouTube)

    The Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions continued to stun last night when another fan-favorite player was eliminated from the semifinals. 

    Matt Amodio, a PhD Student from New Haven, Connecticut who won some 38 games last year, was expected by many viewers to come out on top this round. In a shocking twist, however, Amodio wound up in last place, sending him home from the Tournament of Champions. 

    Amodio was up against Professors' Tournament winner Sam Buttrey and softward team lead John Focht, and by the time they'd reached Final Jeopardy!, the three were neck-and-neck. Amodio's decision to wager $0, however, left him with just $16,000 by the time the game had ended, compared to Buttrey's $33,601 and Focht's $24,000. 

    "He's defeated a super champion today. He's gonna have to do it in the finals," said host Ken Jennings of Buttrey, who will now face Amy Schneider in the tournament's final round. 

    Fans were caught off guard by Amodio's loss, writing that he should have bet on himself in Final Jeopardy!. "I like Matt Amodio a lot, but if you can't bet on yourself in the Tournament of Champions, I'm not sure when you can," wrote one viewer. "Really puzzled by Matt Amodio‘s strategy in final Jeopardy tonight," wrote another.

     

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    Jade Budowski is a freelance writer with a knack for ruining punchlines and harboring dad-aged celebrity crushes. She was previously a reporter/producer at Decider and is a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow her on Twitter: @jadebudowski.

    TOPICS: Jeopardy!, Ken Jennings