‘Jeopardy!’: 5 Things to Know About Jonathan Hugendubler, Who Ended Scott Riccardi’s Streak

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Jonathan Hugendubler is the talk of the town among Jeopardy! fans. He won the Season 42 season finale game and took down giant, Scott Riccardi, who had a 16-game winning streak.

Hugendubler, from Baltimore, Maryland, and Riccardi, from Somerville, New Jersey, face off against Charlotte Cooper, from San Francisco, California, on Friday, July 25. Riccardi was in the lead for most of the game until it got to Final Jeopardy.

By the end of Double Jeopardy, Riccardi had $23,600, a mere $10,000 above Cooper, so he had the win locked in, but no one expected what came next. Hugendubler got the final clue right and wagered $9,601, putting him $1 above Riccardi. Riccardi got the answer wrong, dropping down to $18,600, causing him to lose his first game.

Jeopardy! fans know that Hugendubler is smart enough to win against a super champion, but do they know these other facts about him? Read on to find out more about the new champion and see him play his second game when the game show returns for Season 42 on Monday, September 8.

He is an adjunct professor.

Hugendubler had been an adjunct professor at McDaniel College since August 2023. Before that, he was an adjunct at Carroll County Community College, where he taught private composition lessons, music appreciation, and music theory, according to his LinkedIn.

Hugendubler has a doctorate.

The current champion earned his doctorate degree from John Hopkins University in musical Arts, music theory, and composition. He also obtained his masters degree from there. However, Hugendubler’s college education began at Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia, in music theory and composition.

Although he has attended school in Maryland and Virginia, Hugendubler is originally from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.

His love of music came from his parents.

Hugendubler revealed on Jeopardy! during the interviews that his parents, Rich and Lisa, were radio show morning hosts for four decades. They instilled a love of music in him, and he decided to pursue teaching music as a career.

The professor is also a trivia buff.

Aside from teaching students about music, Hugendubler also hosts trivia nights three times a week at The Brass Tap in Baltimore. He is a trivia host and question writer for Charm City Entertainment, according to PennLive. The Jeopardy! champion also hosted his watch party there. He also hosts trivia at two pizza joints in Baltimore.

The Baltimore Banner revealed that his love for trivia began in 2014, and that’s when he started to take the Jeopardy! Anytime Test.

He is engaged.

One person who will be in Hugendubler’s corner besides his parents is his fiancée, Kate Flores. They met nine years ago while volunteering at a small orchestra. They are expected to tie the knot on August 23, right before Hugendubler’s next episode airs. The Baltimore Banner revealed that she helped him study for the game show and even attended the finale taping.

Jeopardy!, Season 42, starting September 8, check local listings