Jeopardy champ reveals he married an all-time great player in chat with Ken Jennings
“It’s wonderful, it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
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Roger Craig and Julia Collins on ‘Jeopardy’. Photo: NBC
What is: love?
Jeopardy contestant Roger Craig revealed that he married another former champion of the show — and it turns out she’s an all-time great player in the show’s history.
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During his introductory chat with host Ken Jennings on Friday’s episode, Craig reflected on how the show brought them together. “At the All-Star Games, I reconnected with Julia Collins,” he said. “I first met her in New York about 10 years ago, and we’re married now.”
Jennings was delighted by the news. “Wow, Jeopardy power couple! Congratulations,” he said.
“Thank you,” Craig replied. “It’s wonderful, it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
Jennings responded, “That’s fantastic. But you’re here instead of Julia? Are you guys not gonna ever play each other on Jeopardy?”
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Ken Jennings on ‘Jeopardy’.Christopher Willard/ABC via Getty
Craig, who works as a computer scientist, said that his spouse wasn’t available for this particular invitational tournament, but she does want to return to the show to face off against him eventually. “We would love to,” he said. “She would love to have been here, but the logistics just didn’t work out. So hopefully next time.”
Craig ultimately emerged victorious at the end of Friday’s game, winning $36,000 and easily besting the other two contestants by a margin of over $20,000. All three players correctly answered “[Edward] Elgar” in the Final Jeopardy category of “Composers” upon receiving the clue, “Yale takes credit for starting a commencement tradition when it gave this composer an honorary doctorate in 1905.”
During his original run on Jeopardy in 2010, Craig won six consecutive games and set a number of records on the show — including the highest-ever total winnings for a single episode, with $77,000. Jennings was the previous holder of that record with $75,000, and Craig was ultimately bested by James Holzhauer in 2019 (15 times, no less, topping out at $131,127 in a single game). Craig also won the Tournament of Champions in 2011.
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Collins, who is a supply chain professional, entered the Jeopardy hall of fame four years after Craig. In 2014, she won a whopping 20 games in a row, ultimately earning $429,100. Collins held the record for the most consecutive wins by a female contestant until Amy Schneider surpassed her in 2021, doubling the record with 40 consecutive wins.
