Ryan Long is no longer the reigning Jeopardy! champ. The 16-game winner got ever so close to a milestone amount, earning $299,400 on the program. Fans are speaking out about what made Long such a special champion.
The Every Man
There’s something very ordinary about Long. The Lyft driver from Philadelphia didn’t feel like a Ken Jennings-esque genius, nor was he a gambler like James Holzhauer. Instead, he stuck out for his sweater vests and genuine emotion.
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Even in the early days of his streak, you could tell how flabbergasted Long was to be on the show at all. He accidentally left his glasses across the country, so he had to squint his way through his first week of victories. Long was truly a relatable Jeopardy! champion and there truly aren’t too many of those.
Fans Are Talking
As one would expect, the end of Long’s streak meant fans of the show could discuss what made him special. One was touched b Long’s plan for the winnings.
He’s not just planning to take his son on a trip. In a recent tweet, Long said he’d also pick up “new shirts. New glasses” with his ample winnings. His glasses would fog up every show which could not have made his life any easier.
Another user succinctly described Long’s everyman style. “He was an everyman. He wasn’t a great student in high school, doesn’t have a college degree and doesn’t have a occupation like ‘Rocket Scientist’. He showed anyone can play and win.”
How Is Ryan Long Doing?
As one has come to expect, Long is taking his Jeopardy! loss in stride. He thanked the folks at home for watching him and made a point of complimenting his fellow contestants. “I want to thank all my fellow contestants who were, to a person, exemplary human beings.”
Long then waxed poetic on society as a whole: “Sometimes it seems like society put you in a box, and you are classified as a certain thing with a certain destiny, even though you may feel differently inside. For the longest time, I didn’t believe that a person could really break out of that box. But I feel like this thing that just happened is proof that you can.” Long concluded by saying he’ll see everyone in the fall for the Tournament of Champions.
It’s shaping up to be a legendary tournament as Long will duel with the likes of Mattea Roach, Matt Amodio, and Amy Schneider. We’ll all have to wait and see if yet another super champion emerges between now and then.