The Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions may nearly be completed, but fans are still going wild over a certain player. Associate professor Sam Buttrey has not only proven himself an impressive trivia expert, but he’s made sure to bring lots of laughs to every episode he appears on. Here’s one of the funniest moments from Buttrey’s run in the Tournament of Champions.
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Sam Buttrey Emerges As Fan Favorite
Associate Professor and amateur musical comedian Sam Buttrey has had quite the run so far on the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions. Back in 2021, Buttrey rose as the victor of the first-ever Professors Tournament. Immediately, fans warmed to Buttrey’s gentle nature, quick wit, and striking resemblance to comedy legend Steve Martin.
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People were so shocked by Buttrey’s resemblance to Martin that even the actor gave him a shoutout after the competition. “So great to split the prize money with Sam!” Martin tweeted last December after Buttrey’s big win.
When Buttrey was invited back to compete in the Tournament of Champions, it became clear that he had a large fan base in his corner. Buttrey breezed through the quarterfinals and even blew Superchampion Matt Amodio out of the water during the semifinals. Going into the tournament finals, Buttrey had yet to be defeated on the Jeopardy! stage.
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As it turns out Buttrey shares more than just his looks with legendary comedian Steve Martin. Fans of the champion quickly noticed he has a similar style of deadpan humor.
Buttrey has delighted audiences with his comedic nature on nearly every episode he’s been on. For example, on Day 4 of the Tournament finals, Buttrey had a hilarious reaction to selecting a Daily Double.
After selecting the lucky board piece, Buttrey declared, “I’d like to bet the maximum amount permitted by law!” The comment earned a big laugh from the audience.
The clue read, “Once matter enters a black hole, it falls to the center and concentrates at an infinitely dense point called this.” Buttrey correctly answered, “What is the singularity?”
Unfortunately, Buttrey didn’t take home victory on Day 4. However, he got a streak of good luck the following day without sacrificing an ounce of good humor.
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On Day 5, after he cleared the second-to-last clue on the Double Jeopardy! board, Buttrey got a big laugh from Ken Jennings by joking, “May I please have the final clue?” Buttrey did win his first finals game on Day 5 with an impressive $22,400.
While we likely won’t see Buttrey return to the Jeopardy! stage after the Tournament of Champions concludes, it’s clear he’s made a lasting impression on fans!