Jeopardy! super-champ Adriana Harmeyer won her eighth consecutive game on Friday night (June 7), marking the longest and highest-earning streak in over a year.
Talking to host Ken Jennings early in Friday’s episode, the archivist from West Lafayette, Indiana, revealed her secret weapon for success. After Jennings pointed out how Harmeyer has worn the same necklace for every game, the champ explained, “It’s a cameo necklace that was given to me by my grandmother.”
“She loved and collected cameos in all forms and was also a big game show fan,” Harmeyer continued, noting how her late grandmother inspired her to come on the show.
“I spent a lot of time watching Jeopardy! and other programs at her side,” she shared, adding that “it’s very possible” that without her grandmother, she wouldn’t be on Jeopardy!
“That’s great that you’ve got that memento,” Jennings replied.
However, Harmeyer didn’t need luck during Friday’s game, as she once again dominated the competition, including Amogha Tadimety, a biotech startup founder from Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Kevin Stuhlmann, a Rochester Hills, Michigan pastor.
By the end of the first round, Harmeyer had answered 15 clues correctly and amassed a leading total of $5,800. She continued to rack up more money in Double Jeopardy, with a Daily Double giving her a significant lead.
Stuhlmann, though, did try and mount a comeback after dominating the Bible category, which meant for the first time all week, Harmeyer didn’t have a runaway heading into Final Jeopardy.
Harmeyer’s score going into the final round was $19,600, Stuhlmann’s was $13,600, and Tadimety’s was $3,600. However, only Harmeyer and Tadimety answered the final clue correctly, shutting Stuhlmann out of the game.
With her wager of $7,800, Harmeyer won the episode with $27,400, cementing her eighth win in a row and an overall total of $183,100.
Fans continued to be impressed by Harmeyer’s performance and took to social media to share their reactions.
“With Adriana hitting win #8, she now falls between Karen Farrell and Mackenzie Jones in terms of winningest women,” wrote one viewer on the Jeopardy! Reddit forum.
“Congrats to Adriana on sweeping the week! Also even more impressive, she had a 27-day break in real time between her 3rd and 4th games,” added another, referencing how regular Jeopardy! took a break to film the Masters tournament.
“Adriana is really, really, really good,” wrote one user, while another added, “Hoping Adriana can snatch at least two more wins. I really like her a lot!”
“With her 8th win, Adriana is quickly approaching elite superchampion territory,” said another.
“Congrats to Adriana on sweeping the week. A win on Monday would make her the 3rd longest-winning Female contestant in Jeopardy history, behind only Amy Schneider and Julia Collins,” another commented.
Can Harymeyer make history tonight? Tune into Monday’s game to see if the super-champ can pull it off.
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