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Jeopardy! has a new champion on a hot streak. Matt Amodio, a PhD student from Yale, is on a ten-day winning streak, with a playstyle that has so far rewarded his risky moves.
However, he tends to answer questions in a way that's much shorter and less grammatically correct than a lot of fans would prefer.
The new winner makes a habit out of starting every question with "What..." or "What's...".
This includes when it's a person like "What's Grohl?" instead of the grammatically correct "Who is Dave Grohl?"
And it's driving fans crazy.
Who is the single most unwatchable champion in #Jeopardy history? Answer: What is Matt.— Biscayne Bullies (@Biscayne Bullies) 1627516280.0
This guy has a PhD and just will not use WHO IS when the answer is a person. I’m slowly going crazy. #Jeopardy— Emma (@Emma) 1627602230.0
Matt, it’s “who is Anna Faris?” Not “what’s Faris?” #Jeopardy https://t.co/FjdQonwvrY— Chern Mathews (@Chern Mathews) 1627513577.0
Many fans so detest Amodio's answer style, they assume it has to be against the rules. After all, a quiz show that tests your mental abilities would surely consider your ability to follow the rules of English, right?
No such luck.
The official Jeopardy! Twitter account shared a post on the rules of the show.
What’s up with Matt Amodio? A lot of “what’s” in his responses — and that’s totally acceptable! Read more about o… https://t.co/qKOg0kCqLK— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy!) 1627926387.0
According to the official rules, the answer needs only be "phrased in the form of a question."
This leaves a lot open to interpretation. The article shared even gives the example of using the British rock band "The Who?" as a complete and valid answer.
The revelation didn't please everyone.
@Jeopardy Acceptable obviously but proper? Absolutely not for any educated person!— No nonsense (@No nonsense) 1627926940.0
@Jeopardy I will agree that it’s “within” the rules, but as a long time fan, I find this lazy, and at times, makes… https://t.co/SBftjrjHDw— Carl Valdez (@Carl Valdez) 1627929549.0
If those are the rules, @Jeopardy, then they should be modified. Grammar matters. Think of how many people claim to… https://t.co/oxe61iNdIF— Connie Ann Kirk 📘✏ (@Connie Ann Kirk 📘✏) 1627932645.0
@Jeopardy I disagree! It’s very irritating to those of us who speak proper English!— Laurie Darlow (@Laurie Darlow) 1627928270.0
But this can work both ways. While a quick and snappy question can help move the game along, it's also possible to ask a very specific question as your answer.
Since you need only phrase the answer as a question, you could ask something ridiculous like:
"Who could have known that it was James A. Garfield?"
However, producers do not recommend this. While it can be funny, it eats up show time since you're taking more time for each question, not to mention it takes more mental power to come up with these types of answers.
To that end, the very short answers Amodio gives means he's allowing more Jeopardy! to be played and saving his brain power for the difficult stuff.
It's a good, and more importantly, valid strategy.
@ThomasStemmle @Jeopardy You're 100% incorrect. When he says "what is" hes referring to the answer. In this case… https://t.co/Zeh5FECMRK— Jake481 (@Jake481) 1628000325.0
@AmodioMatt @Jeopardy If it makes you feel any better, some of the people complaining are still doing a double space after their periods.— Mike Rodri Media (@Mike Rodri Media) 1628000509.0
@BoogieDownGal @Jeopardy I started answering back to Matt's misuse of 'what' with no "What's on second". I wonder… https://t.co/OHIxcfQQPK— invinoveritas (@invinoveritas) 1627929776.0
With his tenth win, Matt Amodio has raked in a total of $362,400 in winnings. This makes him the 8th-highest winning champion so far. He'll also be going to the Tournament of Champions since he's won more than five games.