‘Jeopardy!’ Champ Reveals Game-Changing Tactic
Jeopardy! champion Sam Kavanaugh has opened up about his experience on the beloved game show. He revealed a game-changing tactic that could help any player win the competition. Keep reading to see what he suggests for players who want to bring home the big money.
Sam Kavanaugh Reveals How He Won ToC
Sam Kavanaugh has become well-known among Jeopardy! fans. He won the Tournament of Champions in 2021, bringing home the $250,000 grand prize.
Season 41 of the game show kicks off tomorrow, September 9, and new players will be facing off to qualify for the 2025 ToC. Sam has some advice for contestants.
First, he told The U.S. Sun that the regular show and the tournament differ in a number of ways. When it’s all said and done, Sam said the game is “fixable” but you have to give in to hunting the Daily Double and going all-in.
“As long as you kind of analyze it and have other people to help you practice,” he said. “Literally, help you practice and do it out loud. Because that’s hard to do even if you know you’re supposed to do it.”
The Jeopardy! champ went on to say that those who qualify for the ToC should utilize their downtime to practice fearless wagering. Sam pointed out that finding the courage to be gutsy when you are wagering is easier to learn than trying to amass broader trivia knowledge.
“It’s a lot easier to fix poor wagering than it is to fix ‘I don’t know anything about Shakespeare.’ Because that’s one thing, not a universe of things,” Sam said.
When it comes to who Sam Kavanaugh thinks will win the 2025 ToC, his bets are on Adriana Harmeyer. Adriana went on a 15-day winning streak where she earned $349,600 in Season 40.
However, Adriana had a more traditional approach to playing the board. Unlike Sam suggested, she played the board from top to bottom and did not hunt for the Daily Double. The former ToC champ says this may not serve her in the tournament.
“I trust she can come back a little stronger on it, but don’t doubt her – she’s an excellent player. I think she can pull it off,” he said.
Looking Back On 2021 Jeopardy! ToC
Sam also discussed his experience on the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions. The 2021 tournament was much different than anything contestants went through before.
It was the first ToC without Alex Trebek at the helm. Buzzy Cohen guest-hosted the event and it was actually delayed several times due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“And it was kind of a unique [experience]. It was deep Covid. We weren’t sure it wasn’t going to happen; it was delayed a number of times,” he said. “There were a lot of unique circumstances that aligned that allowed me to do as well as I did.”
He continued, pointing out that he was a substitute teacher who was laid-off because there wasn’t any in-person teaching happening. Sam had a lot of time to prepare and took the time to listen to Buzzy Cohen’s book on preparation, which served as inspiration for his Jeopardy! run.
When he found out that Buzzy would be hosting the ToC he said he felt relieved. “No one compares to Alex,” Sam admitted. “I’m really fortunate I’ve got to play with him, but Buzzy’s specific goal was to, as best as he could, imitate the way Alex would host it.”
So far, Sam Kavanaugh has played Jeopardy! under three separate hosts: Alex Trebek, Buzzy Cohen, and Ken Jennings. He said that he believes Ken is “growing in his own direction” and thinks what he is doing on the game show is “good.”
Season 41 of Jeopardy! kicks off on Monday, September 9. Check your local listings for times.
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