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Matt Jackson | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1992 (age 33–34) |
| Alma mater | Yale University (BA) |
| Occupation | Paralegal |
| Known for | Appearances on Jeopardy! |
| Mother | Amy Berman Jackson |
Matthew Barnett Jackson (born 1992) is an American paralegal and former contestant on the syndicated game show Jeopardy! who won 13 consecutive games, earning $413,612. This is the 11th-highest game streak of all time as of June 4, 2023. His 13-episode streak ended with a loss on October 14, 2015. Jackson's total winnings place him 10th on the all-time money-winning list in regular (non-tournament) games as of June 4, 2023. [1]
Jackson grew up in Washington, D.C., and attended Georgetown Day School. [2] His mother, Amy Berman Jackson, [3] is Jewish and his father is African-American and Christian. [4] His middle name comes from his maternal grandfather, Barnett Berman, a physician at Johns Hopkins University whom Jackson cited as an early influence in becoming well-read. [5]
Jackson majored in philosophy at Yale University and graduated in 2014.
At Yale, Jackson was a key player on the university's quiz bowl team, which won several national tournaments, including Academic Competition Federation nationals in 2011 and 2012 [6] [7] and the National Academic Quiz Tournaments Intercollegiate Championship Tournament 2013 (Division I); [8] he served as president of the Partnership for Academic Competition Excellence (PACE), a nonprofit promoting the spread of quiz bowl, in 2014–15. [9] [10] [11]
Jackson works as a paralegal in D.C. [12]
Jackson was encouraged to apply for the show by his friend Sam Spaulding, who won $50,000 after finishing second in the fall 2010 College Championship. [13] After two unsuccessful attempts to enter the college tournament, he auditioned for the regular show in 2014 and was selected as a contestant. [13] Jackson said that he repeated, "I am not throwin' away my shot," a line from the musical Hamilton , for inspiration while preparing for the show. [14] He studied by reading previous champions' books on the experience, such as Ken Jennings’s Brainiac and Bob Harris's Prisoner of Trebekistan. [14]
Jackson initially drew attention for his slow smile while being introduced at the beginning of each show. [12] [4] After his first victory, he began using his fingers to display the number of wins in his streak. [15] Jackson also became known for his buzzer speed and for quickly moving onto the next question after giving a correct response. [14] [16] In his third game, when Jackson said "Boom!" after correctly answering a Daily Double, fans and media quickly proclaimed the exclamation his signature catchphrase, but he never repeated it. [17]
Jackson's 13-episode streak ended with a loss on October 14, 2015. In his 14 episodes he earned $413,612. At the time his 13-win streak was the fourth highest in Jeopardy! regular-play history, trailing only Ken Jennings (74 wins in 2004), Julia Collins (20 in 2014), and David Madden (19 in 2005). He was also fourth-highest in total regular-play earnings. As of 2022 [update] , he was ninth place in both consecutive games and regular play earnings.[ citation needed ][ needs update ]
Jackson returned in November 2015 for the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions. On the November 11 episode, he won his quarterfinal game, [18] and on the November 18 episode, he won his semifinal game. In the two-day final aired on November 19 and 20, Jackson finished second, behind Alex Jacob, winning $100,000.
Jackson appeared in the show's "All-Star Games", which aired from February 20 to March 5, 2019. His teammates were captain Ken Jennings and 2012 College champion Monica Thieu. The team took second place. [19]
Jackson returned for the 2024 Jeopardy Invitational Tournament (JIT), ultimately falling to Victoria Groce in the semifinal matchup.