‘Jeopardy!’ Champ Laura Faddah Breaks All-Time Record With 7th Win

Reigning Jeopardy! champion Laura Faddah etched her name in the history books on Friday (December 27) by becoming the first contestant ever to win at least seven games with less than $100,000 total.

As of Friday’s game, Faddah now stands at $87,400 after seven wins, breaking the record previously held by contestant Tim Aten. In 2016, Aten won seven consecutive games for a total of $107,499 before losing his eighth game. No other champ has had less than $100,000 after seven wins.

Faddah, a manager from Memphis, Tennessee, has found success despite her low wagers on Daily Doubles and Final Jeopardy clues. In Friday’s episode, she faced Herb Jeong, a retired pension administrator from San Francisco, California, and Megan Riddell, a human resources data analyst from Linthicum, Maryland.

After the opening Jeopardy round, Faddah held a slight lead with $3,400 to Riddell’s $1,800 and Jeong’s $400. It looked like it was going to be a low-scoring game during Double Jeopardy after several incorrect responses, including wrong answers for both Daily Doubles.

However, Faddah had a surge in the Minor League Baseball Team Geography category, boosting her total to $10,000 and giving her a runaway heading into Final Jeopardy. And it’s a good job she had that lead because she failed to get the final clue, but it didn’t matter. Faddah secured her seventh victory and made history in the process.

Fans on the Jeopardy! Reddit forum commented on Faddah’s history-making record, with some pointing out how players such as James Holzhauer “had 10 games where he won more money in a single game than she has all 7.”

Another referenced how Jeopardy! legend Roger Craig amassed $100,000 in just two games back in 2010.

“Alright, I’m convinced Laura made some kind of deal with the devil,” quipped one user, while another replied, “I must say, I originally thought she was a “flukey” champion because of some of her “come-from-behind” victories in FJ. It seems I’m mistaken, she is a 7-day champion now.”

“Didn’t see this coming, either. Absolutely cannot fluke your way to a 7-day reign,” said another.

Another said of the low-scoring episode, “Wow, as others have said, that one was tough to watch. There were 17 triple stumpers, 12 wrong responses including all three DDs, and two of the three contestants missed on FJ. Yikes.”

“Queen stays queen! I personally love watching Laura best her opponents in new, unexpected ways, lol. Will also be curious to see what her return in 2025 looks like,” added another.

Viewers will have to wait until early March to see if Faddah can keep her streak going and break the $100,000 barrier. Jeopardy! begins its post-season next Monday (December 30), with two weeks of Second Chance, followed by Champions Wildcard and the Tournament of Champions.