JEOPARDY! star Troy Meyer is blazing through the 2024 Tournament of Champions and fans want to know more about its next potential winner.
The six-day champ faces three-day champ Yogesh Raut and nine-day champ Ben Chan for $250,000 and a slot in May’s Masters.
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Ken Jennings is hosting the 2024 Tournament of Champions finalsCredit: Jeopardy!
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Here’s everything to know about Troy Meyer (pictured) – whom many fans are predicting may winCredit: Jeopardy
Troy is a music executive and pro quizzer from Tampa, Florida, who dominated last season, earning a massive $214,802 in just six wins.
While he may not have had the longest streak, his entire life seemed to be leading up to his Jeopardy! stint in 2023.
There is much to unpack about Troy as he makes waves as the 2024 ToC’s breakout star.
JEOPARDY! LOVE CONNECTION
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Troy met his wife Genevieve Sheehan through Jeopardy!Credit: WTSP
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Genevieve also competed on the game show in 2009Credit: TampaBay10
Troy’s wife, Genevieve Sheehan, was a contestant on Jeopardy! back in 2009.
The married couple anonymously met online on a message board when she, not he, was practicing to compete.
Troy and Genevieve share a son who is 10 and are also expecting a daughter, whom Troy promised to name “Ken-derella” if he wins the ToC.
She practiced by playing against fans on the internet, and her first practice game was coincidentally against her now-husband.
Although she lost, she went on to win $165,000 on The Chase, beating James Holzhauer – and won at love.
Genevieve told Tampa news station WTSP, “I certainly didn’t think that I would find my husband through Jeopardy!”
“I was initially intrigued by how good she was,” Troy said.
When they two first faced off as strangers, she beat him.
The pair began exchanging messages when Genevieve was seeing someone.
At the time, Troy had just come out of a breakup.
Genevieve told the New York Times in their 2010 wedding announcement, “We started talking about the type of art we liked, our daily routines.”
“It felt weird, the whole internet aspect to this. And she was in a relationship,” Troy said.
“I talked to friends, and they thought I was absolutely nuts.”
They kept in touch as she prepped, but Troy didn’t know what she looked like until her episode aired.
Troy told the New York Times that before then, “I thought she was 55 years old.
“It’s sort of the strangest way to like see someone in person for the first time.”
They finally met up in person after she competed.
“Within the first 24 hours we just wanted to be together,” Genevieve told the The Times.
“We were really part of each other’s lives.”
Genevieve’s father summed up their love in a winning way at the couple’s wedding.
“Did we care that she lost on the show? No, because in reality, she had won, as she had won her husband,” he said.
TOUGH LOSS
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Troy’s late mom, Cheryl, died in 2021 before his initial runCredit: Cleveland.com
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Troy looked up above in near tears during each of his initial winsCredit: Jeopardy!
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Troy (right) with his brother Trevor (left) and late mom CherylCredit: TampaBay10
Troy was raised by his single mom, Cheryl, who died in 2021, shortly before his initial run.
Each of Troy’s initial six wins saw him look up above in near tears because of her.
Host Ken revealed during Troy’s streak that the mom and son “shared a big love” of watching Jeopardy! together.
“It was emotional up there without her being there,” Troy previously told WTSP.
She raised him as a single mother and dreamed of watching him compete, according to the outlet. She is also survived by Troy’s brother, Trevor.
Troy spoke about his mom during a ToC interview before his massive $46,800 first-finals win.
During the interview, Ken Jennings told Troy, wearing a noticeable patterned cardigan [seen above], “Tell us about the sweater; that is a choice.”
Troy replied with a laugh, “Thanks for the compliment. So, my late mother worked at Saks Fifth Avenue in Cleveland for a long time.
“And – they probably wouldn’t want me to talk about this on TV – one thing the salespeople would do is hide stuff in their drawers until it went on sale.”
He continued, “And so my mom hid this for six months for me, my mom hooked me up with a lot of stuff throughout the years.”
“I wear this sweater in tribute to her today,” he emotionally concluded.
SITTING CHAMPION
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Troy surprised internet users by choosing to sit for the Jeopardy! ToCCredit: Jeopardy!
Fans on X, fka Twitter, have noticed that Troy sits during the ToC finals using a chair on his podium.
“Why is Troy sitting down? #Jeopardy,” one wrote.
Another added, “Why was Troy Meyer sitting during #Jeopardy tonight? Is he ok?”
A third joked, “I think Troy is sitting on a chair during #Jeopardy because his brain is super heavy.”
While Troy doesn’t owe anyone an explanation, Jeopardy! bosses spoke about letting him sit when he did so during his last game in 2023.
“Please know that any contestant is given the opportunity to have a chair at any point.
“We would never make people stand, and you’ll see in the coming weeks that we had a contestant who did choose to sit,” Jeopardy! higher-ups explained.
“After their performance, they felt like that may be a better opportunity for them.
“We are not saying no you have to stand and play, we want you to play at your very best. Sitting down is absolutely an option.”
BEST IN THE BIZ
Troy is the top quizzer in the United States on the invite-only online trivia club Learned League.
He also humbly revealed he was on what is technically the “world’s best quiz team” – he has won the competition Online Quiz League seven times running.
He joined forces with Brandon Blackwell and Victoria Groce of The Chase and won the global competition.
Brandon, as well as other fellow Chasers, were in the audience for his initial games, as was his wife.
While Yogesh is also a pro-quizzer, he’s admitted on-stage that he’s lost to Troy in online trivia.
EYE ON THE PRIZE
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Troy said he’s ‘put everything into this’ to Jeopardy! staff on the blue carpetCredit: Jeopardy!
Troy expressed at the Jeopardy! Honors event prior to ToC being taped that he wanted not only the $250,000 prize but also the Masters crown.
“I’m here to win. I have put everything I can into this,” he said on the blue carpet.
“I know how important it is. I want that shot at Masters. I want that shot at James [Holzhauer], and I know I can hang.
“And yeah, I’ve given anything I got. I know that sounded nuts.”
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Troy takes a photo with fellow Jeopardy! finalists Yogesh Raut and Ben ChanCredit: Facebook/Yogesh Raut
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Troy won six games in 2023, went home and trained, and is back in fine formCredit: Jeopardy!
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Troy revealed prior to ToC being taped he wanted not only the $250,000 prize, but also the Masters crownCredit: Jeopardy
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