If you’ve been keeping up with Jeopardy! then you know that a new Super Champion recently joined the leaderboards. However, Jeopardy! data-hawks recently noticed that the trivia wiz’s streak was historic for another reason. Here’s how Ray LaLonde stands out even among Jeopardy! legends!
Ray LaLonde’s Streak Comes To An End
If one thing is for sure, it’s that Jeopardy! fans need to keep an eye on Toronto! In early 2022, Toronto-based tutor Mattea Roach made history with her 23-game win streak. Now, the capital of Ontario has produced yet another Super Champion in Ray LaLonde.
The TV set designer kicked off his streak on December 15 and repeatedly dominated the stage for over two weeks. LaLonde proved himself a formidable contestant, and he went on to win the show’s very first game of 2023. However, all good things must come to an end.
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On January 3, LaLonde met his match in contestants Claire Theoret and Lloyd Sy. Despite competing as admirably as ever, he was up against some heavy hitters. By the Final Jeopardy round, all three contestant’s scores were in the $10,000 range.
In an uncommon turn of events, all three contestants guessed the final question correctly, and all three chose to nearly double their scores. That means everyone went home with over $20,000. However, it also meant LaLonde narrowly lost by just $490.
Ray LaLonde Christens The $300K Club
With his 13 wins, LaLonde certainly earned his place among the Jeopardy! Super Champions. However, LaLonde also currently stands alone in a unique category. As pointed out by a user on the Jeopardy! subreddit, LaLonde is the only contestant to finish his win streak with his total earnings landing in the $300,000 range.
After his final game, LaLonde took home $386,400. While there are plenty of contestants who have surpassed this number, LaLonde is unique in that he is the only one to finish in the $300,000s. “It took 39 years but we finally have had a Jeopardy! Champion lose with a score in the $300,000s,” Redditor strangeremain wrote. “This is truly the end of an era for me constantly pointing out this obscure fact every time it is relevant.”
According to Redditor u/dletter, no one has finished in the $600,000 or $800,000 ranges just yet, so there are still records yet to be set as the show progresses. Not to mention, we’re still awaiting the first $3 million+ Jeopardy! winner. Of course, you can leave it to Jeopardy! fans to know this obscure trivia. However, before we see the first $600,000 club member, we’ll likely see Ray LaLonde return to the Jeopardy! stage for the Tournament of Champions!
