Farewell for now! Austin Rogers’ 12-game winning streak on Jeopardy came to an end Thursday, October 12. The bartender from New York City lost by a mere $51 to Scarlett Sims, a stay-at-home mom from Oak Ridge, Tennessee. But it was also his quirky personality that had viewers hooked.
He brought a very different voice to the normally reserved group of contestants on the show, constantly making jokes and plenty of cocky, but hilarious statements. He even got 77-year-old host Alex Trebek to say “dick tree” live on air.
The 38-year-old, who won a total of $411,000, garnered the affection of viewers and media alike. James Corden, host of The Late Late Show, claimed Rogers as his “new bae” and took to his show to explain why he is obsessed with him: “He’s amazing. I can’t take my eyes off him. He simultaneously looks like a homeless man trying to dress up like a rich person and a rich person trying to dress up like a homeless person.”
Trebek said in a statement after the show: “Austin was outside the box, completely different from what many viewers expect a ‘Jeopardy!‘ contestant to be. He was fun to be with and slightly irreverent.”
Rogers also appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy FallonJimmy Fallon after his loss. “I didn’t lose, she beat me,” he said about Sims, ”It’s legit.”
But he won’t be gone for long. On November 6, the self-proclaimed “lovable rogue” will be back competing for the “Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions.”
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