Amodio's 'Jeopardy!' winning streak snapped at 38 consecutive games

Oct. 11 (UPI) -- Jeopardy! contestant Matt Amodio finally went down to defeat on Monday after a 38-game winning streak, the second-longest in the popular syndicated game show's history.

The Yale University computer sciences Ph.D. student, who had emerged as fan favorite, incorrectly answered the "Final Jeopardy" clue, "Nazi Germany annexed this nation and divided it into regions of the Alps and the Danube; the Allies later divided it into four sectors."

The correct response was, "What is Austria?" Amodio, however, incorrectly identified the country as Poland, sealing the end of his remarkable winning streak.

Mayim Bialik, who has been tapped as co-host of Jeopardy! until the end of the year, was in the game runner's chair when Amodio's streak ran out.

Only Ken Jennings has won more consecutive games with 74 straight victories.

Amodio racked up total cash winnings of more than $1.5 million, good for third place all-time behind Jennings ($2.5 million) and professional sports gambler James Holzhauer ($2.46 million).

"I always wanted to be a Jeopardy! champion, and I accomplished that," Amodio said in a statement issued to Variety. "l know going into every bar trivia game that I play that I'm going to come in with a little intimidation factor. But also, I just like the badge that it represents. As somebody who prioritizes knowledge and knowing things, this is really a good one to have following me everywhere."