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JEOPARDY! contestant Adriana Harmeyer’s husband has opened up about her success as she continues on an impressive winning streak.
Neal Harmeyer, a clinical associate professor and archivist at Purdue University, revealed the sweet way he supported his wife on Jeopardy!.
Neal Harmeyer, the husband of Jeopardy! contestant Adriana Harmeyer, said he has been in the audience to support his wife during her time on the show[/caption]
Neal said it has been a privilege to watch his wife do what she loves as Adriana has been on an 8-day winning streak[/caption]
The Indiana archivists originally bonded over their love of Jeopardy! when they met in 2013[/caption]
The couple traveled from Indiana to California together for the game show’s live tapings, where Neal made sure to snag a seat in the audience.
Neal said he felt fortunate to be able to watch Adriana compete, especially as he knows how much joy it brings her.
“If you think it is tense watching it at home, it is that much more tense watching it in person when someone you love is competing,” he told Journal & Courier.
“Adriana gets a big deal of joy from learning and from trivia. I have seen her in her element while doing trivia before, but this is the tops of it — she is completely joyous.
“Watching her in that way was an absolute privilege,” he added.
The West Lafayette, Indiana archivist has been on the longest and highest-earning streak in over a year.
On Friday, Adriana won her eighth episode with $183,100, extending her streak to the longest and highest earnings of the season.
“I think this is your biggest payday yet,” host Ken Jennings remarked at the end of the airing, adding, “What a week you’ve had!”
SUPPORT FROM THE START
Neal went on to explain how he and Adriana originally bonded over watching Jeopardy! as kids when they met in 2013.
Their love of the game show eventually led to their love of learning and helping others.
“Adriana has an insatiable appetite for learning. If she doesn’t know the answer to something or if someone asks her something and she doesn’t know the answer, she won’t stop investigating until she finds it,” Neal told the Indiana publication.
“As long as I have known her, Adriana has always been an avid reader, a lover of trivia and she loves to think about the world in a prism of learning.
“She’s still the same person I originally met over a decade ago.”
Neal’s support for his wife has not gone unnoticed by Adriana, as she has been leaning on him during her time on the show.
Jeopardy! Universe
Jeopardy! first aired in 1964 until 1975. Then the nighttime version began in 1974. Since then, many spinoffs of the game show have emerged. Here they all are:
Jeopardy! – (syndicated) 1974 to present, weekdays on ABC at 7 pm ET.
Tournament of Champions – 1984 to present, features the top champions who have appeared on the show since the last tournament.
Second Chance Tournament – 2022 to present features hand-selected non-winners from the season prior, where the prize is entry into Champions Wildcard.
Champions Wildcard – 2023 to present, features all one, two and three-day champions from the season prior worth entry into the Tournament of Champions.
Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament (syndication) – 2023 to present, features past greats invited by producers to vie for a slot in Masters.
Jeopardy! Masters (primetime) – 2023 to present, features the six highest-ranked Jeopardy! champions competing against each other.
Celebrity Jeopardy! (primetime) – 1992 to present, has celebrities compete against each other to raise money for charity.
Pop Culture Jeopardy (streaming) – 2024 to present, will feature teams of three tasked with pop culture trivia on Amazon Prime, host and airdate TBD
Jeopardy! has done away with specialized tournaments like its College Tournaments, Kids Week, and Professor’s Tournament to gear towards a more sports-like model, with Masters being the top of the Jeopardy pyramid.
Other versions of Jeopardy! have fizzled out throughout the years as well, like Sports Jeopardy!.
The contestant said it has been a relief to debrief tapings with Neal, especially as she has to keep the results a secret until they are aired.
She also showed gratitude for her experience on the game show, admitting she would’ve been content with leaving after her first episode.
“It’s been incredible. I so greatly enjoyed going and doing (‘Jeopardy!’) and being on the show, and that was enough,” Adriana explained.
“If for some reason it never aired on television, that was enough for me.
“I love playing this game, but now that it’s airing, it’s been unexpected how strong and positive of a reaction it has all been for me and my family. I never expected that,” she continued.
HER LUCKY CHARM
On Friday’s episode, Adriana revealed a secret accessory that may have helped aid in her success.
After Ken realized she had been wearing the same necklace in every match, Adriana explained that it was an homage to her late grandmother.
“It’s a cameo necklace that was given to me by my grandmother,” the contestant shared.
“She loved and collected cameos in all forms and was also a big game show fan!
“I spent a lot of time watching Jeopardy! and other programs at her side,” Adriana said, adding that “it’s very possible” she wouldn’t be on Jeopardy! without her.
“That’s great that you’ve got that memento,” Ken replied.
Monday night’s episode will show Adriana taking on high school teacher Aaron Lemos and software developer Josh Fry.
Adriana said she has leaned on her husband for support, especially as she has to keep the game’s results a secret until the episodes are aired[/caption]
Adriana recently opened up about the ‘lucky’ necklace she has worn during every game, which was given to her by her late grandmother[/caption]
Monday’s new game will show Adriana taking on high school teacher Aaron Lemos and software developer Josh Fry[/caption]
