LeVar Burton’s ‘Jeopardy!’ Champion Branded ‘Most Annoying Ever’ By Viewers

Martin Holmes July 29, 2021, 7:28 am

Jeopardy! is rolling on with LeVar Burton at the helm this week, but it’s current champion Matt Amodio who is getting fans talking.

The Phd student from New Haven, Connecticut, is currently on a six-game winning streak and has earned the respect of many viewers for his trivia knowledge. However, Amodio has a certain quirk when answering questions that is starting to get under some people’s skin.

Everyone knows that the format of Jeopardy! requires contestants to answer in the form of a question, but Amodio seems to have a problem differentiating his “what’s” from his “who’s.” For example, when the answer is a person’s name, like Anna Faris or John Cleese, which we saw on Wednesday’s show, Amodio said “what’s Faris” and “what’s Cleese” rather than “who’s Faris” or “who’s Cleese.”

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“I am impressed with Matt on Jeopardy but he uses “What’s” regardless of if the answer is a thing or a person — for a few nights now. Shouldn’t a person always be “who”?!?” said one frustrated Twitter user. Others went as far as to say Amodio was “the most annoying contestant ever” for this bad habit.

I am impressed with Matt on @Jeopardy but he uses “What’s” regardless of if the answer is a thing or a person — for a few nights know. Shouldn’t a person always be “who”?!? #mypettyirritants #jeopardy

— Jason Browning, PhD (@jason_from_ky) July 29, 2021

Can someone PLEASE tell Matt it’s not “what” when referring to a person? #Jeopardy

— April (@NerdmomApril) July 29, 2021

Is Matt the most annoying contestant ever? Is it so hard to say “who is”? or “make it a true daily double”? #Jeopardy

— Voter McVoterface (@VMcVoterface) July 29, 2021

Who is the single most unwatchable champion in #Jeopardy history? Answer: What is Matt.

— Andy (@MiamiDadeRaised) July 28, 2021

Matt seems like a nice guy, but he keeps saying “What’s” instead of “What is” or “Who is” or “What are,” and it’s driving me crazy. Congrats to him, though.#Jeopardy #HireLeVarBurton

— Peggy N. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ (@pnunez48) July 29, 2021

Matt knows a lot of stuff but not how to use the word “who”. #jeopardy!

— Schmelina (@elinaniem) July 29, 2021

However, not everyone seemed to mind Amodio’s approach, as fans were just happy to see such an impressive champion. It’s been a while since a contestant has gone on a run like this, and so the New Haven native received high praise for his Jeopardy! skills.

“Y’all better get used to and get over hearing “What’s” because I think Matt’s going to be on Jeopardy! for a while. And I’m here for it,” tweeted one viewer.

Y’all better get used to and get over hearing “What’s” because I think Matt’s going to be on #Jeopardy for a while. And I’m here for it.

— Michael Campbell (@michael31_c) July 29, 2021

Digging #Jeopardy Matt and don’t mind that he says “what” instead of “who” because he gets his answers right.

— (((Laura Kuhn))) (@loudakay) July 29, 2021

Matt is the best player in years. He could go on a Top 5 all-time run. #jeopardy #cleveland @JeopardyWagers @Jeopardy

— Jay 🔜 (@JDG44120) July 29, 2021