‘Jeopardy!’ Fan Favorite Hannah Wilson Reveals Dramatic Career Change After Winning $229,801 on Show

Brittany Sims March 14, 2025, 3:13 pm

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What is… making your passions happen after winning big on a national game show? Former eight-day Jeopardy! champion, Hannah Wilson, took her earnings from the game show and opened up a craft store with them.

Wilson, from Chicago, Illinois, was a data scientist while she was on Jeopardy!. Now, she has switched careers and turned to arts and crafts. She made her debut on the show on May 3, 2023, and defeated 3-day champion Kevin Belle in a near-runaway victory. Wilson went on to have seven impressive games, racking up an eight-day total of $229,801. The contestant is the third-highest earning female contestant in regular gameplay and the fifth-highest female earnings overall.

Ben Chan beat her during her ninth game, earning his fourth win in nine straight runaway victories. Wilson went on to play in the 2024 Tournament of Champions, in which she placed fourth, and the 2025 Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament.

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Wilson’s success on Jeopardy! helped her and her wife open The Dropped Stitch in Chicago. About the store, she told Axios Chicago, “My wife and I used some of my prize money to put a down payment on a condo in Andersonville, a neighborhood which had everything except a good yarn shop.” It is now only one of a handful of dedicated craft stores in Andersonville as the closure of Joann’s Fabrics and Crafts is imminent.

According to the site, The Dropped Stitch, located at 1524 W Bryn Mawr Ave, Chicago, Illinois, 60660, is a yarn shop and fiber arts emporium. It is open Wednesdays through Sundays from 12 pm to 6 pm. Along with products to sell, they offer classes and workshops taught by local artists. The store opened in November 2024.

“Now, I spend all day knitting, meeting fellow crafters in my neighborhood, organizing classes and workshops, and getting newcomers set on their way. It’s pretty great!” she said.

Wilson talked to the outlet about what her typical day looks like running the store. “When I want to give myself a treat before opening my store, I head down the street to JB’s Deli and grab a breakfast sandwich (everything bagel, toasted, with bacon, egg, and swiss cheese,” she said.

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If she has extra time, she goes birdwatching before opening the store. For lunch, she usually gets tacos. When Wilson isn’t at The Dropped Stitch, she usually spends time in used bookstores across the city. She ends her day at Open Books in Logan Square, a literacy nonprofit. “Where I spent some time volunteering during my post-Jeopardy! mini-retirement,” Wilson said.

After shopping at the bookstores, she finds dinner and then makes her way to Green Mill Jass Club. “I’m too sleepy to stay for the second set, so I take the Broadway bus home and crash on the couch with my knitting and an episode of Columbo. Goodnight!” she said about ending the night.

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