Who is Scott Riccardi? For 16 days, this NJ man has won 'Jeopardy'

A hot topic of conversation in New Jersey these days is Scott Riccardi, a hometown hero currently on a 16-day winning streak on the latest season of "Jeopardy."

Riccardi compares himself to a Nintendo “Mii” avatar before a player sets its features, because he sees himself as a pretty generic-looking guy.

Since his first episode, which aired on July 3, Riccardi has been featured in local newspapers, celebrated by his alma mater and the focus of a trending “Today” show article. He said he didn’t know he would generate too much attention for being on the show.

“When I was up there I had to just really focus on winning the game,” Riccardi said. “I wasn't really sure how people would feel about me as a champion.”

Raised in South Plainfield, Riccardi moved to Somerville, New Jersey two years ago after receiving an engineering degree from Rutgers University.

Riccardi made his "Jeopardy" debut at the start of this month (but began taping in spring) and quickly established himself as a competitor willing to take risks.

He’s known for big wagers and being first to the buzzer. As of the most recent episode, Riccardi has taken home close to a half-million dollars in cumulative winnings from his 16-day streak.

This year marks "Jeopardy’s" 41st season and the third with host Ken Jennings, a former champion who made headlines in 2004 for his 74-game winning streak.

Jennings took over the role after "Jeopardy's" original host, Alex Trebek, died in 2020.

Riccardi grew up watching the show.

“ It was one of the only shows that across generations, me and my parents and my grandparents could all agree that we enjoyed watching,” Riccardi said.

Riccardi’s been a big fan of Jennings since he first watched the host on "Jeopardy" tournaments.

“It made me so happy to see him,” Riccardi said .

Riccardi spoke with WNYC’s Michael Hill on a recent episode of “Morning Edition.” Below is an edited version of their conversation.

Michael Hill: You've been making your mark in "Jeopardy" history. How has your experience been on the show?

Scott Riccardi: It's been unlike anything I've ever experienced. I've been watching "Jeopardy" my entire life, and I can't believe that I get to be a part of it. And not only that, just in such a big way.

If you end this season winning again and again and again as you have been, could you return at the start of the new season?

That is the procedure if anyone manages to win out through the end of the season.

Scott, I have to ask you this. I'm watching these shows with you on it week after week after week now, and I have to ask how do you know so much?

I've got say, like, growing up it felt like I had my parents raising me and then my best friend's parents were also there for me.

And then equally there for me, not equally, but Wikipedia. I was just on Wikipedia all the time. My parents' computer would slow down 'cause I had so many tabs open. I was constantly so curious for information and I just love learning new things. And when I run into something that I don't quite know, I like to see how I can really fit it in with what I do now.

So far this season you've made it clear to viewers that you are not afraid to bet big wagers. What would you say is your "Jeopardy" strategy?

Largely I would say early on in the game, I'm trying to just get the Daily Doubles out of the way because they can be so volatile and really shift the tide of the game. So I'm generally just looking in some of the higher value clues in the categories that I feel like are strong for me, but also a little more academic and maybe more likely to have those daily doubles.

What do you plan to do with all your winnings once the season is over?

Well, the main thing that you know has been discussed on the show has been the concept of buying a marimba. I have been a percussionist since middle school, and it's tricky because once you graduate, you just lose access to all those instruments that you used to play. So it would be great to be able to actually get back into being a practicing percussionist again.

For more "Jeopardy" interviews, tune in to “All of It” on Tuesday, July 29 from noon to 1 p.m.. Ken Jennings will be on to discuss his new book of puzzles, “The Complete Kennections” and listeners can answer trivia questions live with Ken.