Who is Wyatt Yankus? Jeopardy! fans lust over ‘sexy’ new player, speculate on ‘bizarre’ winning pattern

Wyatt, a Washington DC policy specialist, is a New Yorker and he opened up about his life in a Twitter Q&A session
PUBLISHED JUN 4, 2022
JEOPARDY! host Mayim Bialik (inset) applauded champ Ryan Long's (L) 16th win, but fans praised new player (R) Wyatt Yankus (Youtube SS/JEOPARDY!)
JEOPARDY! host Mayim Bialik (inset) applauded champ Ryan Long's (L) 16th win, but fans praised new player (R) Wyatt Yankus (Youtube SS/JEOPARDY!)

JEOPARDY! Fans noticed a "bizarre pattern" as champ Ryan Long won his 16th straight game, bring his prize money amount to $299K in total on Friday, 3 June. Ryan, the carpooling driver from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is currently seven wins short of Canadian teacher Mattea Roach's 23-game winning streak, which ended abruptly earlier this month when she lost by $1. Fans claimed that the Uber driver will continue to play for at least another week, gaining additional money, now that he has 14 victories in the game. The prediction is based on statistics for how players fare on the show when they are on a winning game streak.

By extending his winning streak to 16 games, he now has the ninth-longest run in the show's history. But while Ryan was impressive, it was another "sexy" new player who grabbed quite a bit of the attention in the game with hundreds of wide-eyed viewers praising his beauty on social media. The new contestant on the right podium, Wyatt Yankus, a Washington DC policy specialist lost in the game but swept the looks category. Jeopardy! fans are now awestruck by this new player and folks couldn't stop gushing about how attractive he looked online.

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"Wyatt Yankus Handsome guy, nice suit! But I think everyone knows I am going to say I wish he was wearing a tie with this outfit!"  one Twitter user wrote. Another indicated, "So, methinks #Wyatt will be the next guy subjected to several thirst tweets #jeopardy."



 



 

Who is the new hot handsome hunk?

In a Twitter Q&A session, Wyatt, who is a New Yorker, opened up about his personal life. He's been married for six months. His husband is originally from Canada. They wanted something emblematic of the US-Canada relationship.  "It was a blast, a couple of hours before the wedding we left our families behind and went to an indoor waterpark, riding slides just the two of us, and got dressed up for the wedding.” One fan remarked after Wyatt came out on syndicated TV, "I love it when the hot guy on Jeopardy is gay," Another wrote, "Haha ladies. Wyatt’s taken #jeopardy"



 



 

Wyatt is a Cambridge school business graduate according to his LinkedIn and presently works in a chartered bank

Fans spot 'bizzare' winning pattern

According to longtime Jeopardy! fans, a player who reaches 14 games, keeps on winning more until they win 'at least' 19 games on the show. Ryan has an 88 percent accuracy rate thus far, according to Daily Box Scores, with 26 correct replies and two wrongs tonight. "Remember: every #Jeopardy champion who has reached 14 wins has gotten to at least 19,"  a fan wrote highlighting the bizarre pattern.



 

The Tournament of Champions will be held in November, and Mattea, Ryan, and Amy Schneider, as well as Matt Amodio, will compete. Ryan is three games behind the two star players and is tied for the eighth-longest Jeopardy! session.



 

Mayim, 46, is hosting Jeopardy! for the fourth week in a row, following alum Ken Jennings' three weeks as host and his announcement that he would be gone for "months." The permanent anchoring spot is still up for grabs, and it will be decided by the end of Season 38, which will be in July 2022.



 

Regardless, Ryan's large personality, pop culture category sweeps, and modestly humorous yet genuine Q&A tales have delighted fans who weren't expecting another streak so soon. He spoke about his son last night, and it reduced Mayim to tears. "He wants to travel to California and see the theme parks, and the greatest part is that I now have time to accomplish both of these things with him," Ryan said. "I don't have to work and say 'I can't do it,' now we can just go anywhere we want," he said as the purple-blue stage turned deafeningly silent. "That is wonderful, gave me chills," said Mayim, who has two sons with her ex-husband, fanning her warm face. "Alright back to the game."

The beloved streak winner revealed that he was once a bouncer in Philadelphia - where he was pursued by a raccoon. He has also harvested peas on a Mennonite farm and that he and his mother grew up watching Alex Trebek.



 

When questioned about his weekend intentions after the game, he said he was heading home to "soak in the tub," and that his kid was unaware of his run. However, the 39-year-old has made it obvious that his near-$300,000 would transform his life behind his often hazy glasses (which he left at home his first week) and wonderful attitude.



 

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