'Jeopardy!' champ wins fans with quirky antics, big bets
NEW YORK (AP) - A New York City bartender's on-screen antics and big bets while competing on "Jeopardy!" are winning him cash to go along with a cult following.
By the end of Thursday's show, Austin Rogers had won eight days in a row and more than $300,000. "Jeopardy!" says that total put him at fifth on the show's list of all-time regular season money winners. Rogers has done it while sporting wild hair and a bushy beard and making animated gestures after correct answers.
He's also making big wagers. Rogers won a whopping $34,000 bet on the show's "Final Jeopardy" segment Tuesday.
FILE - In this Jan. 13, 2011, file photo, Alex Trebek, host of the "Jeopardy!" quiz show, speaks to an audience of primarily media about an upcoming "Jeopardy!" show featuring IBM's "Watson" in Yorktown Heights, N.Y. New York City bartender Austin Rogers extended his run of wins to eight on the show that aired Oct. 5, 2017, and boosted his total winnings to more than $300,000. Rogers' on-screen antics are winning him a cult following. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
Fans are singing his praises on Twitter by using the hashtag #AustinOnJeopardy.
Rogers tells "Good Morning America" that the secret to his success is uncovering patterns in clues by watching hundreds of "Jeopardy!" episodes.