Featured J!Buzz

With 5 wins and a total of $110,870 under his belt, Zach Newkirk has become the longest reigning champion in the most unusual way.

After his 4-game streak, which concluded at the end of Season 36, Zach was slated to return to the Jeopardy! stage at the top of this season. However, due to Covid-19 travel restrictions at the beginning of the season, his return to the game was put on hold.

“I’m just so honored to have met Alex and played 4 games with him back in March,” Zach said. “I’ll be one of only a few people to have both Alex and Ken as the host.”

Zach’s latest victory naturally leads to the conversation about his qualification for the Tournament of Champions. But he’s going to have to wait for that, too.

The previous TOC Tracker list was locked after Brayden Smith finished his 5-game streak. A new one has begun for the next qualifying group with Zach Newkirk and Brian Chang at the top of the list. With as much as these two competitors have in common, this rivalry isn’t over yet!

Check out highlights from Zach’s return and tune in today to see if his streak continues!