The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
How I win at ‘Jeopardy!’
“What’s Matt Amodio”? Hi! I’m a Ph.D. student at Yale in computer science, currently living out my dream on “Jeopardy!” I’ve followed “Jeopardy!” since before I can remember, with my parents watching the show every day and me in the background.
Trivia has always mattered to me, because in a broader sense knowledge matters to me. I had instilled in me a love of learning from my parents, and I have carried that with me everywhere I go. I get a lot of joy out of learning things, any things, about the world. I am fortunate enough to have the opportunity to go on a show that values that quality and rewards it.
It’s been fun sharing that love of knowledge with people I’ve met along the way — for example, having the pleasure of getting to meet Connecticut’s Gov. Ned Lamont a few weeks ago. He is extremely nice and energetic, and I was pleasantly surprised that he was so knowledgeable about history, which we talked a lot about. He told me Connecticut is rooting for me, which means a lot to me.
I’m proud to represent Connecticut! I’ve had such a great time at Yale, and I love New Haven. It’s such a lively place with a lot of interesting stuff going on at all times, and the friends I’ve made here are great. Oh, and the pizza is pretty darn good, too. (I know it’s always a hot topic, but I’ll take Pepe’s any time!)
I’ve always been a trivia enthusiast, and so the way I acquire knowledge is by reading a lot and doing so with the idea of “How can this become a trivia question?” in the back of my head at all times. I read Wikipedia articles for entertainment, starting from one article and then linking to a bunch of interesting topics I see in that article, which leads me to a bunch of others, and so on until I realize it’s time to go to bed. My favorite topics are generally things such as history, politics and geography, so I knew to succeed at the show I’d have to strengthen a weaker area of mine: pop culture!
I have spent time watching newer TV and movies and listening to newer music. It’s been easy to convince myself that this is actually productive, not a waste of my time, because it’s all focused on improving myself for the show! I’ve also been pleasantly surprised that I genuinely like some of the things I’ve exposed myself to, which is a great lesson in expanding one’s horizons and being open to new things.
I’m proud to represent Connecticut! I’ve had such a great time at Yale, and I love New Haven. It’s such a lively place with a lot of interesting stuff going on at all times, and the friends I’ve made here are great. Oh, and the pizza is pretty darn good, too.
Overall, this experience has been the thrill of a lifetime. I’ll never get used to the fact that I’m on TV or my name is in the paper or that strangers know who I am. I’m a pretty introverted person. That hasn’t prevented me from thoroughly enjoying the whole experience, though! I’ve been treated so kindly and warmly, it’s brought a sense of community, and I’ve been touched by how my community has supported me.