Albuquerque math teacher is third overall regular-season money winner

Jason Zuffranieri’s 19-game Jeopardy! winning streak came to an end Thursday when Washington, D.C.-based researcher Gabe Brison-Trezise won the match with $22,400. Zuffranieri finished second with $19,500.

“My mentality for 25 years was that I wasn’t meant to be on the show for whatever reason: not smart enough, not camera-friendly, not interesting, whatever,” said Zuffranieri, who auditioned for Jeopardy! eight times before making it on the show on his ninth attempt. “To finally get a chance on that stage was a dream come true, and the level of good fortune I received is truly beyond anything I ever considered could happen.”

Over the course of his 19 wins, the math teacher from Albuquerque, N.M., earned a total of $532,496 in prize money, making him the third-highest money winner in regular-season play. Zuffranieri follows only Ken Jennings, who won $2,520,700 over his record-setting 74 wins, and James Holzhauer, who won $2,462,216 over his 32 consecutive wins last spring.

In terms of consecutive wins, Zuffranieri is tied for fourth with David Madden, behind Jennings, Holzhauer and Julia Collins, who won 20 straight games.

Jeopardy! is produced by Sony Pictures Television and distributed domestically by CBS Television Distribution and internationally by CBS Television International, both units of CBS Corp. Harry Friedman executive produces, while Alex Trebek hosts.